Topics in Pond Care: How to Revive an Old Pond

If your property has a lake or pond that hasn’t been well maintained, reviving it can change it from an eyesore into one of your property’s best features. Over time, un-maintained lakes/ponds go the way of the wild, accumulating dead trees and limbs, excess algae and aquatic plants, and a barrier of weeds at their bank that make it hard to access their water. So where do you start and how do you proceed? Below, we outline the best pond care process for turning a drab, old pond or lake into a fabulous one.

1. Start in the Early Spring

Because weed growth is at its height in mid summer, some property owners feel compelled to revive their pond/lake in June or July, a move that has three disadvantages: the weather can be discouragingly hot; you’ll spend most of your time chopping and raking away vegetation; and the chance of abandoning the project due to heat and hard work increases. Instead of starting your project when your water body looks the worst, start in the early spring, when you can kill weeds in their infancy with herbicide.

2. Kill Weeds Around Banks

If your pond/lake contains dead trees and limbs, you may feel like removing them first, but don’t. Instead, focus on killing weeds that will soon flourish along its banks. With the weeds gone, you’ll have improved access to the water, and you won’t spend the summer weed eating and weed whacking the banks of what was supposed to be a well-manicured pond or lake.

3. Apply Algaecide and Aqua Herbicide

After you addressing ground vegetation, it’s time to address aquatic vegetation that can flourish just as fast. When applying algaecide, be sure to apply a dose that removes excess algae, not kills all algae. Before applying aqua herbicides, know the names of the weeds you’re targeting. Otherwise, you’re in for a game of trial and error.

4. Remove Heavy Debris

If your water has dead trees and limbs that seem easily removable, removing them yourself would save money. But the safest move is calling a tree removal service. Because a portion of an aquatic bound tree or limb is usually beneath the surface, it’s difficult to assess how it would shift after certain cuts are made. A tree removal service specializes in these assessments.

5. Apply Sod Around Banks

If you want your pond/lake to have a manicured appearance, applying sod will gentrify its appearance, and also help to prevent aggressive weed growth in the near future.

6. Apply Pond Dye

To remove your pond/lake’s brackish hue, apply eco friendly dye according to its acre feet of water. Pond dyes are non-staining to fish, birds, animals, people, and aquatic equipment. One application usually lasts 6-8 weeks.