What is everyone doing this time of the year and when do you all winterize the pond (if needed in your zone)? When should I start doing things in zone 5? I figure with all the cleaning of the pond I just did over the past 2 weeks I shouldn't need to do too much before winter except keep the leaves out.
Autumn pond care in colder climates
Your done when water temps reach 40 and promise to stay below for the remainder of the winter. I give the pond a final vacuuming around the first week of October. The water lilys are cut back at the first frost. I stop feeding a week before water temps will get down to 50. The koi go into the winter with empty bellys. That's important. I shut down the pumps and filters when the water temps get to 40. In this area of zone 5 it's usually just before Thanksgiving. In your area it might be a lttle sooner. We have a "lake effect" here which keeps things warmer for a little longer.
Wouldn't hurt to start feeding your fish a vitamin supp with there food until its too cold to feed them. Mothermole I'm sorry to hear about all the trouble you have had. I hope next summer will be perfect ponding for you and us all.
Snapple has it down! Thanks for the info. Last year I took the submersible pumps out of the pond when the cold weather hit and kept them in a container of water in the house. Can they be left outdoors as long as the water they are in does not freeze?
Yes, I understand the pump thing Tetley-does anyone else take theirs out? Mine was so expensive I would hate to crack it. With my "pond" luck that would happen . . .
snapple: What brand of vacuum do you have and do you like it? Does anyone else recommend a vac for the pond?
BTW, we get lake effect here as well . . .
Mothermole you can keep your pump in if its down deep enough. I left mine in at 4 feet last winter and it was fine.
I have a PondVacII. It's ok. I don't have any trouble with it. It works good. But they are over priced. I think for the money you can probably find a better one. I store my pumps inside for the winter. They don't need immersion in water for storage so after a scrubbing and drying, and checking the impellers for wear, they just go into large plastic totes. I like to have one tote with all koi pond equipment and a second with all goldfish pond equipment. Except for chemicals & nets. That way I'm not trying to remember what goes where in the spring. Just grab a tote and go. On adhesive tape on the lids I write the date the UV lamps were last replaced. I change them every other year, or after 2 six month seasons of use. Helps me budget too. They aint cheap!
My pump is in my skimmer so I was going to take it out but what do I do with the skimmer? We also pull the filter, right?
This is my first winter and I really need to start reading up on what I need to do. Luckily it has been in the 80's here so I don't think winter is too close yet.
Also, anything I need to do with my bottom drain? I plan on insulating my smaller settlement pond with haybales and of course draining it.
Snapp: Did you get the vacuum online or locally? BTW: My pump is not deep in the pond so I'm guessing I should bring it in for winter.
The pond vac was an internet purchase. Locally they were priced about 25% higher! My pump is located in the bottom of a Savio skimmer so it comes out. My DH plumbed it so that all I have to do is unscrew a fitting. Makes it easy to pull up and clean the intake and check on the impeller too during the ponding season.
I dont know which skimmer you have evesta. With the Savio I pull up the basket and filter and filter frame. I throw away the filter and cut a new one for next season. (I buy the stuff in big rolls from Aquaticeco - tons cheaper and the stuff doesn't wear out as soon. )
At shut down I ALWAYS take the pond vac and vacuum out all the accumulated sludge in the bottom of the skimmer. And the waterfall filter too, although that does have a bottom drain valve that makes emptying it a breeze. The stuff in the bottom of the skimmer is the nastiest stuff there is. You do not want that crud running first thing through the lines and into the pond next spring.
The rule for winter shut down is CLEAN, CLEAN - CLEAN!! Leave no place for bad bacteria or parasites or fungus to get a foot hold.
I've started the MicrobeLift winter prep. In October when the first frost hits the water lilys and they go dormant I'll increase the pond salt level to between .018 or 0.2
Over the winter when there is no ice on the pond I'll periodically net any debris that has blown into the pond. We have large Oak trees here all through the neighborhood. Even though I rake everything up the neighbors don't and the amount of loose leaves and branches that fly in is amazing. And darned annoying.
My pond it too big to net without the net sagging into the water when a heavy leaf drop happens especially if the leaves get wet. So I don't net. It's a two to three times daily hassle scooping leaves in the fall. But I make absolutely sure that by the first of November that there are no leaves in the pond. None.
what to do with a small container water garden, treat everything as annuals? or will some of it come back? I'm zone 5, plenty freezing and snow.
It depends on the type of plants and whether or not the container garden will freeze solid. If you can bury the container garden up to rim in the ground and keep it netted to keep out debris your submerged hardy plants might survive. If this won't keep it from freezing soild then treat the plants as annuals. The alternative is to place the container garden inside where the temps won't get above 40 for the worst of the winter but it won't freeze either, maybe an unheated garage?
I have a corner spot between a storage shed and a stockade fence that gets no wind. I often plunge hardy terrestial container plants in that spot to over winter. Sometimes I buy late season marked down Japanese Maples right up until the ground has almost frozen. It's usually too late to be digging a permanent planting bed for them so in the ground they go, pot and all, until next spring. I throw a thick blanket of oak leaves over the containers. Works great!
so I could put them in a bucket and sink the bucket to the rim in the ground? am thinking some of the native ones may need to overwinter outside, would that be right? or they need to be kept between freezing and 40?
will bring some in the house with my little goldfish.
Snapp: Which internet company do you prefer for the vacs? I feel so lucky to have you to call on for so much information.
greyma, hardy aquatic pond plants need to be kept above freezing and below 40. If they freeze they will die. If they are kept above 40-45 they will start to grow. If you put a water filled container in the ground it should be well deep enough so that the bottom 18" will not freeze. That's a hole pretty deep.
mm - I've done well with both these internet sellers. Choose whichever one you like and check out the different equipment available ( new models since I bought mine).
http://store.123ponds.com/pond-accessories-pond-vacuum.html
http://www.gardenponds.com/pondovac.htm
ok, this summer was the first time I've tried some pond plants. So far they are still living, this I believe is more because of who I purchased them from, then from any newbie care that I've given. They are in containers above ground and I really hate to think of them being an annual... I read in an earlier thread that if I bringing them into a garage that I might be able to get them through the winter???? my garage stays above freezing as I have six collies who over winter in their as well.....LOL
What about a heated bucket? I have heated buckets for drinking water for my collies when they are outside... Do you think if I put them in some heated buckets inside the garage that it would be ok or do you think the water would be too warm??? although the water doesn't get too warm for my dogs??? so maybe that idea might work for them.... or maybe I could just leave the buckets outside up against the house and over winter them outside.... hummmmm think I will try several different things....
thanks everyone.
Janet
If you can find any way to keep them above freezing but below 40-45 should over winter. They have to be the hardy type plants that would normally go dormant when their roots or crowns can be submerged in a pond to about 1-1/2' to 2' deep or more. An exception might be the rushes. Mine have over wintered in 1' of water but the water did not freeze.
Webbsonline is a good source also, they have good prices.
I don't take my pumps out or my filters, I feel the filters are keeping the solid gunk pumped out and the pumps are keeping the water open.
dylancgc, yep - Webbsonline is a good source. It's hard to remember all of the good ones.
Keeping the pumps runnning in this zone 5 region is not an option.
why not? Do they freeze up? You probably have more trouble with ice than I do. We only had ice for about a week on the pond.
We have at least 4 - 6 six weeks of ice. Add to that the odd power failure now and again in a winter storm and you have a recipe for disaster. I have a gas powered generator specifically to keep the pond deicers (and my tropical aquarium) going in the event of a power failure.
Yeah when we had the ice storm in Jan 07 it was not fun when my pond froze solid on top for 6 days.