Autumn Tips For Water Features & Ponds

Now autumn has arrived, you may be starting to wonder if there are any important jobs you need to be doing for your water feature and pond this season. Now is a perfect time to get in the garden and start to carry out some seasonal maintenance, and in this blog we will share with you a few handy tips to get your outdoor feature in tip top condition that you can get on with this weekend!

Autumn Leaves

Most of the time we love the changing colours that autumn brings and the crunchy fallen leaves on the floor. We’re sure you, as much as we, love taking a walk out in the autumn air with these leaves underfoot, but they can be a bit of a nuisance when it comes to our gardens and keeping up with your water feature or pond!
Ensure you remove these leaves regularly to stop the build-up of sludge, or another great idea would be to net your pond which will also be very beneficial to reducing this build-up. You can also cut back your water plants in your pond as they begin to die and turn brown, this will prevent them rotting in your water during the winter months.

Care for Your Fish

We may get carried away and unintentionally overfeed our fish over the autumn months. We mean well, we just want to make sure they’re staying healthy over this season, but they do continue to produce excrement even when they are hibernating. So it is a good idea to keep this to a minimum, if fish do rise to the top of the water during autumn it is most likely to be for oxygen.

Cleaning

Autumn is a perfect time to give all your pond filters and pumps a good clean before the colder winter sets in. They are still working hard at this time and may have picked up some organic matter that could be floating around, so turn them all off and remove them from the water to check them over and clean out any equipment like this, both inside and out. During the colder weather it may also be a good idea to reduce the flow from your pumps to reduce the chilling effect of the cold air on the water. It would also be ideal to use pond water or rainwater to clean out these pieces of equipment as it is chlorine free and won’t kill the bacterial life.

If you are in need of a new pond or water feature Pump, head over to our UK Water Features website where we can easily replace any old or broken pieces of equipment.

Hibernation

Ensure you carry out any autumn maintenance before the hibernation period in the winter begins. You won’t wish to disturb the wildlife when this time starts, so it is a good idea to get all the jobs done now and as soon as possible. Frogs will return to your pond in the autumn to hibernate during the winter, and when the temperature of the water drops to around 7 degrees Celsius, that is when fish will begin to hibernate at the bottom of your pond too. Once we get into the late stages of autumn and the beginning of winter, do try your best not to disturb your pond area.

Check for Damages

Now is also the best time for check for damages such as tears in the lining or leaks. Check now that your liner is still in good, watertight condition and if any repairs need to be done, do them now before the cold weather arrives.

If you spot any damages, our UK Water Features website stocks a couple of great repair kits! Find these in our Ponds & Accessories section.

We hope this blog might have given you some information regarding important pond maintenance and will hopefully inspire you to get out there this week to do these jobs – now is the best time! Our water features are more than capable for withstanding autumnal weather conditions, but remember when winter starts to arrive, it is best to bring your feature indoors or at least cover with a water feature protection cover.

For all things Ponds and Water Features, including lights, cleaning products and spare part kits, feel free to browse out fantastic products on out UK Water Features website, where we have it all covered!