As the warm summer weather comes to an end and the activity in your garden pond is slowing down it is time to prepare your garden pond for the cold weather ahead. The fall is the time of year that all successful pond keepers need to carry out maintenance and preparation work before the freezing spell kicks in. This article is aimed at the those water gardeners who live in the colder Northern USA states, Canada and Northern Europe where winter temperatures often reach 0 C and below.
- Preparing Your Submergible Pump … Lift your pump out of the pond and clean thoroughly before replacing it back into the pond at the marginal shelf level; about 1ft below the surface. This will ensure you only circulate the top layer of pond water.
Continue to run the pump over the next couple of months before the freeze sets in. At this stage remove the pump and store in a safe place until spring, when the biological activity in your pond comes alive once again. - Preparing Your Pond Filter … When the pond temperature drops to 10 C (50F) remove the filter from the pond and give it a thorough clean. Perform a back wash if your filter has the facility or remove the filter media and rinse with pond water or rain if you have a box type filter. Place the biofilter back into the pond, where it can still be used as a mechanical filter to remove leaves and other debris that may fall into the pond. As the winter freeze starts to set in remove it once again, drain and store away until spring. The levels of ammonia in cold water are relatively low removing the necessity for the filter to be running during late fall and winter.
- Preparing your UV sterilizer (UV clarifier) … The levels of pond algae will be very low during late fall and winter which makes it perfectly safe to remove the UV and store it over the winter months … Prior to placing it back in the pond in spring it is advisable to replace the UV lamp.
- Protecting Your pond Fish … It is a good idea to remove any fancy forms of pond fish such as fantails and bubble eyes and keep them indoors in a tank until spring, as they will struggle to compete with more robust pond fish varieties such as Koi and large goldfish for any available food. When the water temperature reaches 10 C (50 F) you must ensure that you significantly reduce the amount of fish food fed. Only feed small quantities of low protein content winter fish food with added minerals and vitamins.
- Preparing Your Pond Plants … Cut back any marginal plants to the crown. Remove Canna lily varieties and store them in a frost proof greenhouse in compost until spring. Other lily species such as Arum Lilies can be lowered to the bottom of the pond where the warmer temperatures are much more suitable or they can be wintered in a greenhouse. Remove the heads off any marsh reeds before they shed their seeds into your pond. When floating aquatic plants are no longer visible at the pond surface then remove them from your pond and store them in a green house. Remove any diseased or mottled leaves from your water lilies to prevent the decaying leaves from polluting the pond.
- Preparing Your Pond for Falling Leaves … Cover your garden pond with a protective mesh netting as this will prevent falling leaves entering into the pond, sinking to the pond bottom and decaying. It will also help to protect your pond fish from predatory herons and other predatory creatures.
- Prevent Your Pond from Freezing Over ... The fish in your pond require oxygen which they absorb through their gills from the oxygen contained in pond water (H2O). However when your garden pond freezes over completely there is a limited supply of oxygen and there is no way for gases, released from decaying vegetation on the pond floor to escape. Ensure that there is always an air hole to allow gaseous exchange. Using a pond heater or pond de-icer are good ways to prevent your pond from totally icing over.
- Always ensure that you keep your garden pond topped up, particularly in areas where there is a high water table. Ensure that you add a chlorine and chloramine reducing pond water additive after topping up. Municipal water contains chlorine and other harmful chemicals.
The full article can be read at http://www.garden-pond-filters.com/winter-maintenance.html, where you will find other interesting articles and pond keeping resources.
