Spring Comes to the Garden Pond

As the vernal equinox is upon us, the pond is waking up from winter. In most of the northern states, the snow has been replaced with brown slush. In the warmer South, plants are sprouting, the pond rushes are greening up and signs of long asleep pond life is awakening.

When the last danger of frost is over, put your pump back in the pond and plug it in. Be sure your pond is clear of sludge and has at least 1 bunch of submerged vegetation per square foot of surface area. When your sleeping goldfish wake up, they will be hungry. Do not feed them now. Do not feed them at all.

Animal Life

The first thing the pond owner will notice is the odd croak and singing. Toads are waking up to find mates and fill the pond with long strings of toad eggs that will hatch into tiny toads. Most folks hate them because they are a bit loud in their nightly mating songs, but welcome them to your yard. You have invited them in to eat mosquitoes and other bugs. Leave a few rocks around for them to sleep under and watch for their long tongues to flicker out for the nearest sleepy fly or mosquito.

Frogs are not far behind the toads. The frogs don't make quite as much noise, making a 'ribbet ribbet' sound while seeking a ladylove. If you are lucky, you will soon see in the pond a blob of jelly filled with little black dots. Toad eggs are long strings of jelly; frog eggs are blobs. Frog tadpoles will hatch and grow into tadpoles. Hope that yours will evade predators and grow into smooth green frogs. It takes a couple of years for a tadpole to become a frog, so patience is the key. If frogs get big enough, they will eat your smallest fish, but most pond keepers think that's a fine trade off for a critter that eats its weight in biting bugs.

Plant Life

Reeds are usually the first plants to green up. The horsetail or scouring rush is growing already. So are the sedges. New cyprus is peaking through the old brown dead growth. Remove the old growth when the new starts growing. You don't need to fertilize any plants. The fish do that for you.

Water lilies pads usually reach the top of the pond by May here in the South. Hardy lilies have been in my pond all winter and are already showing signs of growth with tiny pads heading for the surface. When the first pad reaches the surface, I will fertilize them with an aquatic tab fertilizer. If you did not separate yours last fall, do it now. Plant each corm in a separate pot and put it in the bottom of of the pond. You can give them to your friends when they grow to the top.

Tropical water lilies are slower to grow and want the days to be warmer and longer. I have their pots on the very bottom of the pond. If I see no growth by mid April, I check to see if the corms are firm. If they are mushy, they are dead and must go to the compost heap. About half of them are viable and will be blooming in their glory by June. I feed them as well, when the pads reach the surface of the water.

Our ponds are a focal point in our gardens. Soon they will reclaim that spot in our lives as well. Sit by your pond, sip your tea and relax after work. Let your worries be washed away by the sound of your waterfall.