7 Steps to Prepare for the Colder Months Ahead
Fall is here in all it’s glorious colors. There are a few things you can do to get your pond ready for the fall and
winter months. After all why not enjoy your pond for all the seasons and have a true four seasons water feature.
Pick a nice day or two in the fall. Enjoy the beauty of the day outdoors and get your pond ready at the same
time.
1) First of all, you will want to switch your fish to some kind of Fall fish food. It is easier to digest and if you
have been sparingly feeding your fish during the summer to assist in limiting algae growth, you could feed
a little extra so they get extra nutrition to make it through the winter.
2) Switch your summer beneficial bacteria to fall bacteria. Spring/Fall Beneficial Bacteria packets contain
cold water bacteria and therefore will work much better in cooler water. It helps break down debris and
keep your water crystal clear. You can follow up with Microbe-lift Winter/Autumn prep which can be used
through the winter months to keep up your pond healthy.
3) For algae control, you can keep up your regular treatments. Pond balance, Algae Off, and Barley Extract
will continue to work into the Fall and even early Winter months.
4) Aquatic plants. Continue to deadhead your aquatics. Keeping the dead plant material out of the pond will
decrease the amount of debris in the bottom of the pond. All plants can be trimmed down to about an inch
or two above the pot. Lotus need to be lowered in your pond to survive the winter.
Tropical marginal need to be removed before the first frost if you wish to save them. Keep indoors in
holeless decorative pots that will hold water. Keep by a sunny window and don’t let them dry out. Put back
into the pond next year.
5) Leaf nets are great for keeping the leaves out of the pond. Anchor the net with rocks or stakes. The net will
definitely keep your leaf maintenance and debris to a minimum. Right before you put your leaf net on is an
ideal time to trim your plants so that you will not have to take the net off, deadhead your plants and put net
back on. When the leaves are done dropping, and your yard is cleaned up, you can always take the leaf net
back off.
6) When you have an aerator in your pond it will be on the bottom or on a lower shelf of your pond. Before
putting on your leaf net or before winter sets in, take the airstones and bring up to an upper shelf. They will
help keep an airhole in the ice during the winter. By bringing the airstones up, you are leaving a thermal
area in the bottom of your pond for the fish to winter over.
7) De-icers are great for leaving an airhole in the ice. They float and are thermostatically controlled to run
only when needed. It is essential to leave an airhole in the ice so that the gases in the pond caused by debris
does not get trapped under the ice. It is not lack of oxygen that kills fish in the winter but gases getting
trapped. Cold water holds more oxygen than warm water. Keeping your aerator and pumps going into the
winter will aide the bacteria and keep your pond’s water from getting stale and stagnant.
By doing these simple things you will have your pond prepared for the fall and winter months to come.
You can sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds of Fall and your own personal Winter Wonderland
created by your streams, waterfalls and pond. Diane Swan
Visit our retail store in Louisburg for all of your fall pond prep needs!