Late spring is icona good time to introduce new plants to your Koi fish pond and with existing plants, your Spring maintenance duties will include removing their dead foliage.   You can easily do this chore by using pond shears and tongs shown at left.  With this tool you can easily and comfortably manicure your plants from up to four feet away.   Some people like to take icon their tropical water lilies in for the winter.  I personally do not.  However, if you do overwinter your tropical lilies, put the tubers in a pan of shallow water.  You can put them on a sunny windowsill or wherever they will get a lot of sun.  Be sure to do this about two months before the last usual frost date in your area so they can begin their growth cycle.  Wait until the water temperature of your pond is actually at 70 degrees before adding them back to your Koi fish pond.

Another Spring maintenance project is dividing your plants such as lotus and water lilies.  If you have any marginal plants in your Koi pond with roots that are filling their pots, divide themicon also.  Do wait until the danger of  frost has passed before attempting this.  You have a limited window of opportunity when it comes to dividing and repotting plants.  Although you must wait until the danger of frost has subsided, once their period of rapid growth has begun, it is too late.  To remove your plants from the water use the aqua tongs show at left.  It is powerful enough to grasp large objects but precise enough for small.  Keep your hands (and pond) clean.  Buy Now!!
Spring is also a time of great stress for your Koi pond fish.  Your Koi have gone many weeks without food.  This means that your Koi fish are more likely to become ill.  You will want to keep a close eye on them at this time.  Watch for any signs of illness, such a lethargy, erratic behavior, blotchy or discolored skin, sores or missing scales.  Using fungicides in your Koi pond can be tricky because fungicides will kill all the beneficial bacteria that have been built up in your biological filter.  If you must use a fungicide, do it before the startup of your filter.  iconicon Don't forget, this is spawning time for your Koi, so if you want to keep as many little ones in your pond as possible, try purchasing a pond fish spawning incubator shown at left to place in your pond.   This will encourage successful spawning of your pond fish in a protected area.