Cold Weather Pond Tips

By Mark Springer
Chief Lavaletteer

Now that summer is really over, it's time to prepare your pond for cold temperatures. Ponds are very resilient and can fare quite well through the cold months with a minimal amount of fuss and worry. Keep leaves and other debris out of the pond if possible with a net that covers the entire surface. If you don't want to do that, simply use your fish net to scoop out the accumulated leaves from the bottom every week or so.

Stop feeding your plants. Trim back the hardy marginal plants such as acorus, cattail, iris, etc. The hardier types can stay on the shallow shelves. The tender ones can be set down in the deepest part of the pond where the water will be the warmest. Prune waterlilies back to 1 or 2 inches above the crown and forget about them until spring. Tropical plants can be brought inside and kept as house plants all winter or simply discarded. Floating tropicals such as water lettuce and water hyacinth should be put on the compost pile. Some people overwinter them, but it's not worth the effort. You don't save your impatiens, do you?

Feed your fish what they will eat in five minutes. If they don't come after the food, don't feed them. When the water temperature goes below 50 degrees F, stop feeding altogether. Don't start feeding again until the water temperature returns to a consistent 50 degrees. Most cold water fish species are quite tolerant of winter temperatures. They just go to the bottom of the pond and go dormant. The fluctuations in temperatures seem tohurt them worse.

Run your pump and filter as long as possible. Be careful when there is a possibility of ice buildup on the waterfall or filter. This can make an ice dam that will cause the filter to overflow and drain the pond. Disconnect the hose to the filter and allow it to bubble just below the pond surface to keep ice from forming. You can also use a floating heater to keep a small area open and ice free. Keeping a hole open in the ice is important to prevent buildup of toxic gases in the water that could kill the fish.

Remember, your pond is a natural system that can deal with the changes of the seasons quite well with very little effort from you. Just relax and enjoy the pond as it sleeps through the winter. You'll have plenty to do come spring.