If your pond contains water lilies and has not be cleaned out for a while chances are the water lilies have taken over! The water lily loves nutrients and in mature ponds with high levels of sludge they will flourish and start to spread out of their containers all over the pond. The root masses and rhizomes of the water lily will become a massive sediment trap and need to be thinned out to help keep ponds healthy.

This pond in the rural outskirts of Luton , Bedfordshire was full of overgrown hornwort (oxygenator plant) and water lilies, and a lot of sludge! It had not been cleaned out properly for a number of years, the plan was to remove a large portion of hornwort weed and also a large percentage of the water lilies.

The best way to remove water lilies is to be a bit forceful, hand saw, spade and strength work well. I ripped out a large mass of water lily and with it removed the sludge. Lilies were replanted and the pond was refilled. A new filtration system will be installed to help keep the pond sludge free and to allow for fish stocking.

If your pond is overgrown why not see if maltbyaquatics can help you out! Give us a call to get a free no obligation quote.

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