Best time to clear pond out?

[BugBear99]

Morning all,
I have a small pond in the garden, I moved into the house in summer, there was already quite a lot of leaf litter in it and just water lilies for plants. I moved some native marginals & oxygenator weeds in which have improved things, but an overhanging cob nut tree is chucking leaves in at a great rate!
Question is, should I do a proper pond clear-out right down to the sludge accumulated at the bottom, before it gets too cold (am in Kent, mild at present, only had one frost), OR should I just stop new leaves getting in for now, and do a proper clear-out in spring? I haven't seen newts or frogs in the pond yet, but don't want to disturb any taking shelter in the leaf litter...
Thanks for advice!

[Matt Smith]

Do it now. If we continue to have a mild winter as we have up to now then frogs and newts might start laying fairly early in the new year where you are, so you might miss out on a whole year. I would do it now and give it time to settle before the spring breeding season.

[GCN lova]

agree with the above post but look out for any amphibians hibernating in the mud but they'd probably be out anyway considering theres hardly been any frosts in kent lately. the oxygenators should grow quickly in the mild weather and next year you'll probaly get some amphibians.

[Billabong Karen]

I disturbed a small newt (palmate?) and a large tadpole today when I moved a couple of stones in the pond, so it is very likely there will be amphibians overwintering in your pond too. That said, now is probably much better than the spring.

My parent have three small ponds, with fish in the third and largest. The other two have loads of frogs breeding in thenspring every year, and the garden supports a thriving colony of grass snakes. They clear the ponds out each autumn, although I have tried to dissuade them - but how can I claim the moral high ground when they have grass snakes and I don't???

[Botticelliwoman]

I agree. Do it now. Decaying vegetation can cause a build up of toxins which, if trapped under ice for any amount of time can kill whatever is overwintering at the bottom of the pond. I learned this the hard way last year