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Author:  Sue Speichert
Title: Getting Your Pond Ready for Winter
Summary:  A checklist of things to do to make sure that you and your pond are all set for the cold winter months.
Contact for editing purposes:
email: GSpeichert@aol.com
Date first published: Sept/Oct 2000
Publication: Water Gardening Magazine
http://www.watergardening.com
Reprinted from Aquarticles:
October 2003: Posted on Jeffrey Daro's new website IHeartMyPond.com		 ARTICLE USE: 
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Mail two printed copies to:
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Water Gardening: The Magazine for Pondkeepers,
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St. John, IN 46373
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Getting Your Pond  Ready for Winter

by Sue Speichert
Originally published in Water Gardening Magazine, Sept/Oct 2000  
Reprinted with permission
Aquarticles

 Here's a checklist of things to do to make sure that you and your pond are all set for the cold winter months ahead.

1. Clean all the crud out of your pond. No algae. No fish waste. No leaves from trees or plants. All of this will decompose in the bottom of the pond during the winter. As it breaks down it will draw precious oxygen out of the pond water, robbing it from fish and other aquatic wildlife. Decaying organic matter is also prime ground for harmful bacteria, parasites, and protozoa to spend the winter. During a warm spell, they can quickly attack your fish before your fish's immune system is prepared to fight them off. You'll have a pond full of stinky, slimy sludge as well as sick and poorly fish. Is this the way to you want to start your spring?

2. Consider whether you want to vacuum out the scum in the bottom of the pond, or whether you should drain and clean the pond instead. Generally, it's advisable to drain and clean the pond if there's more than 2 inches or so of debris in the bottom. Set up a kiddie pool with clean pond water to hold your fish and make sure to put a net over it to keep the fish from jumping out. You can use spare pond water to hold your water plants in temporary quarters, too. If you just vacuum out the pond and do a partial water change, or if you do a pond drain, clean-up and refill, make sure to add dechlorinator so your fish won't be harmed by the chlorine and heavy metals in the new tap water.

3. Clean up around the pond, too. Leaves and other plant debris that's left on the edge can make its way into the pond. Insects and other harmful organisms can overwinter in the dead vegetation and wreak havoc on your pond plants once warm weather returns.

4. If you're in an area with lots of trees, put a netting over your pond to catch the leaves before they fall into your pond. Try to use the largest weave possible, so that frogs aren't suddenly left out of the pond or aren't caught in it. You can use a floating plastic ball to hold the net out of the water. For better support, use wooden planks or plastic rods to hold the netting. Clean off fallen leaves often. It's no use to have a netting if the leaves are still going to lay in the water, steeping like tea leaves.

5. Take a weekly measurement of your water quality. If it's off, you'll want to fix it now. The last thing you want is green water in the fall going into winter. The algae will die and decompose in the pond during the winter, drawing oxygen that your fish and wildlife need to survive. Come spring, you'll have a real mess on your hands.

6. Add beneficial bacteria according to your regular routine until the water temperature dips below 45F. Below that temperature, the nitrifying bacteria slows down, waiting for the return of spring. If you use barley straw, put in a fresh bale for a few weeks to let it cure until you remove the old one that you've had in the pond all summer.

7. If you're in an area where ice is likely, plan for it now. It's usually best to leave water in the pond, regardless of whether you have a flexible liner or a fiberglass, pre-formed pond. The cold winter weather may cause the soil to expand as it freezes, and a pond barren of water may shift, heave, or partially pop out of the ground. Leaving water in the pond during the winter will prevent this.

8. In climates with only an occasional ice-over, a floating plastic ball or Styrofoam may be enough to guard against damage from winter freeze and ice-overs. Simply placing a plastic cover over the pond for the odd days of really cold weather will probably be sufficient, too.

9. In very cold environments, though, the best solution is a floating deicer with a thermostat. A floating deicer will thaw a hole in the ice so that oxygen can reach the water and toxic gasses can escape. Put the deicer in the water before ice begins to form on the pond. You don't have to plug it in until a few inches have formed over the pond, though. Once the deicer has thawed a hole a foot or so wide in the ice, you can turn it off again. Using the deicer intermittently during the winter reduces the electricity cost; most deicers pull 1,000 or 1,500 watts and can be expensive to run continuously. If you have a flexible rubber liner, invest in a guard that will prevent the heating element from burning a hole in your liner.