So spring is just around the corner (we hope). Why not make sorting out your garden pond one of those little jobs you can get stuck into now and et a head start on the coming pond season? A bit of forward planning can make all the difference to the enjoyment you can get from your pond a little later in the year.

It's time to get your pond ready and taking pride of place in your garden. Take a look at our top tips below, and you'll be up and running with much less hassle ready to make the most of spring. With the pandemic restrictions lifted everything is set for us to enjoy our ponds and gardens to the full once more!

Of course you don’t have to do everything here just yet. Just pace things out over the next couple of months or so and you’ll avoid that last minute rush to get everything done as the season suddenly approaches.

1. Do a thorough pond check - Make sure there has been no winter damage, check equipment and replace or perform maintenance on anything that needs it. This in particular is something that it’s a good idea to do earlier on in the year – basically as soon as the worst of the winter weather seems to be over. There’s nothing worse than discovering at the last minute that equipment needs fixing or replacing - just when the time that you want your pond to be looking its best is just around the corner.
2. Cleaning your pond – Even if you’ve been keeping an eye on your pond through the autumn and winter, and have taken precautions such as installing  Netting, it’s still important to make sure you clear away any debris. Even with netting it’s possible that some debris made it through – or was present and not noticed before the netting was installed. Scoop out any debris or sludge with a good  Skimmer or Sludge Net, and if necessary perform a more thorough cleaning with a Pond Vacuum.
3. Start your Pumps and Filters – If pumps and filters have been off for the winter it’s a very good idea to start them up and give them a good test. This task is best performed when the  Water Temperature has increased a little – probably to around 10°C. Start up your pumps and just let them run for a few hours while you go off and do something else around the house. A few checks over the course of the day should be enough to ensure your pumps are working properly and circulating the water as you would expect.
4. Test the pond water – It’s advisable to Test the Pond Water before the season begins. It’s especially important to test the levels of  Ammonia and Nitrite. Click on the links in this paragraph (and further links on destination pages) for our guides to water testing and safe levels of ammonia, nitrite and other chemicals.
5. Check the condition and health of your fish – It’s important to check that your fish are in good health. Over the winter your pond fish will have been in a dormant state. Checking their health as the water begins to warm up and they come out of this state is prudent to prevent them from developing illnesses later – as the dawning springtime is a time that they are most vulnerable to this occurring. You can learn all about fish health and what to do if you find problems, by following the links from our Fish Health Blogposts.
6. Spring Feeding – As the weather warms up your fish will emerge from their dormant state, as this occurs you will need to start feeding them again. Once the water temperature is above around 8C it's important to give your fish the correct type of food that is specifically designed for when your fish are transitioning between a dormant and a more active state. At this stage you need to be giving them low protein food, such as winter food or anything wheatgerm based. See our guide to Seasonal Pond Feeding for more in-depth information.