With the chilly weather coming in and your pond readying itself for winter, it's about time to help it along to keep it nice and healthy over winter.
October is a lovely time of the year. The weather starts to cool but is often quite bright and nature starts to shrug off the summer splendour to take on the beautiful glowing tints of autumn. For most water gardeners, it’s leaf time!
Preventative
• If you haven’t already, put a cover net over the pond to prevent autumn leaves falling in.
• Prepare for those autumn leaves with long-handled nets for removing surface debris that make it past your cover net.
• For peace of mind, treat your pond with a broad-spectrum treatment to prevent parasitic or bacterial issues becoming an issue in cold weather.
• If there is a chance that your pond may freeze over, take action to prevent this from happening. More information can be viewed in our What to do if your pond freezes over blog post.
• Keep testing the quality of your water with either the Tetra Pond Test 6-in-1 or the Blagdon Pond Health Test Kit.
• Use a thermometer to monitor the temperature of the pond. This is important, given that your fish will start to hibernate in temperatures below 10 degrees C and you should stop feeding your fish. A PondXpert Floating Thermometer is a customer favourite.
Maintenance
• If your pond needs an overhaul, now is the best time for a full clean. This means lowering the level of your pond, putting your waders on, and getting into the pond to clean out the muck and debris. Alternatively, a simpler option is to use a pond vacuum to remove sludge and waste that has accumulated at the bottom of your pond. A popular vacuum a lot of our customers are happy with is the PondXpert PondMaster and Basket combo deal.
• Consider upgrading your pond filter. If your filter is struggling to control debris, gets clogged up very easily, or if the pond lacks clarity and the doesn’t remain balanced, it may be time to buy a better filter! Keep in mind that Koi prefer box filters and Goldfish can be kept with either a box filters or a pressurised filter.
• Pumps that are running waterfalls or fountains can be removed and stored over winter; simply disconnect them from your power source, clean them and store them in a safe, dry location.
Fish
• Switch to a winter food now that the temperature has dropped to below 10-12 degrees C. This will prevent any digestion issues your fish may encounter. Popular winter food includes the Winter Wheatgerm Pellets.
• Start providing drinking water for wildlife that may be excluded from a netted pond. This can be done by filling a shallow plate with water that is easily acceptable to wildlife and leaving it near your pond. Make sure to replace the water every morning.
Plants
• Cut back leaves and stems of pond plants as they die back, both above and below the water. The Velda Duo Pond Scissors & Grabber is a handy tool for doing this.
• Oxygenating plants can be thinned out.
• Tender plants such as Cannas should be prepared for winter by storing them in a damp, frost-free shed.
• Rescue tender water plants and remove any dying foliage. Place the plants in trays of deep mud or damp sand, or even in a bucket of water. Store these plants a frost-free place; conservatories and green houses are great to utilise until the frost has passed.
• Leave plants on the side of the pond for up to 38 hours before composting them. This allows wildlife time to escape back to the pond.
You may also find the below blogs useful:
• Pond Calendar
• Autumn Pond Care
• Pond Plants Blogs
• Aeration Blogs
• Why is my Pond losing water?
• Why do chemicals in the Pond fluctuate?
• Pond Problems
If you need any further assistance, please email us on info@pondkeeper.co.uk.