Preparing your Pond for Winter

Always keep pump completely   covered with water in order to avoid pump damage. If you take the pump out of the pond make sure you have it cleaned well and store in a cool area. The pump should be service at least once a year by a professional to preserve the life of the pump.

 

 

 

 

It is important to have a clean pond going into the winter. There should be no leaves or dead animals, etc., which can cause fatal gases in the water and deprive the fish of beneficial oxygen.

A deicer is another important item for the wintertime pond. Keeping some type of small hole in the ice is very important to fish survival. Wes says to not break the ice with a hammer or other similar tool as this will stress the fish and could possibly kill them from the vibrations and noise.

He recommended a deicer with a thermostat. They commonly come on at 60 degrees and turn off at 72 degrees. A deicer should only melt a small hole in the pond and not melt the whole pond. If this happens, the deicer is too large for the pond. It is also important to have a guard on the deicer to protect any active, curious fish. Bubblers or aerators can also be used to keep a small hole in the pond.

You can add beneficial bacteria to your pond until the water temperature reaches 32 degrees.

As far as plants in the pond, hardy water lilies can be left in the pond by cutting each back to about 2 to 3 inches and setting them about 2 feet deep in the water.

Water iris can also be cut back and set about 2 feet deep.

Tropical water plants needs to be kept inside for the winter. Wes recommended potting them in 50% sand and 50% potting mix with smaller gravel on top. Keep them covered with 1 inch of water under some type of lighting , such as , fluorescent.

Lotus needs to freeze over. You don’t drop it down any lower in the water but do not let it be below the ice line.