Many pond owners to ask themselves, are ponds hard to maintain? The answer to that question is no, not at all. In fact, most of them are maintained very well. It’s really just a matter of maintaining the right things at the right times, and being patient with a garden pond owner who may not have time to attend to his or her own garden pond. In this article, we’ll cover a few basics on keeping a garden pond, as well as how to budget for the job.
The average cost for pond maintenance in spring is roughly $ 1200 per year, which includes spring filter cleanings. This includes spring algae control, winter feedings and a few other miscellaneous jobs such as removing leaves, twigs, and other garden debris from the bottom of the pond. This total cost might be more or less depending on how large your pond is, how it is maintained, and what types of materials are used in its construction. You’ll also want to consider the climate in your area when considering maintenance expenses. Remember, no matter how much maintenance for your garden pond needs, it only adds up to a small amount of money over time.
Another major expense involved in keeping a garden pond is purchasing pond supplies. Whether your pond is tropical fish pond, koi garden pond, or residential pond, you’re going to need certain types of pond supplies to make sure your plants and fish grow healthy. For example, a few things needed for tropical fish ponds are filters, water pumps, and water treatment chemicals. If your pond is simple, you may not need to invest in these types of supplies, but remember, a small amount of investment upfront can quickly add up to a lot of maintenance expenses in the future. Remember, the bigger your pond becomes, the more expensive it gets.
While the cost of maintaining a garden pond can be significant, you shouldn’t overlook the secondary maintenance costs involved with keeping your pond clean and well cared for. Adding filters to your pond will keep bacteria and algae from proliferating and growing out of control. Water pumps will keep the pond at a safe temperature. And, lastly, water treatment chemicals will keep your pond looking good and healthy. Keep in mind that larger ponds will require more chemicals, so be aware of that before making a final decision on which chemicals to use.
There are two basic types of maintenance ponds go through. The first is called softening, which is simply adding chemicals to help plants and fish grow properly and look their best. And, the second is called disinfection. With softening, you’re basically just trying to condition your pond to be able to survive without as much organic waste floating around in it. And with disinfection, you’re basically trying to condition your pond to keep it clean and healthy.
Softening maintenance involves changing the water you add to the pond regularly, cleaning up debris that’s caught in the pump and re-filtering or neutralizing water whenever you need to. And, to keep your pond running at its best you’ll need to keep in the water and circulate it as often as you can. And of course, to keep everything running smoothly you’ll need to add pond aerators and nutrients to keep things balanced. This maintenance might be a bit much for some pond owners, but it’s definitely a necessary evil if you want to keep the beauty of your pond for years to come.
As for the harder question, are ponds hard to maintain? The answer to that depends on what type of pond you have. If you have a large pond or lake, then yes, they are. However, if you have a pond filled with water lilies and other plants, it may not be that hard. It all depends on how often you do your maintenance and whether or not you’re adding chemicals to keep it clean.
A lot of people also wonder about the price of maintaining ponds. Fortunately, most ponds don’t cost a whole lot of money to begin with. Many times it’s the installation of a filter system, or the purchase of a UV filter, that adds up to the cost of maintaining a pond. Also, the cost of fish is usually pretty low compared to the cost of maintaining ponds.