Your pond in hot weather

The weather in the next coming weeks will be hot at last!

• Ideally use rainwater from a water butt to avoid adding nutrients or chlorine to the pond water.
• If you have to use tap water then add Chlorine Guard to reduce the effect of the chlorine.
• Add Chlorine Guard every time you add tap water to the pond
• This is an environmentally friendly product based on seaweed extracts that are safe for fish, pets and wildlife.
• Excessive water loss will cause distress to fish in your pond.
• Wildlife in the top shelf area will become exposed to predators as the water level falls.
• Pond plants on the shelf will suffer or die if their roots cannot reach water.
• Pond liners will be exposed to strong sunlight and be at risk of splitting.

Other hot weather issues:

• Water features and filters may block up with excess algae/blanketweed growing faster in the heat.
• Your pipework could spring a leak by being exposed to the sun and cracking if it is not made from uv stabilised material.
• Moving water features may run out of water which will cause the pump to run dry and burn out.
• Your pond liner may be punctured by animal and pet claws as they try to drink from the pond.

Solutions:

• Treat the pond more frequently in hot weather with liquid Barley Bio Algae Control.
• Treat more often twice weekly if necessary
• Do not increase each dose.
• It is a safe, organic method that works better with more frequent dosing.
• Make sure your Barleystraw minibale is still active and not going black quicker than usual in the heat.
• Add a new one if it is & remember to remove the old one in a month.
• Back up the minibale treatment in the short term with Barley Bio during the heat wave.
• Clean the filter and pump more frequently. Use old pond water (not tap water) to keep all your beneficial bacteria.
• Use Pond Revive to boost the beneficial bacteria levels in your pond water. Another safe, organic product.
• If you find a hole/split in the liner - patch it with a piece of liner fixed with a waterproof adhesive.
• Add more waterlilies to your pond so their leaves cover more of the surface area to give shade and leave less open water for evaporation.
• Cut back Iris plant foliage after flowering to 6" tall above usual water level.
• Tall foliage loses a lot of water so reduce the height and reduce the load on the pond's limited water resources.
• Leave a good 6" stem height though for dragonflies to climb up to leave the pond.

If you are going on holiday check the weather forecast.

• If no rain is due add shade over your pond from a gazebo to keep the water cooler and reduce evaporation.
• You will not be there to see that it may not look attractive.
• It will help to reduce the problems of these hot temperatures on your pond in your absence.