Ask yourself these questions when getting ready to prepare the pond for the fall:
1. How are the plants doing?
- If there are brown or dead leaves, go ahead and remove those. If you know that a snowstorm is expected, go ahead and trim all the plants back. Specifically, cut marginal plants down to about 6 inches. Cut the lily stems to about the same if you can get in there. Remember, the water will be much colder in the fall!
- Be careful not to cut green plants down too early. Green indicated photosynthesis. That means sunlight is still being converted to energy which, that plant will need to get through the winter and return in the spring.
2. How is the water clarity?
- Before the weather cools off, a partial water change might be a good idea. Now, this does NOT mean replacing all the water. This means replacing 10 to 20% of the water. Make sure to use a dechlorinator when you add this much hose water.
3. Is all the pond equipment covered?
- All the things that are plugged in need to be protected from the weather. If it rains or snows, could this cause a problem? (Yes, it could if it’s not covered!) If you have equipment like an Autodose, an Iongen, or a UV light, remember that their control panels should be protected from UV rays anyway and that once we get down to freezing temperatures they need to be removed and brought inside for the winter.
- Think we won’t have a freak snowstorm in September? Here in Colorado (Zone 5 where I am) it is rare but not impossible.
4. Are there threes near the pond?
- If so or if lots of leaves make their way to the pond once they fall, put a net over the pond! Read more about netting the pond HERE.
- Not only can leaves clog up the skimmer and starve the pump of water (costing you lots of money!), but those leaves also sink to the bottom of the pond where they conspire with mother nature to use their decomposed matter to create algae later!
5. Are temperatures already dropping?
- Remember that feeding the fish needs to slow down as the temperatures cool.
- As the water temperature gets close to 50 ° F (10° C) the fish should be fed less. They need to slowly eat less until the water reaches 50 ° F (10° C) and then they should not be fed at all.
Kristi's Tips
The fish will do better over the winter when the pond has been prepared in the Fall. Check out this article I found in Pond Trade Magazine.
Putting a net over the pond can be SO helpful! Doing it well will save irritation later.
Keeping the fall leaves out now will lengthen the time between total pond cleanouts. When should you have the pond cleaned out?
Check out this video from Aquascape – all about preparing your pond for fall.