Maintenance

Rupert Bridges from Aquatics Specialist Tetra offers advice and guidance

The recent weather may make it hard to believe, but spring really is on its way and, for most of us leaving the cold winter months behind and preparing for the spring sunshine is a refreshing thought. The same applies to ponds and their inhabitants which means now is the time to prepare your pond for the forthcoming months, as the rise in temperature brings about some key changes.

DECEMBER/JANUARY in the water garden in the UK

What needs to be done with the water garden? Nothing. It is asleep. What has been done that needs to be done can now wait. As long as it is cold enough and the water is below 5°C, everything in it is blissfully unaware ofBubbles under the ice can be a bad sign. A hole needs to be made. everything, so don’t disturb it. After all you hate to be disturbed during your slumbers. Instead, appreciate the garden in its winter dress. Get into the Christmas spirit and brighten your house and the faces of your friends and neighbours with a few of the indoor plants that we have come to associate with this time of year.

JOBS LEFT UNDONE AROUND THE POND MAY BE A BONUS

In the first two or three years after planting, the more grassy marginals, particularly the Carex and Cyperus still look good in early winter. As everything else dies back to ground level, the clumpy grasses move in the wind, lending animation to an otherwise static scene.
The other tall marginal plants that you have failed to cut back may pay unexpected dividends if we get any hard frosts. Fronds of all herbaceous plants and some shrubs look stunning in winter sunlight covered in an icy hoar.
Dont go breaking a hole in the ice with a hammer. This will knock the fish senseless
What is more, even the most humble reed that has run to seed will provide excellent emergency rations for small birds and will help provide cover for any wildlife that needs a mid-sleep sip of water.
You may be able to use some of these seed heads in a dry plant display. A vogue that is set to return in force now people are beginning to forget the amount of dust that dried plants seem toInstead melt the ice with a pan of hot water. attract. The reed mace (Typha angustifolia) and even the Norfolk Reed (Phragmites australis) can be put to ornamental use. But beware they can be as much as a time bomb indoors as out, because at a certain times of dryness and humidity they can just deposit their seed head like an exploding dumper truck. Also impress upon any resident cats that a reed mace (bulrush) frond is not their Christmas present. To them it looks like a cross between a barbequed anorexic mole and a mouse kebab and definitely something to be torn apart, purely for scientific research of course!

What to do in the water garden in November.

In the UK, normally the season of mellow fruitfulness is over and the feeling and look of a grey blanket settles over everything. This year in some parts of the country things seem to be hanging on at the beginning ofThe water hawthorn - Aponogeton distachyos begins to flower in November. the month. Leaves are still green on some trees, although the Ash have long since called it a day and dropped all their leaves, the Beech are performing a spectacular firey display or oranges and yelows. If it had been a hot summer and a rapid temperature change in the autumn this would have produced a spectacular autumn display of colour in the maples. But they have been a bit undecided as to what to do - some producing clourful leaves but losing them quickly. But despite the stuttering onset of winter, there is no doubt that it will come eventually.

In the pond, some plants hang on resolutely until there is ice to thwart them. Plants like the Ludwigia and some of the Carex look fresh and green. But even if the weather does seem mild for the time of year, prepare for the cold snap. With the on-coming cold the pools, ponds and water gardens will go to sleep. So if the water has cooled below 7°C, don’t feed your fish, especially the Koi, and between 7 and 10°C only feed your Koi either wheat-germ or some other top quality winter feed.
Many people who have tall grassy plants around the pool and who haven’t cut them back are congratulating themselves because there is still cover for the wildlife that is still moving in and out of the pool, unable to settle down, but also it looks very good. In a dryish year the likes of Cyperus longus, Sweet Galingale and the indigenous species of Carex or sedges produce quite autumnal blaze. Meanwhile the scented rush, Acorus calamus and its tufty variegated cousin Acorus gramineus stay evergreen.

