Watch Video >>

You finally have your pond in your garden and have been told that maintenance is almost nonexistent. You are right, but there are some pond disasters that do happen. To recognize them and be able to deal with them is easy, so don’t panic.

Most pond disasters are easily fixable, so let’s start with the most common and easiest to deal with.

My pond has turned to green pea soup!
The pond has turned to green pea soup and you have only had it a few days. First, don’t worry, this is a common problem and an easy fix. Second, do not empty the pond and start over again. You will face the same problem again in a few days. The pond turns green because it is not ecologically balanced. When sun hits water, algae grow. This will never change. Your bird bath gets green, your swimming pool gets green, lakes turn green. So we must balance the pond to keep the algae from growing.

If your pond water turns green, have a look at it and decide if the water has suspended microscopic particles of algae in it or if there is something floating around in there that looks like angel hair spaghetti. You will have no problem seeing the difference.

If the water is green from microscopic suspended algae, here’s why: If sun hits water, algae grow. If we want the algae to be filtered out, we can do it easily and ecologically. Figure out the square footage of your pond (length times width) and add one bunch of anacharis (submerged vegetation) per square foot of surface area. The anacharis filters out algae. It also is an oxygenator, so fish can breathe, and it is great goldfish food. Don’t worry because it grows faster than goldfish can eat it. You have now solved most of your algae problems.