Water features can be enjoyed in southern zones most of the year. If you live in the northern climates, however, you'll need to provide some protection for marginal plants.
Tropical water plants can't withstand freezing temperatures, so salvage these plants by lifting them, container and all, out of the pond; place them in a dish pan with shallow water. Place the pan in a sunny window or in a well-lit area of the house. Plants will grow indoors until they can be reintroduced outside. In the spring, place them back in the pond.
If you have plants such as giant reed grass in your pond and the frost has killed them back, it's best to prune back the tops just above water level, and the plants will survive even though ice forms on the pond. Frost often nips back foliage on hardy water lilies: to solve this problem, trim back the leaves to the rhizome or the top of the plant. This will clean up the plant so that it's ready to be lowered to the bottom of the pond, thus able to survive winter conditions. In the spring, just lift plants back up to ledge level and they will start growing again.
Some ponds, especially shallow ones, need to be drained completely during winter. Before draining, move the fish to an inside aquarium or in a larger pond that will be maintained during the winter months. Drop a submersible pump in the water and turn it on. Don't waste the water that drains out of the pond: it's rich in nutrients. Use it to water perennials, trees and shrubs; when the water soaks in, it will release nutrients to the plant.
If you plan to overwinter fish, it's important to have a pond that's at least two feet deep or deeper. This allows the fish to go to the depths of the pond to overwinter, and it allows you to take your hardy water lilies and place them at the lower levels as well.
Many people put a log in the pond to keep oxygen and gas exchanges out of the water to protect the fish: this is not the recommended method, because you won't get the proper oxygen or gas exchange in colder areas where the pond freezes solid. Instead, try placing a water pump in your pond and letting it gurgle. This allows movement in the water and the exchange of gases from the water to protect the fish. A water aerator will inject oxygen into the water and provide water movement. Tubes that have aerators on them can be placed in the pond to allow toxic gases to be removed, and that will allow fish to survive the winter months.
If you have a waterfall as part of your water-garden feature, winterize it before the cold temperatures set in and your waterfall freezes solid. Lift the pump out of the water and let it drain thoroughly, checking to make sure that all the water comes out of the tube. Shut the pump off, unplug it and store it away in the garden shed or garage where it will not freeze. Connect it to the waterfall again in the spring and enjoy it until the next winter.
Another aspect to winterizing your pond is keeping all the junk (such as leaves from deciduous trees or seedpods from sumac) out of your pond. If these fall into the pond, they can contaminate the water by releasing gases that will be toxic to the fish and plants. Bird netting is an easy way to keep the junk out. Stretch it tightly across the pond and anchor it down with stones. This will keep any leaves, pine needles or seed heads from other trees out of the pond. Once the trees have finished dropping their leaves and shedding needles, pinecones and seedpods, remove the netting and take the material in it to the compost pile. After the netting is removed from the pond, birds, raccoons and other wildlife will have access to the water for the winter season.
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