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Spring Start-Up for Ponds & Lakes

Spring Start-Up for Ponds & Lakes

The beginning of the new pond season is the perfect time to evaluate and tweak your pond maintenance practices and take inventory of leftover pond care products from last year. Since your pond maintenance begins once the ice thaws from your pond, there is no better time to start planning for the upcoming season.

Reflect on Past Seasons

First, before you buy new pond maintenance products, recall your pond issues from last season. Were you fighting a recurring algae bloom, did you dread stepping into the pond for a swim due to muck? Maybe your shoreline weeds were getting out of hand making your pond unsightly for your backyard barbecue. Know which problems are the highest on your list to address will help keep your treatment and goals focused.

Make a Plan

If you've been putting off installing an Aeration System now is the time to get it started. Installing an aeration system in your pond will infuse the water column with oxygen and circulate the entire water column. Aeration systems help reduce pond muck formation and weed growth while keeping your fish safe and comfortable.

Next, treat your pond with Algae Defense as needed. Use this algae-destroyer on troublesome floating filamentous algae, bottom growing chara and the planktonic algae when it's green and growing. Apply Algae Defense when the water temperature in your pond or lake is above 60°F. Don't use Algae Defense if you keep koi or trout in your lake.

After treating your pond with Algae Defense, don't forget to remove the dead algae and debris with a Pond Rake. This keeps dead algae from becoming additional muck at the bottom of your pond.

Finally, to keep your pond water clear and remove accumulated pond muck, treat your pond with beneficial bacteria. Airmax can help you eliminate the guesswork when choosing the appropriate water treatments by providing the most effective pond care products in one package, the ClearPAC Plus. Inside your ClearPAC Plus box you'll find the four components, when used as directed, to address the root of the most common pond problems, excess nutrients and sunlight.

Let's take a closer look at when and how to best use the products.

  • Pond Dye: As soon as the ice melts on your pond or lake, add your Nature's Blue Pond Dye. The dye is not temperature-sensitive so it can be used even when water temps are too cold for beneficial bacteria products. Pond Dye does more than color your water and add to your landscape's aesthetic; it also shades it from sunlight, which can kick-start algae blooms as the mercury rises.
  • PondClear and MuckAway: When water temperatures rise to a consistent 50°F, you can start using the beneficial bacteria found in PondClear and MuckAway to break down nutrients suspended in your water column and muck on the bottom of your pond. These products can be used at the same time as your Pond Dye and EcoBoost.
  • EcoBoost PRx: This bacteria booster that has no temperature restrictions, so it can be used year-round to bind phosphates that find their way into your pond or lake. You can use EcoBoost PRx throughout the spring to give you a head start on pond season.

Keeping up on regular maintenance will help to keep your pond looking its best all season with minimal effort!