I’ve an 8’ x 8’ pond with graduating depths, from 2’ - 3+’. I’ve goldfish, that are 4 yrs old and very large. It seems a few of my potted plants have grown into the muck and formed a tiny land mass. Calla lilies, canna lillies and a corkscrew Willow. I like it but I notice water level goes down a couple of inches every few days in warm weather. I’m wondering if it’s plants needing water, or roots causing leakage. It’s a very heavy gauge liner. Needless to say pond muck has built up quite a lot. I’m 79 and very limited as to what I myself physically can do. Any recommendations especially about the muck.
I’m new my pond is old
- Thread starter Paintlady
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Welcome @Paintlady !
It would be good to get some help to clear the muck. A younger relative or neighbor perhaps? The thing to remember is that you don't want to clear it too quickly - if the muck is thick, it can be harboring some toxic matter. If you clean it out slowly - over a number of days, for example - your filter has time to keep up.
The water loss may indeed be the plants sucking up all the water, but that's not really a problem as long as you can keep up with the topping off. Plants RARELY pierce the liner, but they could be coming up and over the side of the pond, forcing the liner down. I have that happen from time to time.
It would be good to get some help to clear the muck. A younger relative or neighbor perhaps? The thing to remember is that you don't want to clear it too quickly - if the muck is thick, it can be harboring some toxic matter. If you clean it out slowly - over a number of days, for example - your filter has time to keep up.
The water loss may indeed be the plants sucking up all the water, but that's not really a problem as long as you can keep up with the topping off. Plants RARELY pierce the liner, but they could be coming up and over the side of the pond, forcing the liner down. I have that happen from time to time.
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Welcome to our forum! I lose a lot of water in the summer due to plants.
The muck, agree with lisak1 see if you can someone to help you remove the muck, slowly.
The muck, agree with lisak1 see if you can someone to help you remove the muck, slowly.
Mmathis
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Hello and welcome!
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Welcome. And I agree with the others, recruit a grand kid or neighbors kid, and slowly work when weather isn’t bad on netting out a bit of the muck, then rinse your filter once water clears up. Just use a bucket of pond water to rinse it, then pour that off on non- pond plants, away from the pond. Once water is warm enough, a strong back and arms can get in there to work on removing the plants, thin them out under your supervision, and re pot them, and remove more gunk while they are at it. Use a net for the solids, then let your filter work the fines, until the filter has clogged, then just rinse the filter. If it’s slow to remove the fine stuff, if you can set up a spare pump to flow over pure polyester quilt batting, it will catch the gunk and can be rinsed as needed and tossed out in the trash once it’s no longer needed.
I'm a firm believer in why fix what's not broke. ok you believe there to be a lot of sediment in the pond is your water so green you can't see the bottom or even 6" into the water. is the water clear and you don't have issues with algae? At 79 if there's no problem with the pond them why attack it.
But on the removal side of life If you have a slope that drops next to or close to the pond yu can always use even a garden hose to create a syphon and poke the build up will it clog yup probably. I'd run a metal rod through the hose just at the opening so something that would be big enough to clog the hose doesn't get way down in the hose but is right at the opening. tape a stick to the hose so its more a handle for the hose grab a chair and see what you can do.
But on the removal side of life If you have a slope that drops next to or close to the pond yu can always use even a garden hose to create a syphon and poke the build up will it clog yup probably. I'd run a metal rod through the hose just at the opening so something that would be big enough to clog the hose doesn't get way down in the hose but is right at the opening. tape a stick to the hose so its more a handle for the hose grab a chair and see what you can do.