Autumn brings many changes to the weather. From cooler temperatures to changes in color and falling leaves, this beautiful season comes with a breath of fresh air. However, it’s also essential to maintain your pond as leaves begin to fall everywhere. Although a small amount of leaves won’t cause harm to your pond, an overflow of leaves can contribute to the formation of pond muck. Let’s go over why keeping your pond clear from leaves is essential to pond maintenance.
How Leaves Break Down in the Water
If your pond is near or right next to trees, you may notice leaves floating on the surface of your pond. Sooner or later, those leaves will sink down to the bottom. Moreover, they will also start to break down as time passes. Although these leaves can be a great source of nutrients for the water, too much can overload the pond’s natural cycle. Therefore, it is a good idea to keep your pond clean.
What Happens to the Leaves?
If you don’t clear your pond of leaves, you will see a difference in cleanliness within a few days. As the leaves break down, they form a sludge that will come together. This can be a collection of algae, leaves, and other floating debris, which is also referred to as pond muck. The problem is when too many leaves begin to decay at once. When bacteria have a lot of organic matter to work with, such as decaying leaves, it reproduces so fast that your water starts to get cloudy.
A Dirty Environment Can Affect the Landscape
When you have pond muck as a result of leaves, it can create an atmosphere nobody wants to be around. It will also affect your pond life, such as fish. A thick sludge of waste and bad nutrients can suffocate your fish. If the sludge is thick enough, it can clog your aerating system and diffuser. Walking around the waters where pond muck has formed can be difficult. It will usually smell around the pond area, with the muck attracting mosquitoes and other unwanted pests as well.
Cleaning Regularly
Maintaining your pond is essential. Overall, it creates a perfect balance of bacteria, nutrients, and oxygen necessary for pond life and an aesthetically pleasing landscape. This includes clearing your pond of leaves. As mentioned in the article, a few leaves won’t make much difference. However, if you let those leaves accumulate, the problem can quickly get out of hand. Your best bet is to pull any leaves floating on the surface with a Lake and Beach Rake. Leaves that have already fallen deep in the pond may have to be removed with a pond vacuum. Whatever method you choose, clearing those leaves in the fall is undoubtedly necessary for any pond’s environment.
At Outdoor Water Solutions, we offer a variety of pond aerators & solar pond aerators providing you with the options needed to pick the perfect pond aerator for your pond. We always enjoy working with clients on ways to improve the quality of their ponds’ health & solutions for pond maintenance so, if you have any questions or would like more information on our solar pond aerators, contact us at 866.471.1614 today!
