wrote in message
oups.com...
On a small pond, pollution can be quite volatile in a short space of
time. Leaves can take months and years to decompose in cool waters, you
can take your time fetching those out, what you want to keep an eye on
is aquatic plants that turn to mush, the build up of silt and sediment
low in a pond, reducing that gunk will improve water quality. A few
leaves make for useful Winter cover for hibernating frogs fish and
critters...

If you get a sturdy net and a bucket, gently remove one or two buckets
of debris at a time, that routine will steadily clear the pond of
debris over a period of time.

Pond debris and sediment are usuallly benign in a pond, unless
something a bit nasty has gone in to pollute it, for example dead
frogs, large fish spawning, excess fish food. Fish will 'cope' with a
minor dredging, no need to remove them, they will be enjoying the tid
bits it stirs up, a few bugs like crustaceans, aquatic worms to find
here and there

A simple routine to maintain would be to take a bucket or two of gunk
out per week until there isn't enough to fill a bucket when the ponds
foliage fades in late Summer, so by the time prolonged frosts arrive,
there is very little stuff to pollute the water beneath the ice
[snip]

I like this advice! The last time I cleaned my
in-ground pond, maybe 3 years ago, I used a
shop vac. Since then considerably more wildlife
has migrated to the pond and I'm afraid to suck
up frogs, etc. The net and bucket method
is slow and easy, just my speed, and I can still
rescue any wildlife scooped up. Thanks!

Gail
near San Antonio TX