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If
you regularly remove dead leaves and vegetation from your pond
then you might only need to clean out your pond once every five
or ten years. However, most ponds will need some clearance at
least every three or so years.
Autumn is the time of year best suited to pond clearance, since
many of the plants and animals are dying back and frogs are not
yet returning to ponds to lie dormant through winter.
Bucket out the water, or use a pump if you have one, until there
is only a small layer of water on the bottom, along with the
pond silt. Carefully remove the uppermost layer of silt and put
this in a bucket; this layer is where most invertebrate eggs and
larvae are lying dormant, so this will need to go back into the
pond once re-filled.
Put all pond plants into buckets whilst
working. Excess plant matter can be composted.
You might also come across amphibians (particularly frogs in
late autumn). If so, carefully place them in a bucket (remember
air-holes) with lots of damp vegetation and release them back
into a covered area (e.g. under a bush, a log-pile) next to the
pond as soon as the work is finished. Refilling the pond with
tap-water is generally fine, though sensitive animals (e.g.
overwintering dragonfly larvae) may need to be kept out of the
pond until the water has been treated.
Autumn jobs.
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