garden pond

[KayJay]

Hi,
This is my first post on here all my other queries have been for veggies. we have been on holiday leaving son to water precious veg and seedlings however our small garden pond appears to be nearly empty.
Would now be a good time to remove & split up pond plants and clean pond ? or should I fill it and split plants later in the year?
Thanks for any advice,
KJ

[Paul Wagland]

Hi KJ - spring is the best time to divide overcrowded pond plants, as they then have plenty of time to recover before the dormant winter period. I would guess you'll still be ok if you get onto it quickly though. Maybe divide some, and save some until next year just to be on the safe side?

I'd avoid cleaning out the pond though, as at this time of year it will be full of wildlife, such as dragonfly nymphs, waiting to hatch/emerge/breed etc. Clean the sides of the pond down to the depleted water level and then top up with fresh water. Ideally this should be rainwater, or at least not fresh tap water which contains chlorine and other chemicals - fill a water butt and let it stand for a few days, then add little by little.

[KayJay]

Thanks for that, is tap water ok then after a few days left standing? i have a small water butt , not enough to fill the pond
KJ

[Paul Wagland]

Tap water will 'off-gas' some of the nasties it contains (such as chlorine) if you leave it standing for a while, but it's still best to add it in stages so the pond life can adjust slowly. This means you could fill, let stand, then empty your water butt a few times. Leave it uncovered and disturb the water regularly - an aquarium air pump running in the bottom would be ideal, if you have one lying around... otherwise just splash the top whenever you walk past.

That said, a lot of people just put the hose in the pond! Depends how protective of your garden wildlife you want to be. We're raising great crested newts from eggs at the moment, so we're ultra-cautious.

You can by chemical additives for tap water which supposedly make it safer, faster. I've never used one but it might be worth a look?

[SMS6]

Has it been really nice where you are then KayJay or has he been using the pond water to water the veg etc?

We've had ample rain to keep ours topped up

[KayJay]

our small pond does seem to dry up quickly, and needs topping up, but in the beautiful bountiful north west- morecambe lancashire - we haven't had the rain the south and east have had.quite dry really. The problem could be a small slow leak, but that would be too big a job at present
KJ

[Two_Sheds]

our small pond does seem to dry up quickly, ...could be a small slow leak, but that would be too big a job at present

I'm going to bite the bullet and try to repair the school pond this summer hols, after the frogs & newts have finished breeding. The reeds have punctured the liner in a few places. This video makes it seem pretty doable