Autumn Pond Maintenance - Crazy Ponds - pond kit

WHAT TO DO IN YOUR POND THIS FALL

Preparing Your Pond For Fall Weather

Fall is a wonderful time of year for the water gardener. It ushers in a much needed break from the often times, harsh heat of summer. The weather is a bit cooler now, making your water gardening chores a bit easier. As you stoop down to clear away any spent flowers, you may just notice that your pond is breathing a gentle sigh of relief as well. Why? This is because as Autumn makes its grand entrance, your pond in no longer fighting so hard to battle algae. Also, it has seen most of it's water lilies through their bloom, and is preparing for a more gentle pace of activity in the coming months. Therefore, fall is the perfect time of year for you both to enjoy a more relaxed pace. There are several points that the water gardener will want to keep in mind, however, if their pond is to benefit from this brief respite from activity.

Southern Water Gardeners

Garden Pond Plants:

It is a fact that all plants need a rest period to prepare them for the following season of growth. With this fact in mind, you will want to cease all fertilization efforts as soon as the water temperature reaches just under 70 degrees farenheight. Remove all spent or yellowing leaves. Leaving spent leaves in place or continuing to fertilize, will cause your plant to continuously attempt to strengthen itself and rob it of it's much needed rest. This will ultimately affect the strength and quality of the following seasons blooms. All tropical lilieswill need to be removed from your water garden. Storing them in water-filled containers in an area away from frost and freezing temperatures, will guarantee that your lilies remain protected and ready to flourish in the coming season.

Fish Concerns:

Taking care of pond fish, should be of great concern for the conscientious water gardener. Autumn is the ideal time to help them build up their energy reserves. You can accomplish this by feeding your fish with just a bit more food at each feeding, in the early fall. Your fish will gain two very beneficial results from this. First, the extra calories will help to increase their metabolism just before they enter hibernation. Next, it will help their overall growth rate-giving them the best possible chance to remain at a healthy size while sleeping. This does not mean, however, that you should overfeed your fish! The more is definitely NOT the merrier in this instance. Your fish will not benefit from overfeeding, in fact the direct opposite is often the result of overfeeding. Adding just a bit more at each feeding, is quite enough. When Autumn is firmly established, and the water temperature has reached the mid 50's- it is time to stop feeding your fish all together.

Fall Pond Maintenance:

Fall often brings soft breezes and cool winds. Although quite enjoyable, these winds inevitably bring leaves. Your pond may have a fair to good amount of collected leaves, depending on where exactly it is located in your yard. If it is near a hedge or tree of any sort, you will need to give extra attention to the collection of leaves. Even if the tree is not located in your yard, the neighbors tree will gladly carry it's leave directly into your pond! In any event, you will need to take steps to eliminate any leaves or foliage from your pond's water. Why? This is because as fallen leaves begin to decompose, they release harmful tannins that reduce the water clarity and rob your fish of proper oxygen levels. Neglecting to remove fallen leaves and debris can be harmful, or even fatal, to your fish. You will want to keep your pond water filters in tip top shape. Be sure to keep your pond's skimmer basket empty and free of debris as well. You can also purchase The Fall & Winter Formula described below this will help in eliminating debris from the water. Another option is the addition of simple netting to the water's surface. The netting will serve to collect the fallen leaves that will inevitably land in your pond. It also keeps the leaves above the water's surface, therefore, eliminating the harmful tannins that result from decomposition.

Northern Water Gardeners

Leaves:

At the first sign of Autumn, you will want to inspect your pond. Try and determine where the leaves are coming from. If it is a tree in your own yard, you might want to do a little tree trimming to eliminate the leaves that have not yet fallen. If the source is not located in your yard, then it is time to cover your pond with netting. This is one garden pond accessory that no pond owner should be without. The netting creates a barrier between the leaves and your waters surface. This stops leaves that would otherwise sink to the bottom of your pond and begin decomposing. The addition of pond netting is a simple way to guarantee the health and well being of all your aquatic life.

Fish:

As the temperature begins to drop you will want to keep a steady eye on how fast it is declining. Once your pond's water reaches fifty five degrees farenheight, stop feeding your fish completely! This is important because hibernating fish will not eat, and any food you give at this temperature will only decompose in the water; directly reducing it's oxygenation. Until you reach the fifty five degree mark, however, continue feeding your fish to give them a quick boost to their energy stores. This practice will prove most beneficial to both northern and southern pond owners.

Plant Life:

As your plants prepare for a cold weather, break from the heat, be sure and remove any dead or dying plants and foliage from your pond's water. Doing so, will limit the amount of debris and harmful effects of decomposition from collecting on the bottom of your pond. There are a number of tropical plant species that will continue to produce foliage during the fall, but they would fare much better by sitting out the cold fall and winter months. Place them in containers, in a warm place away from the dangers of frost or freeze. This will guarantee that they remain safe and healthy until they are ready to be re-introduced into the pond. If you have an indoor garage or garden shed, these would be ideal places for tropical plants to wait out the cold weather with ease.

Winter Shutdown:

Each year, pond owners will have a decision to make, if they live in climates where the temperature dips and remains below the freezing mark for an extended period of time, they will need to consider shutting down the pond altogether. They also have the option of keeping it up and running. Both options, however, require specific actions in order to maintain a healthy pond environment throughout the fall.

Complete Shutdown:

Completely shutting down your pond for the winter, will require several actions on your part. You will need to remove the pump from the skimmer box and place it safely into a container of water. Make sure it is stored in an area that is completely safe from freezing. You will also want to remove the filter mats from the skimmer and the BIOFALLS filter and clean them thoroughly. If you choose to save this chore for the spring, you will only double your work and delay the clean out due in the spring. The water that remains in the skimmer and BIOFALLS filter will take longer to thaw out and the filter mats may have frozen inside. Placing a small recalculating pump of at least 150 gallons per hour on the top shelf of the pond will serve to agitate the water just enough to oxygenate it and preserve the hole you placed in the ice. This will allow harmful gasses to escape from the water's surface while the majority of the pond remains frozen over. It may also be necessary to supplement the pump with a floating heater. Such low voltage heaters safely heat the water around it to 32 degrees farenheight. This ensures that the hole will remain open during the coldest part of fall on into winter. There is reason for caution, however, with such heaters. These do not oxygenate the water and so further steps will need to be taken to accomplish this.

Keeping It Running:

Many who choose to keep their ponds up an running in the fall and winter are treated to beautiful ice displays during the cold months. These formations will take place around the falls. Although such formations are breathtaking, they can also be a cause for concern. If you should notice any slow moving streams where dams are forming, you run the risk of your pond diverting water over the side and out of your pond. This can create problems that would best be avoided by shutting down the pond completely. If you deem shutting down necessary, then you will still need the assistance of a re-circulating pump or floating heater in order to maintain the hole in the ice. Doing so, is a small investment in the overall health and safety of your fish. With all that is to be considered when it comes to maintaining a healthy pond environment during the fall and winter, you will want to weigh your individual circumstances carefully and choose the course that best suits your needs and lifestyle. Doing so, will ensure that you continue to enjoy your pond to it's fullest potential for a long time to come.