to clean the bottom of the pond or not

[addy1]

I was out getting the lilies ready for winter, pulling, adding fertilizer, kitty litter and sinking.

The water was crystal clear I noticed the lack of debris on the bottom. I have not cleaned the bottom of the pond in over 5 years.
I think the amount of plants I have sucking nutrients out takes any plant matter that makes it into the pond and uses it up.

I did not groom the lilies once this summer, so all the old buds, leaves etc ended up somewhere, not in the pond! There is nothing there.
So if you don't want to mess around with cleaning the bottom of your pond, have lots of plants sucking up the nutrients and snails munching on the plants.
At least that is my theory!

This is the 5 foot deep area, you can see the spilled pea gravel, spilled years ago. The large black lumps are trap door snails.

 

[mrsclem]

I noticed the same with my pond. 16 pots of lilies and no dead leaves or flowers cleaned out this year. I know there were leaves on the bottom a couple of months ago. I do use Pond-zyme every month but you may be on to something!

 

[addy1]

I add nothing to the pond except water.

Used to take the net, net the bottom, pick out all the critters, then finally the light bulb came on, hours of work, I would get maybe a quarter of a 5 gallon bucket of stuff to toss. So quit cleaning, the pond is happy the fish are happy I AM HAPPY!

 

[Lisak1]

Same here @addy1 - the big stuff goes over the side and the little stuff sinks to the bottom where it magically disappears. I can count on one hand the number of times I used the net this year, and several of those times was to push around lily pots when I didn't feel like climbing in!

 

[addy1]

This is a picture from the gopro around 5ish feet deep, there is nothing there. Makes me happy, one task I did but never liked and after a few years quit doing it.

 

[Lisak1]

Maybe your fish finally looked around and said "well, I guess the maid's not coming! Better start cleaning up around here!"

 

[Tara]

Tell you what @addy1 that's one of the best things I've heard about ponds all year. Can't wait to put in more plants next spring, was not done in time for this year.

 

[addy1]

Just remember my total filtration is a plant filled bog. Nothing else. And I have around 10 lilies in the pond and marginals. And a forest of hornwort. The plants suck out the nutrients from the pond

 

[addy1]

Maybe your fish finally looked around and said "well, I guess the maid's not coming! Better start cleaning up around here!"

The cook does not show up either, they don't get fed a lot.

 

[Lisak1]

They're learning independence - good job!

 

[CometKeith]

Addy. Your shubunkins are soooo.. pretty! I didn't notice anything on the bottom of my pond today either. I can see some gravel and a few rocks that fell in at one point. Oh and I did discover one huge trap door snail on my liner today. That's strange.... I don't remember putting any in!

 

[addy1]

I did discover one huge trap door snail on my liner today. That's strange.... I don't remember putting any in!

You probably had a ride along when I sent you plants. The babies are really tiny. They have live birth. I have lots of them.

 

[addy1]

Your shubunkins are soooo.. pretty!

Koi are pretty but I love my shubbies more. Easy to care for, non fussy fish. And pretty!

 

[CometKeith]

You probably had a ride along when I sent you plants. The babies are really tiny. They have live birth. I have lots of them.

haha. That's what I was thinking too! It was at least the size of a golf ball of bigger. I thought it was a rock at first and then realized a rock couldn't hang onto the liner the way it was doing. I used to have them at my old pond, but gave up on them because the raccoons liked eating them.

 

[addy1]

but gave up on them because the raccoons liked eating them.

The raccoons are abundant around here. They have never bothered the pond, that I can tell. The snails like the deep part of the pond, that is where they love to hang out.

I do have them in my shallow ponds also. So far they seem to survive.