Landscaping Ideas: How to Embrace Your Lawn and Garden

While a backyard pond and waterfall does not require a lot of maintenance, it is probably best to hire professionals to come out and clean things at least once a year, but that will depend on the size of the pond, what type of filtration you are using, and whether you have an eco-system in the pond or not. This is especially true if you have fish, plants, or other living organisms in the water. A waterfall will help keep the water moving and aerated but you will need a pump to move the water from the pond to the falls that will need to be maintained too. If you do decide to attempt this chore on your own, here are a few tips.

Fish Care During a Cleanout

If you have fish swimming around in the pond, you do not want to have the cleaning process kill them off. It is always best to take them out before using a pump to remove the water. Of course, you will still need to have some type of filter in place around the pump to avoid having any fish that managed to escape being turned into fish food. In addition, when you put the fish into their temporary container, be sure to place a cover over it that will prevent them from jumping out or from birds or other animals from getting to them. Finally, be sure to use some type of detoxifier in the fresh water before putting the fish back if you will be using water from a city line, the chlorine in the water will kill the fish.

Plant Care During a Cleanout

When you have removed all the water, look over the plant life in the pond. Remove anything that looks dead and split anything that has overgrown. While you want to have plants in the eco-system, you do not want them to overtake the pond and make it look overgrown. Too many plants in a pond will cause an upset to the eco-system and the exchange of gasses, causing your fish and plants to die. A good rule is to make sure your plants do not cover more than 60 percent of the surface of the pond.

Taking care of a pond and waterfall is messy work. You also have to be careful not to fall due to slippery rocks and hurt yourself. Proper care of your pond and waterfall will not only keep it looking great, but will keep the eco-system that lives in it from becoming ill. To learn more, contact a company like Colourscape Inc.