Leaves falling into pond?

CatDouch · November 2022

I just wondered how people tackle leaves falling into ponds at this time of year? When I built my wildlife pond last year, I bought a mesh net which I thought I’d use to cover it up in autumn to catch the leaves but all the garden birds use it to bathe in and there is no way I’d want to risk them getting caught so I’ve not used it. I’ve got a big pond net which I use to get out some of the leaves but lots also fall to the bottom of the pond. Will they harm the water? Is there any nifty trick that anyone else uses? I’m wondering if I’ll have to bite the bullet and wade in and remove them by hand which will be a cold and slippery experience as I don’t own any waders 🥶

Fairygirl · November 2022

I net if I remember, or can be bothered, but the leaves don't always blow that way, so it isn't always a huge problem, and I can scoop out the odd bits that are floating. In large ponds, it isn't feasible - we couldn't have netted the last pond we had, so they would just be left. The trick with a pond net is to leave gaps between it and the ground level so that wildlife still has access.
The type of net you have is ideal - just do it regularly before they have a chance to sink too much

They don't do any harm as such, as they break down over time - just as they would when you collect them for leaf mould, but if the pond is shallow, and you get a lot of them, it can certainly raise the level of the base. It would take a while though - years.

You can always lift some debris next summer, when the water might be a little warmer, and just leave them at the side so that any wildlife can get back in, but you can also lose a lot of overwintering eggs/nymphs by doing that.

Pete.8 · November 2022

I have loads of oxygenators in my pond a lot of which tend to rot down over winter and an apple tree a few feet away that drops leaves into the pond.
I use Sludge-Buster during the spring and summer to try and keep it in good condition.
I've no idea if it really works, but my little pond seems healthy enough.

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Blagdon-Sludgebuster-Sachet-Treats-Gallons/dp/B000S5HX8O/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1ZH2ZKSRLFSQC&keywords=blagdon+sludge&qid=1669365334&rdc=1&sprefix=blagdon+sludge%2Caps%2C2348&sr=8-4

Uff · November 2022

I'll nip up and take a pic of the wildlife pond that I net @CDouch in a bit

bédé · November 2022

I have a rectangular pond that I cover with 3 liftable wooden frames covered with plastic netting.

The main objective was to keep the heron away from my golden orfe and goldfish, but it also serves to catch leaves. Most of the year it is propped up on bricks to give the amphibians (all 3) free access. At this time of the year I need a tighter seal to stop leaves from blowing underneath, so I remove the bricks. I net any leaves that get through.

Widening the subject slightly. Being at a high point in the garden, I can't syphon. I use a PondVac at my annual sludge clean-up and lilly repotting. This is a complcated device and not 100% successful. I have bought a fine mesh net that can remove 80% of the sludge, and that is enough.

PS. The netting keeps dragon fly larvae, great diving beetles and pond skaters away. But the pond remains largely wildlife friendly. The netting doesn't stop grass snakes, though one year one was strangled by the ca 2cm mesh.

Uff · November 2022

I netted last year for the first time and it worked a treat so have done the same this year. The mesh is only about a quarter inch so birds didn't get stuck last year. I'll take it off about Feb to let frogs, newts etc get into it.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030279/uploads/editor/kt/fpa25gdbbdzt.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030279/uploads/editor/wd/3eczbay67sbl.jpg

Joyce Goldenlily · November 2022

I am the same as Pete8.
I have a small pond, only 6ft in diameter by 4ft deep.
I never skim my pond, I use organic Sludge Buster treatment, also Blanket weed remover. I have not had any problems with my pond, it is thick with oxygenating plants, and when I finally donned my shorts this summer and went into my pond to remove some lumps of stone that had fallen in, I was very surprised at how little sludge there was in the bottom.
i would just use a small net to remove any leaves during autumn.

Fairygirl · November 2022

I used to do something similar to you @Uff, when I had a pond in the garden round the corner from here. The birds don't get tangled at all if the mesh is the right size

Removing all the leaf litter etc from a wildlife pond is detrimental, for the reasons I described earlier, so it should only be done if the pond's shallow and/or been very neglected for years and years. Even then, it destroys a lot of habitat, so it shouldn't be something undertaken lightly. We had to do it in a smaller pond at last house, and that's because it was very shallow, and it was choked with flag Iris. Once it was sorted, it became a really useful habitat again, and a good run off from the main pond

bédé · November 2022

I read that a single cotton line is enough to discourage a heron. It worked for a while, and then a saw a blackbird get entangled. I was on the spot and freed it easily. But now no cotton line.

CatDouch · November 2022

Thanks everyone, I think I’ll just scoop up the leaves I can and leave the rest. It’s a new pond so it will be a good few years before there’s too many in there.

bédé · November 2022

But they rot down and feed the algae.

Leaves falling into pond?

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