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 How does it stay clean?
The ponds have no need of chlorine, salt, or noisy mechanical filters. The huge planted area (about a third of the pond) has carefully selected plants, oxygenators, marginals and lilies, which eventually create a naturally balanced pond.
These remove waste like ammonia and nitrates and their roots - and the gravel they are planted in - provide the correct environment for the bacteria involved in breaking down solid waste.
The plants produce oxygen and remove nutrients which would otherwise be used by algae to grow, producing a clear, chemical-free, algae-free swimming area.
This is not instantaneous because it is a living, growing environment. Some maintenance will be needed in the first year or so, then it will stabilise, needing only minimal effort, mainly at the start of the swimming season, to clean the silt out of the swimming pool area using a pond vacuum cleaner. In the autumn it's necessary to remove leaves and cut back foliage. Surface skimmers can be fitted to remove wind-blown debris.
If cold water puts you off then you can add solar panels and warm it up. This will also extend the swimming season. The one at Hampton Court was a very pleasant 26°C. |
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