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aintaining a pond’s fragile ecosystem can be compared to the hit TV show “The Game of Thrones.” There is a hierarchy in a pond’s ecosystem that we can call an “aquatic empire.” At the bottom of the food chain you have microorganisms, or peasants, that feed on dead organic matter and turn it into a form that can be taken up and used by plants: the noblemen. Plants also convert the sun’s energy into food so that they can better sustain themselves. These peasants are then consumed by something more noble: the royals. It requires strong loyalty from every part of this “hierarchy” to keep the delicate balance of a pond from declaring civil war on its owners. This article will tell you how to keep all of these key players from becoming corrupt.

Nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, are the main corruptors that like to throw off the balance in an ecosystem. They can come from a number of sources such as feces from geese and fertilizers from lawns or agricultural practices. An increase of nutrients in the water is bad for all those who live in the kingdom. High nutrients can increase the growth of weeds and create algae blooms, which is that layer of floating putrescence

on a pond that chokes out the sunlight and provides a plethora of dead organic matter. While nutrients increase in the pond, algae starts to bloom and a domino effect slowly occurs that will bring down the hierarchy.

Algae blooms and nuisance weeds can be an eyesore in a pond that is supposed to be the crown jewel of your association. It is like someone littering all over the kingdom. Once a bloom starts, you can try to treat the algae with algaecides; but often times, when algae gets bad we see treated algae, brown and slimy, sit on top of the water, but it does not sink. When the algae does sink, it starts to decay and become part of the nutrient cycle again. The decaying matter lowers oxygen in the water, and coupled with the lack of photosynthesizing algae (that was just treated) you can see a crash in dissolved oxygen in the pond. This will result in a fish kill. Be assured that residents around a pond will be up in arms when there are hundreds of floating fish! Large algae blooms are difficult to treat with algaecides so it is important to plan for proper pond maintenance and try to prevent issues by promoting a healthy ecosystem. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure in your aquatic empire.

There is good news however;

there are a number of pond enhancements that can be done in order to prevent a battle of nutrients: GOOSE CONTROL

NATIVE BUFFERS

Geese can deposit a lot of nutrients in your pond and lawn, not to mention that they can get quite aggressive toward humans. We strongly recommend controlling your population of geese. Grazing deterrents prevent geese from eating grass, and tall natural buffers make a shoreline undesirable to geese. Dogs can also be hired to harass geese. Homeowner education also goes a long way in deterring geese. Educate residents on the pitfalls of a goose population. Additionally, if you have nesting geese, consider controlling the population with egg addling. This practice will prevent the goslings from hatching and can help keep populations from growing. You must be licensed and permitted to perform egg addling.

Installing a native plant buffer around your pond is another way to halt nutrients from entering your pond. A plant buffer is a strip of native plants grown around a pond. Native plant buffers create an interface (or “drawbridge,” if you will), between terrestrial pollutions and the pond’s balance. Pollutions from fertilizers and pavement enter the water during a rain event through runoff. Native pond buffers help to absorb that water and stop it before those nutrients have the chance to get to the pond.

Native plant buffers also decrease the turbidity in your pond. Turbidity is the amount of suspended particles in the water. Low turbidity means that there are not a lot of suspended particles and the water is clear. In highly turbid waters, the water looks mucky and you can’t see anything in it. Plant buffers decrease turbidity by strengthening the soil around the pond, protecting the shoreline from erosion. Furthermore, established natural buffers are a low maintenance aesthetic landscape feature.

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