Spring Maintenance for the Water Garden

In the spring, there is maintenance that must be done for your water garden that can't be accomplished at other times of the year. Follow this guide to spring maintenance for the water garden to ensure you have a healthy, happy environment for plants and fish alike.

As the water temperature rises in the spring, fish become more active and their spawn will soon appear. Plants also begin to shoot and this is the perfect time to perform some spring maintenance for the water garden.

Spring Maintenance for the Water Garden - Reinstall the Pump

If you have a pump in your water garden, the spring is the time you will want to reinstall it. It should have been removed for the winter. Bring the pump out of storage, check the wiring to make sure everything is working properly and then reinstall it in the pond. This task should be performed in the early spring just as the temperature begins to rise again.

Spring Maintenance for the Water Garden - Care for the Fish

Once the temperature has risen sufficiently in the spring, you can resume feeding your fish as you did before winter. As part of your spring maintenance routine for the water garden, you should also check the fish for disease.

If you observe any type of disease affecting your fish, remove the fish and place them in an isolation tank. The fish should remain isolated until they are fully recovered. They can then be allowed back into the pond.

Spring Maintenance for the Water Garden - Remove Algae

Another important maintenance task for the water garden in the spring is to remove the algae. Use a pond skimmer to rake off any algae from the surface that you can see.

Spring Maintenance for the Water Garden - Plant Maintenance

Spring is the best time to perform plant maintenance in your water garden. Divide overcrowded plants in the late spring and look for stray roots in containers which should be removed. Spring is also the time to add new plants such as oxygenating plants that inhibit the growth of algae. You'll also want to add floating plants to provide shade for fish as the temperature continues to rise.

Another important spring maintenance task is to feed the plants. This should be done in the late spring. Aquatic plant fertilizer pellets work best for this spring maintenance task. Push a pellet of fertilizer into the soil of each plant container.