There’s No Better Time Than Now to Prepare Your Ponds for Winter
Early fall is a great time to spend a few days preparing your HOA or golf course ponds for the upcoming winter freeze. The effort you put in now will extend benefits far beyond the Winter of 2020 and Spring of 2021.
There are a few critical fall time pond maintenance tasks that you should accomplish over the next few weeks. This will allow it to flourish once the spring thaw comes around.
Read on to learn more about how you can save time, money, and headaches by performing a few simple pond maintenance tasks in the fall time.
Dredge Your Ponds
The fall time is ideal to call in the pond dredging experts to remove the huge pile of organic muck that resides at the bottom. This will significantly reduce the chances of a nuisance algae outbreak come the warm summer months.
It will also improve the overall health of the pond and deepen the shallow areas. The organic muck that’s pulled up from the bottom can also be repurposed as rich fertilizer for plants, trees, and grass.
No pond is too big or too small for our dredgers—we’ve worked on backyard ponds all the way up to large bodies of water such as lakes and bay. Our experienced and professional pond dredgers will work hard to help ensure the lifespan of your ponds.
Remove Fallen Leaves
One of the biggest causes of nuisance algae and invasive plant outbreaks in the summertime is the massive ball of organic muck that’s sitting at the bottom of your pond. The oxygen levels at these depths cannot support the beneficial bacteria that break down the organic matter.
As the leaves start to fall off the trees that surround your pond, the wind and rain will pick them up and carry them to the water. Eventually, they will become waterlogged and sink to the bottom of the pond, where they will become part of that organic muck ball that gives off tremendous amounts of nutrients that feed nuisance algae and plants.
If you don’t have the manpower to keep up with raking fallen leaves, you can try to add a vegetation buffer that extends 3-4 feet out from the shoreline. It will trap some of the loose organic matter that might otherwise make its way into the bottom of your pond.
Check Mechanical Devices
Aquifers, pumps, and misc. mechanical gear can take a real heavy beating in the cold winter temps. Ice can make its way into sensitive parts of the devices and cause them to become irreparably damaged. If you have pumps that act as a life support system by providing oxygen to your pond, the last thing you want is to have to perform repairs on a 10-degree winter morning.
Consider purchasing spare parts for the mechanical devices in your pond. Shipping times are often significantly delayed due to extreme weather in the winter. It’s best to have it and not need it than to need it and have to wait 3-4 months for it to return from being on backorder.
If your pond has floating fountains, be sure to check the seals for integrity. They need to be replaced every 2-3 years. If the area you live in has freezing winter temperatures, you should be making plans to bring these fountains in for storage before the first freeze.
Repair the Shorelines
When was the last time you took a good hard look at your shorelines? If you have a vegetative buffer zone, it could be chock full of loose leaves and other organic debris that will find its way into the pond after a short gust of wind.
Look for zones along the shoreline that are eroded. It’s best to perform this kind of work in the fall time as the temperatures are reasonable, and you can easily seed and plant these areas to help stabilize the surrounding soil.
Stock Fish
If you’ve been tasked with managing HOA ponds, fall is the perfect time to stock some cold-water fish, such as trout. They’re fun and easy to catch and will thrive in chilly water. Warm water fish, such as largemouth bass, will start to slow down their metabolism and eat less during the wintertime.
If your pond lacks proper food, consider adding a minimal amount of store-bought bass pellets to help supplement their diet. Keep in mind that a little goes a long way, and any uneaten food will eventually join the ball of organic muck at the bottom of the water.
Nationwide Pond Dredging
When it comes to keeping your HOA or golf course ponds looking great, a little preventative maintenance goes a long way. At American Underwater Services, we can help restore health and beauty back to your ponds through our pond dredging services.
Our professional and expert dredgers can travel anywhere in the country to help improve the health and lengthen the life of your little slice of nature. Give us a call at (817) 377-8512 or fill out this form to learn more about the dredging and pond maintenance services that we offer.
