Gifford Garden Notes
Maintaining a Successful Water Garden
by Sue Williams, IES Rosarian

After the snow and ice has receded, and green is starting to show, we all want to get out and start and get dirty. As a "ponder" your thoughts will lead you to consider when to open your water garden. This will depend on what type of water feature you have installed and if you drain the feature. If you do drain the feature, clear out any leaves and debris, check pool bottom, for leaks, reinstall pumping hardware, and fill with water.

As for the Gifford Garden pool, it is not drained for the winter. The spring is practically the only time you will have to drain the pool for cleaning. The need to remove leaf debris and fish waste, which has settled to the bottom, is essential for the health of the pool. Any self-contained feature should be cleaned, in the spring. The following steps will help you to avoid errors and ensure a healthy and balanced water ecosystem. A balance of plants, submerged and floating, marginal plants and fish will bring great satisfaction. Remember there is no perfect formula, creating a balance, using common sense and a bit of knowledge, will lead you to the right combination.

1. Remove all heaters, winter frames and netting. Check any electrical connections and clean, if needed. Put this equipment into storage.
   
   
2. Remove fish, plants and any other aquatic forms. Place these into temporary quarters and furnish some form of water recirculation. Removing a partial amount of the water, will help innetting the fish. Use proper nets, so you do not harm them. They will be a bit dormant and stressed so their movement should be as uneventful as can be.
   
   
3. If you have any underwater structures, they must also be removed and cleaned. This will include all pots, grids, hoses, trays. A simple way to clean is to spray with Hydrogen Peroxide. You can purchase this from any pharmacy. Simply spray and clean with a hand brush. The Peroxide will kill algae and provide a safe alternative to bleaching. This is also safe for fish, so if you forget to rinse an article, there will be no harm done.
   
   
4. After draining entire water volume, remove any sludge and spray the pool with the Peroxide. Rinse well and repeat the process. After the pool dries, inspect the walls and hose connections for signs of possible leakage sites. Replace pumping hardware and lay hoses in out of way areas. Set up any spitters and other garden water ornaments at this time. Replace grids (used to raise floor level) and stones. If you have a drain plug remember to install it at this time. This is also a good time to install a barley straw bale. A barley straw bale will decompose, during the season and emit small amounts of hydrogen peroxide into water, which will help keep algae growth to a minimum. A word about algae, at this time. The smooth or slick algae are beneficial to fish residing in your pool. The filamentous algae can become a problem. Certain pools with bowl shaped sides and very shallow pools will have a greater algae growth amount, than others. Know your pool and how much shallow surface area you have, this will be a big help in controlling algae. After you have set up all your equipment, you can start to refill pool. If you have chlorinated water; let the filled pool stand a few days. This will allow the chlorine to dissipate. When the pool has reached a level over your pump, stop filling and check to see that the pump is working correctly. Always order any supplies, before you open up your pond/pool. It is a good idea to have an extra pump on hand. This will avoid frantic hours without one.
   
   
5. After the pool is filled, return the fish, plants and other critters. Place plants at proper levels for the type of plant, you are using. Since the Gifford pool is bowl shape and has a large area of shallow surface water, we use a vegetable dye. This dye reduces the amount of sunlight entering the water. It will inhibit algae growth and keep the water cooler. It may need redoing if the sunlight is exceptionally strong, during the summer. Since the amount you add goes by volume of water is good to know how to measure this.
   

   Volume: Rectangle Pool: 7.5 X depth X width X length (surface area; Length X width) Circular Pool : Radius sqrd. X 3.14 X depth (surface area; Rad. Sqrd. X 3.14)

   
   Mix the dye in a separate pail and poor gradually into pool. Mix into water with your skimmer or broom.
   
   
6. Start to feed fish sparingly until water temperature is at 10C or 50F. Clean out any bog areas of leaf litter and plant debris. Plant new plants when temperatures have moderated and skim pool when needed. Fertilize your plants once a month with an aquatic plant food tab. If you are in doubt of any steps or procedures do not hesitate to ask questions. So have a great season and be the best " ponder" you can be.
   
   

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