It is around about the end of July that it begins to become apparent that although the pond is perfectly healthy, everything in it has simply become overgrown. So perhaps it isAn investigative dredging with a net reveals more rubbish than was envisaged. Time for a cleanout. not just a haircut required at the end of the season, but a thorough sort out is in order too.

Early October is the best time to do it before the frogs decide to call it the end of the season. Also it is an opportune time to check out that persistent drop in water level which you are sure is attributable a small hole somewhere. However if there is an obvious desperate need earlier in the year then ‘needs must prevail’.
If there are telltale bubbles of gas that emerge from the stygian depths of a gloomy pool with a mere casual nudge with a stick or net into the bottom mud, this spells emergency! And something must be done at once to avert disaster.

What to do with the water garden in OCTOBER

This is probably the most important month in the UK for keeping on top of things water garden and gardening wise, so what should be done? Things can be looking a bit drab, any work done now has its dividends later on.

Any plants with leaves that are rotting into the pond should have these carefully removed. This should be an ongoing task for those of you in particular that have small ponds since they are so much more affected by the seasonal swings of growth and decay, cold and heat. With larger ponds, you can only attend to the fringes, but keeping these areas tidy and under control does make a big difference in the longer story of the ponds life.

It will be getting noticeably colder by the day and leaves have been falling for some time. This year an early quick change in temperature has started the leaf fall earnest, therefore for ponds surrounded by trees the leaf nets should be and covering the ponds already.

For those ponds too big to be netted, a bit of 'netting-off' of the surface and a bit of investigative dredging all helps to delay the day of a big clear out. Of course if the smell and the evidence on the dredging is that that day has now arrived then this is probably one of the most opportune moments to clear out – as long as it stays mild that is.

Remove any dead leaves before they sinkto the bottom of the pond.Now September is a time for clearing off decaying vegetation on plants in and around the pond. Some of the marginals could have been cut back to one third and may have flowered again. With very small ponds, if you can reach the dying leaves of the lilies or the faded flowers see if you can snip them off before they fall to the bottom of the pool. Dont tug on them too hard as this may damage the rhizome.

This year some of the trees in the UK, particularly birch and mountain ash are calling an early close to the season. This means small leaves blowing around and inevitably into the pond. Try to make a routine of netting this off.

This adventitious growth could make a new plant is removed and potted up.You can collect offcuts from the plants if you want to propagate them. Just pull them off or cut them neatly as they emerge from a basket. If they have developed root hairs then they will be guaranteed to establish in any good heavy loam set in a well-drained pot sitting in about 2inches, 5cm of water.
It may be time to replace tired and overgrown plants in the marginal baskets next month, so these will be a useful replacement.
Lilies should be the main attraction now along with the Fringe lily, Nymphoides peltata. A few bog plants like the Ligularias, the Lobelias and Astilbes may be putting on a show. This is when the robust foliage plants like the Hostas, Rodgersias,Rheums, Peltiphyllum and Petasites come into their own.

Koi keepers want to be feeding fish with good quality food to build them up for the winter. Be particularly careful not to over feed as usual. As the water cools there may be a greater susceptibility to parasites and disease. Keep a close eye on them checking for signs of 'flashing', quick movements that involve flipping onto their sides or rubbing hard against the pond sides , rocks or planting baskets. This may indicate parasites. Look also for fungal growth and bits hanging off them. Any outward signs of malaise must be treated immediately.

AUGUST in the Water Garden

So what should you have been doing in the water garden in August. In the UK most books will tell you sit back and relax and enjoy the fruits of your labour, but it can get so hot in the UK year that any mismanagement of the water garden will come back to haunt the owners. Over feeding and over stocking becomes apparent when the fish are gasping for oxygen in the warm water. Water cannot absorb oxygen so readily at warmer temperatures. If there is overfeeding and fish food rotting on the bottom of the pool, a vicious cycle of ammonia production starts up as it begins to rot.