BonniesPlants.com

Many ponds have "dead spots". These spots are further defined as an area where the circulation of water and oxygen are lacking. In most cases this is the spot where all the debris from the pond collects on the bottom. Simply - there is not enough circulation of water to move the “stuff” off the bottom to a skimmer or a bottom drain or filter.

How do you know if you have a dead spot? Foam will build up in those areas.

In the photo below you will see a dead spot caused by on over grown water lily.

<img src="http://bonniesplants.com/pictures/dead_spots.jpg" width="400">

This particular spot developed because of a huge lily that interfered with water movement. The solution was to go in and physically remove some of the foliage so that the water could flow around the plant.

Some dead spots can cause ongoing problems. These can be corrected by adding an air stone and pump to get the debris up off the bottom where it will be picked up by the pump, filter, skimmer or bottom drain. If your pond does not have a skimmer or bottom drain then it means that you need to physically remove the debris either with a skimmer net or vacuum.

FYI: I have seen many articles saying lilies should not be near waterfalls or near any water movement. That information is NOT correct! Lilies do not mind moving water at all. What they DON’T like is water splashing on their leaves.


The photo above shows a huge tropical water lily in my pond that is near a waterfall. While you can not see it in the photo, the lily is just 18 inches away from a waterfall. You will notice that the lily is back far enough from the waterfall to prevent splashing of water on the leaves. But it is also close enough to give the visual effect I was trying to achieve. As you can see by the photo above, it did cause a dead spot in my pond until I went in a physically removed some of the leaves.


Bonnie

PS the water celery you see in the photo is on a plant shelf that is built right into the pond. This is my private stash to feed my koi. Every week, I trim it back and throw it to the fish. They do NOT eat the stems but chow down on the leafy greens. They do not eat the flowers on the celery so I discard them.