How to Remove Garden Pond Sediment
A garden pond is a beautiful addition to your landscaping, but like the rest of your garden, it requires extra care. Sediment that breeds bacteria and fungus builds up on the rocks and bottom of your pond which makes it an unhealthy environment for any living creatures in the pond. Plants and a good filtration system help keep your garden pond clean, but an occasional thorough cleaning is necessary to remove sediment.
What You’ll Need
- Container large enough to hold your pond creatures
- Fish net
- Screen large enough to cover the holding container
- Sump pump with hose attached
- Garden hose with a spray nozzle attached
- New filters
- De-chlorinator
- Small buckets
- Beneficial bacteria for ponds
- Determine if your pond needs a full clean-out. If sediment seems to be built up on rocks and the bottom of your pond, or if your water is murky, it may be time. Ponds in warmer climates will not need as frequent a cleaning, maybe every two years. However, in cold areas that freeze you should clean your garden pond every spring.
- Fill the large container with water from your pond and place it in a shady location. Use the fish net to scoop out your pond life and put it into the container. Fish and frogs should not be left in the container for more than a few hours. Cover the container with the screen to prevent the fish and frogs from jumping out.
- Submerge the sump pump and place the attached hose in a location where it will drain away from the pond. Turn the sump pump on and drain the pond as much as the pump allows.
- Get down into the pond with your garden hose and spray off all of the surfaces with the spray nozzle. Scrubbing and soap are not necessary, and are in fact bad for your pond, so just spray the majority of the loose sediment from your pond. Leave the sump pump running during this step so the loosened sediment and dirty water can drain from the pond. When you are done cleaning, remove the pump from your garden pond.
- Replace the filters in your filtration system.
- Fill the pond using your garden hose. If your tap water is chlorinated you will need to add de-chlorinator per manufacturer’s instruction for the amount of water in your pond.
- Add some beneficial bacteria to your pond. Some good bacteria are necessary for the health of your pond so this is an important step. Follow the directions on the beneficial bacteria for the size of your pond.
- Place your pond life into the small buckets and float them in your clean pond for 15 minutes. This will help your fish and frogs adapt to the temperature of the new water slowly. If you place them directly back into the pond, the shock of the temperature change could be harmful.