Easy Tips: How to Get Your Pond Ready for Winter | Pond Universe
By: Inzo Valdevieso
Winter is coming, and it's time to help your pond and fish stay safe and healthy until spring. Don’t worry—getting your pond ready for winter is easier than you might think! Here are 9 simple steps to make sure your pond is in great shape for the cold months.
1. Cover Your Pond with Netting
Before the leaves start to fall, put a net over your pond. This will catch the leaves and make cleanup super easy. When the leaves have all fallen, just roll up the net, throw away the leaves, and save the net for next year.
2. Clear Out Leaves and Debris
If you didn’t cover your pond with a net, you might find some leaves and dirt at the bottom. Use a long-handled net to scoop them out. If you leave them in the pond, they’ll rot over the winter and cause a bigger mess when spring comes.
3. Empty the Skimmer Basket
Check your pond’s skimmer basket every few days to remove any leaves or dirt. After all the leaves have fallen, you won’t need to check it as often.
4. Trim Plants Around the Pond
Cut back any dead or dying plants around your pond. This helps keep the water clean because those plants won’t rot in the water. You can leave hardy plants in the pond, but take out any tropical plants and add them to your compost pile.
5. Take Care of Your Waterlilies
Trim hardy waterlilies so that only a couple of inches are left above the crown (the base of the plant). Move them to the deepest part of your pond, at least two feet deep. If you have tropical waterlilies, it’s best to compost them. You can try keeping them indoors under a grow light, but they might not survive the winter.
6. Add Special Winter Bacteria
Put some cold water bacteria in your pond to keep the water clean. These special bacteria work even when it’s really cold and help break down any leftover debris, making spring cleaning much easier.
7. If You Keep Your Pond Running
If you decide to keep your pond and waterfall going through winter, you’ll get to see beautiful ice formations. But remember, you’ll need to do some extra maintenance, like topping off the water due to evaporation and making sure ice doesn’t block the water flow. You may need to use a pond de-icer if it gets really cold to keep a hole in the ice so oxygen can get in and harmful gases can get out.
8. If You Shut Down Your Pond
If you live in a very cold place, you might choose to turn off your pond for the winter. Here’s what you need to do:
- Take the pump out of the pond and store it somewhere warm, like your garage.
- Drain the water from the pipes to prevent them from freezing and breaking.
- Clean the filter parts with a garden hose and store them with the pump.
- Add a small pump to keep the water moving and add oxygen to the pond. This also helps keep a hole open in the ice for oxygen exchange.
9. Keep Your Fish Healthy
Make sure your fish are eating well before winter. When the water gets colder, below 60 degrees, their digestion slows down. Feed them special cold-water fish food until the water temperature drops below 50 degrees. After that, stop feeding them until they warm up again in the spring.
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