Fall Pond Netting
Autumn is upon us! The mornings are crisper, the leaves are starting to yellow, and the mums have arrived here at the garden center. It is time to protect you water feature with Fall Pond Netting.
Netting Your Pond
They don’t call it Fall for nothing. Pond netting is a must to keep your pond clean and clear of leaves. Once the weather turns and the trees start dropping all their leaves rapidly, your pond will be overloaded with plant debris. If you wait too long to put your netting on you will have tons of leaves at the bottom of your pond that will sit all winter and come spring it will be that much harder to clean up. Also, too much sediment is not good for the balance of your ecosystem, causing algae and other issues that will be harder to handle with a net in place. I know you want to enjoy the beauty of your net-less pond as long as possible, but it is important you prepare before the leaves start to really fall and avoid having messy, unbalanced water to deal with later.
Tips On How To Net Your Pond
When netting your pond, stream and/or waterfall you want to make sure the net is above water level. Once the net and debris are wet it is that much harder to shake or blow off to keep the net clear. Also, string or carpet algae love to grow on netting. Being covered in algae and wet all winter is not good for the survival of your net. Take good care of your net so you can use it again next year.
You should net your stream as well as your pond. If you don’t, debris that falls in the stream will be washed into the pond, defeating the purpose of the net. You can pull your net as tight as possible and hope it doesn’t sag into the water. But, a better way to keep your net dry is to create a frame using rebar stakes and PVC pipe. Be careful when driving stakes! You don’t want to damage your plumping in the process.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH A DEMONSTRATION VIDEO
Fall Maintenance
After a whole season of warm weather, active fish, and plant debris your filters are in need of a good cleaning. Time to clean your biofalls and skimmer filters, as well as inspect and clean your pump. People sometimes wonder if they need to shut their pond down in the winter. This is not always necessary. If you are local to the Knoxville TN area then you can leave your pond running all year round. Our winters so far have not been harsh enough to cause damage to our pumps etc.
Another important step in keeping plant debris out of your pond is cutting back plants around your water feature. Once the net is in place it will be difficult to get dying foliage out of your water. You can stay a step ahead of the fall season by cutting your plants back before the net is installed.
Keep your pond looking beautiful through the cold winter months by staying a step ahead of the coming season. Feel free to reach out to us with any of you water feature needs. Catch you downstream.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH A DEMONSTRATION VIDEO