Hail – how it affects your pond
Now and then here in Colorado we may experience hail. Several things can happen from hailstorms:
- A lot of hail can suddenly drop the temperature in the pond. Some hail is not a big deal but if you have excessive amounts floating in the water, you may want to consider scooping as much as you can out so that the fish don’t suffer from such temperature fluctuation. (Imagine someone dumping ice water on you!)
- Exposed liner can be damaged by hail. Protect it by covering it with rocks and gravel. Liner needs to be completely protected from the harsh rays of the sun, from the freeze and thaw cycle and from hail.
- Hail can cause leaves, branches and other debris to drop in the pond. Get out what you can and make sure to dump the skimmer basket a couple extra times to make sure it doesn’t get clogged with leaves caused by a hailstorm.
- Lily pads can be damaged. It is better to leave the damaged lily pads there because they are still converting sunlight to energy for the plant. Wait until the whole leaf and even the stem turn brown and look mushy. Then give them a quick tug and they will come right off. It’s good to pull them off because they add nutrients to the pond as they decay and can cause more algae. Luckily, lily pads send up new leaves pretty quickly and will look gorgeous before you know it!
- Excessive rain and hail can upset the balance of the pond ecosystem. Give it an extra dose of beneficial bacteria.
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