You feel it when you leave your house first thing in the morning—that cold snap that lets you know winter is on the way. With the arrive of colder weather, that means preparing your ponds and other water features. Follow this guide from New Hope Aquascapes and Landscaping to make sure your pond is in great shape for next spring.
Step 1: Clear Out Leaves and Debris
You need to remove any leaves and debris that have fallen into the pond, otherwise they’ll decay at the bottom and leave a huge mess for you to clean up next spring. Want to make this chore easier? Invest in a long-handled pond net or place a net over your water feature late in the summer, before leaves begin to fall. This will collect all the debris, making clean-up a breeze.
Step 2: Trim it up
Is there any dead or dying foliage surrounding your water feature? Failing to do so could lead to an additional accumulation of organic debris, which might drop into the water and decompose there. Cut back any problematic-looking waterlilies at the base, as well as any other plants drooping over the water surface.
Step 3: Cold water bacteria
There are good and bad bacteria out there, and you want to infuse some of the beneficial variety before winter arrives. A cold water bacteria such as Aquascape Cold Water Bacteria contains concentrated strains of good bacteria, which are designed to work whenever the temperature is under 50 degrees. Use this good bacteria regularly to keep your pond’s water cold and clear. This also will reduce how much work you have to do to get your water feature prepped next spring.
Step 4: Fish feast
You need to make sure your fish are well-fed before going into hibernation for the cold-weather months. This begins when water temperatures start to dip below 60 degrees. Certain foods are formulated specifically to nourish fish during colder weather. A professional aquascapes company like New Hope can recommend the right brands to buy.
Step 5: To shut off, or not shut off?
What if you decide to keep your water feature running through the winter? This can create some beautiful formations of ice once the temperatures dip below freezing. This also means more maintenance on your part: topping off the pond as water evaporates and making sure that any ice that forms doesn’t create a dam that leads to water loss. If you shut off the pond, you have a whole set of protocols you need to follow:
-Remove the pump and store it somewhere warm and dry
-Drain water out of the pond and any connected plumbing, to prevent it freezing and bursting a pipe or damaging your filtration system
-Remove and clean the filter thoroughly, then store it in a warm and dry location.
-Install a small re-circulating pump to oxygenate your water
Winterizing Water Features in East Tennessee
When prepping your water feature for the winter, you want to make sure you follow all the right steps to avoid damage, a mess, or something happening to your fish. Doing the job right also can be a lot of work. That’s why we recommend you trust the professionals at New Hope Aquascapes and Landscaping to do the job. We have years of expertise working with the installation and maintenance of water features, including ponds, fountains, and waterfalls. Now’s the time to book our crew to come out and winterize your water feature. Make an appointment today by visiting our website. You also can give us a call at (833) LAWN-411 or (423) 367-2114.
