UK gardening help and assistance


GARDEN POND TROUBLESHOOTING

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Alphabetical Order:

Algae: Every pond gets algae. Some algae is beneficial. It also makes the pond more natural. Nonetheless, algae can cause a pondkeeper to break down in tears. It can be an ugly mess. It's hard to remember that it is a natural part of the process. There are many ways to control algae, but I've yet to find anything particularly effective except letting nature take its course. New ponds are especially vulnerable while getting the plants going. That's why I like reeds. They grow fast and have great filtering action. I have had absolutely no luck with electric filtering systems although over the years I've received e-mail from ponders with all sorts of creative filtering theories. Still, controlling algae is a balancing act. When all is in balance, the algae will also be in balance. Regardless, there will be times of the year when algae is worse than others. Spring and summer, with all that sun, gets the stuff going. Once and awhile, I use a net to get some of the algae if it really bothers me. Most of the time, though, I just leave it alone to see what will happen. When I leave it alone, good things tend to occur!

  1. There are many types of algae, I have discovered, and some are more determined that others. This year (2000), I have a funny pink algae. So, I went searching on the internet.

  2. Bubbling of Liner: When this occurs, you have water under the liner. This is usually caused by a leak in the liner or heavy rain. I have found no way to prevent some bubbling in flood-like periods of rain. My suggestion is to weight the liner in strategic locations with rocks and plants. From one of my readers, I discovered to be sure the rocks surrounding the pond are not so tight as to prevent the water from escaping. Weighting will make sure the liner does not totally bubble up, dumping the fish in your yard. (If the pond is leaking, you will have to repair or reline, of course.) If the bubbling is caused by rain, they will go away when the ground soaks up the water. I also had one reader whose fountain was leaking under the liner. You can pump out the water if you wish, but it will soak into the ground fairly fast. So, again, just leave it alone and it will fix itself.

  3. Experiments: I get lots of e-mail from ponders, and about half of it relates to trying something that breaks the rules of ponding. I wouldn't have a pond today if I had followed the rules. You may discover a totally fabulous approach. Even better, it will reflect your unique approach to things. So, I say, do it! You can fix anything that doesn't work.

  4. Leaks: One of my readers suggested marine sealant to repair pondliners. I have not tried it yet, but it makes sense.

  5. Creases in the Liner: When you put in the liner, there will be rather obvious creases in the liner that look unsightly. There is really nothing you can do about that unless you want a rectangle pond. But, don't worry. That's just a new pond problem. The creases become less and less visible as the water settles, algae grows, and other debris settles in the pond. As time passes and you get to know your pond, the creases don't really matter that much.