How To Get Your Backyard Pond Ready for the Cold Months
By: Inzo Valdevieso
As summer fades away and fall arrives, it's time to start thinking about preparing your outdoor pond for the chilly winter weather. Don't worry, it's not as hard as it sounds! You can make sure your fishy friends stay safe and healthy until spring rolls around again. How?
One of the easiest ways to keep fallen leaves and twigs out of your pond is to cover it with a special net before the trees start shedding. Once all the leaves have fallen, you can roll up the net, toss out the debris, and store it until next year. If you didn't use a net, don't fret – just use a long-handled skimmer to scoop out any leaves and gunk that made their way into the water.
It's also a good idea to trim back any dead or dying plants around your pond. This stops them from rotting in the water over the winter. Cut back tall plants like water lilies so they don't drop into the pond.
To keep your pond water, clean and clear in the colder months, try adding some special "cold water bacteria." These helpful microorganisms will munch up any yucky stuff in the pond, so you don't have a huge mess in the spring.
If you plan to keep your pond's pump and waterfall running through winter, you'll get to see beautiful ice formations! Just keep an eye out for ice dams that could cause flooding. You may also need to top up the water level if some evaporates.
For those who like to shut down the pond system for winter, there are a few extra steps. Remove the pump and filters and store them in the garage. Drain all pipes so they don't crack from freezing water inside. Place a small recirculating pump on a shelf in the pond to keep oxygen flowing and help prevent ice from fully covering the surface. If it gets extremely cold, you may need a special de-icer device too.
Before winter really sets in, make sure to feed your scaly pals a nutritious cold-water diet to fatten them up for hibernation. Stop feeding them once the water gets below 50F as their digestion slows down.
With a little time and effort now, you can rest easy knowing your pond and fish will be A-OK until spring! Then you can happily greet your finned friends again as the warm sun returns.