Proper maintenance is essential to keeping your farm pond clean and healthy. One of the most important things you can do to maintain a farm pond is to make sure that the banks are well planted with vegetation. Trees can provide some shade—which both livestock and aquatic life will enjoy—but even grass will work. Vegetation will prevent erosion around the banks, which prevents erosion runoff from muddying the waters.
Algae and aquatic weeds can be problematic, too. Increasing the pond’s depth to at least three feet can help with weed control, and even deeper is better. Adding grass carp, which thrive on vegetation, can also help control weeds, but you’ll need to check state regulations since this fish is banned in some states. Algae control means reducing nitrogen levels within the pond. Fertilizer runoff and animal waste runoff can increase nitrogen levels, which can lead to algae blooms. Reducing this type of runoff is key to preventing an algae problem, but if the problem is severe, you may need to rely on chemical algae control.
