Spring Cleaning

• 1). Scoop dead leaves, decomposing vegetation and muck from your pond using a dip net.
  
  
• 2). Lift winter-hardy plants such as lilies from your pond and look them over for dead vegetation. Trim this vegetation off of your plants before replacing them in the pond.
  
  
• 3). Place snails such as the Japanese black snail into the pond. These animals eat algae that may have formed on the sides of the pond.
  
  

Drain and Clean

• 1). Scoop pond water into a bucket or another container that will hold your fish, if you have them, while you are cleaning the pond.
  
  
• 2). Siphon water out of your pond using a siphon pump. You can place the old water into a rain barrel and use it to water plants in your summer garden.
  
  
• 3). Remove fish and plants from your pond as the water drains. Trim dead vegetation from plants that have overwintered in the pond. Keep plants moist and out of direct sunlight. Scoop the fish out of the pond once the water is less than 6 inches deep. Fish will be easier to catch when the water is low.
  
  
• 4). Rinse the walls of the pond with a garden hose. Leave algae in place. Algae can help maintain a healthy environment in your water garden.
  
  
• 5). Vacuum out the remaining water in your pond with a wet/dry vacuum.
  
  
• 6). Backwash your pond's water pump by turning the filter valve to "Backwash" to clean the filter and hoses.
  
  
• 7). Fill the pool with water from a garden hose. Allow the water to sit for several hours to stabilize the temperature. Then reintroduce fish and plants to the pool.