Cleaning out conservation water garden ponds

If the pond is large, then many hands make light work. The aim is to 1) dig 2) transport 3) dispose of the muck and rubbish in the pond.

DIG

• To start with, find the original bottom of the pond. Then work from one or two definite points on the bank.

• If the pond is clay lined and you have to drain it, make sure the clay stays moist. Do it on a humid day and drape the sides in plastic.

• Most rooted plants grow from rhizomes. These must be completely cleaned out or they will re-sprout.

Carefully cut around the edge of a patch of marginal plants then lever it gently. It should then float off and can be dragged to the side.

Leave plant material to drain on the bank for a while. This allows small animals the chance to escape back into the water.

If the there is a huge mat of plants then a number of people, working in a line, is the best way to clear it.

• When it comes to clearing the real mud, silt and rubbish on the bottom of the pond, start at the bank and work out into the pond so that you are not churning up the mud and silt or tripping over the rubbish you are about to remove.

• For deep ponds, a log winched across the bottom can gather in a lot of silt that can be disposed of more easily close to bank.