Summer Tips for Healthy Backyard Pond

When summer rolls around, most pond owners look forward to spending more time outside enjoying their water garden. And while summer is often the most interesting time of year for watching pond life, it can also be the most challenging time. Because summer is the growing season for most fish and plants, it can take extra maintenance (and sometimes extra money) to keep a healthy backyard pond. There are, however, things you can do to make it easier (and more cost-effective) to keep your pond at its best. Follow these three simple summer tips for a healthy backyard pond.

Use the Sun to Your Advantage

In most places, summer means the sunshine. Take advantage of solar power by using a solar pump and/or aerator. These will greatly reduce your energy bill, which is helpful since you may need to run a pond filter 24 hours a day during the summer.

Keep the Water and Oxygen Flowing

Summer sunshine does have an unhelpful side effect—evaporation. You might notice that you need to add water to your backyard pond at least once a week during the summer since so much water is lost to evaporation.

Warmer water also tends to hold less oxygen; so another important feature for a healthy backyard pond is water movement. Agitating the water, either with a spitter, pond pump, or waterfall, will replenish the water with oxygen. This will keep plants and fish happy and healthy.

Battle Algae for a Healthy Backyard Pond

Summer is the peak season for unwanted algae growth. Fortunately, there is an easy solution to this problem. Algaecide is fast-acting, and safe for fish and plants when used according to the instruction label.  Keeping algae at bay will promote overall pond health. You can also check out this blog for more algae control ideas.

So there you have it—our top three summer tips for a healthy backyard pond. It only takes a little extra effort to ensure your backyard pond looks and runs great, no matter what time of the year it is.