At Minnesota Waterscapes, we receive calls from people who recently moved to a new home only to discover a backyard pond or waterfall came with it. They have questions about maintaining a pond, how much a pond costs to maintain, how to add or take away plants, or what treatments a backyard pond needs. To answer these fairly common questions, Jeff and the team made a cheat sheet that lists basic pond care for the entire year!!!

A little piece of advice to New Home/New Pond owners:

If you have never owned a pond before, you may like an exploratory Inspection. Exploratory Pond Inspections are similar to home inspections. The pond owner will get an overview of the pond system and what shape it is in. Often problems can be uncovered before costly bills pop up. Best of all, pond owners can learn how to care for and enjoy their pond in the easiest way possible! (To get an Exploratory Inspection, fill out this contact form.)

Minnesota Waterscapes overview of the Annual Maintenance of Your Pond!

Spring Pond & Waterfall Maintenance: Decide if you’re going to do a Deep clean or Simple start.

• Spring Simple Start: Simple Start: Clean stream and dead plants, scoop leaves, clean Biofalls & skimmer, test lights, install pump, check for leaks, add starter bacteria, fill dosing system with Maintain.
• Deep Clean, in addition to simple start: Drain pond, flush organics, pressure wash, trim plant roots, refill pond.

Summer Pond or Waterfall Maintenance:

• WEEKLY or as needed: Trim plants, net debris, spot treat algae, clean skimmer basket, add bacteria/check dosing.
• MONTHLY or as needed: Clean skimmer filter mat. Check/clean pump intake. IF heavy fish load, clean biofalls filter with pond water into your landscape bed.

Fall Pond & Waterfall Maintenance:

• Below 55 degree WATER temp: Use Cold Fish Food & Cold Water Bacteria.
• Tropical Plants: Bring inside when air is below 50 degrees at night to extend plant season.
• All Other Plants: Trim if desired, or leave for winter interest. Remove the reachable leaves.
• Leaf Net: If desired, keeps birds out, they can get stuck. No leaf headache…

Winter Pond & Waterfall Maintenance:

• All Ponds: Remove pump and store in water in semi-heated place, vacuum waterfall line & cap, provide exit for small animals in Biofalls (stick).
• Fish: Decide if keeping indoors or in pond. Add aerator at bottom for under 4ft ponds, halfway up over deep ponds). Add floating heater (Heaters need a separate GFCI outlet).

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🌿Algae, Sparingly use products that kill/reduce algae. These can often harm your fish and/or ecosystem.

• All Algae: Quick fix is an Aquascape Pond gummy.
• Suspended Algae (Pea Soup): FAST: Pond gummy. SLOW: or SAB (morning) & Beneficial Bacteria (evening) daily for 3 weeks (long). Will not change until the day it goes from green to clear
• String Algae: SAB to reduce phosphates.
• All Algae: Sprinkle Ecoblast like you’re seasoning your dinner.
• Brown/Green Goo (Diatoms): Pond gummy or cleanout. Check for excess copper.

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www.mnponds.cominfo@mnponds.com    763-458-8104