Hi Lynne!
Rest easy. Your fall cleanout is fine if you were smart
enough to cover your pond to prevent leaf debris and winter
crud from falling in and sinking to the bottom.
If you did not protect your pond, you'll
need to get that stuff off the bottom as soon as you can.
You won't need a drain-out, but you will need to get the
dead leaves and debris off the bottom; a cheap swimming
pool bottom vac, powered by your garden hose works great
if your pond bottom is bare liner. (remember to dump in
dechlorinator before you start!) If you have rock on the
bottom, you can get most of the stuff out with a leaf net,
also available cheap from a pool supply place.
You'll want to get this done before
the water heats up. The debris on the bottom makes a great
breeding ground for parasites.
Bob: Thanks for the quick reply. Glad
to hear that. We were smart enough to cover the pond over
the winter and debris is minimal. Our only concern is the
string algae that is still present and attached to the rocks.
Is a spring cleanout with it's power washing beneficial
to removing all that algae off the rocks?
Hey Lynne!
Gosh no! Leave that wonderful stuff right where it is. Right
now, it's the only biofiltration you've got. It is also a
source of nutrition for your fish and cushions the sharper
edges of the rocks, reducing the risk of fish injury, especially
during spring spawning. A short, thick coat of hair algae
on your rocks is the best sign of a mature pond.
I prefer not to power-wash any part of our 4400 gallon pond.
We leave the algae on the rocks and the liner, and simply
flush and sump out the crud between our verge rocks with recirculated
pond water. We use our pond's main pump fed by the bottom
drain to do the job. Works a treat. Use your power washer
for your patio and driveway, not your pond. The bigger, more
powerful washers are capable of punching a hole right through
your liner if used incautiously.
