Preparing the pond in/for autumn
What we'll cover in this blog: your pond's GH value, annual maintenance, and what you can do yourself around autumn.
Maintaining water values
Even in October, it's important to monitor your pond's GH value. The more stable the water remains in autumn and winter, the more you can enjoy it in spring.
Count on an average of a small weekly dose of GH-plus. For example: a pond of 4000 litres needs about 10 ml of GH-plus per week to stay balanced. This prevents the pond from suddenly having green water in spring or plants from growing explosively.
Tip: use a pond test kit to determine your pond's current values.
Frost
Keep an eye on when a frost period is approaching - the filter must always continue to run. However, remove the filter medium during severe frost, and only put it back in spring.
Falling leaves
Don't have a covering net for your pond yet? Now is the time to purchase one. Leaves that fall into the water not only look less appealing, but they also start a decomposition process. A covering net ensures that much less foliage ends up in the water, and anything that does fall in is easy to scoop out.
Maintenance in or before autumn
This is also the time for major maintenance - if you don't do it in autumn, it will still need to be done in spring. The sludge layer is important here: partially or completely remove it. By adding Bio Boost, sludge already partially breaks down (the dosage depends on the thickness of the sludge layer).
Previously, this meant completely emptying the pond, including the fish, and scooping out the sludge by hand - excellent fertiliser for the garden and flowers, but a lot of work. A pond vacuum makes this easier, although the supply hose is often too short to carry the sludge far away. For a thick sludge layer that hasn't been dealt with for a long time, this thorough approach is still recommended - Bio Boost alone won't be enough then.
In lighter cases, a correct dose of Bio Boost naturally dissolves the sludge layer and restores the micro-balance in the pond.
Ready to get started?
Feel free to contact us - we'd be happy to help with a step-by-step plan and answer all your questions.