Pondering Winter and The Holiday Pond

As they say in Wisconsin, "If you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes." Yes indeed cold weather and the holidays are officially upon us, and that means the pond out in the backyard has taken on a different personality. For us, ice on the pond is fast approaching, we dodged a bullet by missing the forecasted 5" of snow earlier this week.

Prune the Plants Back, and Net the Pond
The cold snap hit us early this year and the leaves have all fallen. In many cases, as you read this line, the lilies, the water iris, and the cattails are all pruned back. The water hyacinth have been eliminated from the waterfalls and thrown into the compost pile. The activity of your fish has slowed down dramatically, and you've eliminated the fish feeding cycle because the water temp has been below 55 for several weeks now.

Inside vs. Outside Enjoyment
Maybe you decorated your Halloween pond with pumpkins and scarecrows this year or you are willing to brave these temperatures and will have something in honor of Thanksgiving as well. But for many of us, the time is already here when the pond enjoyment is going to happen from inside the warm house, instead of outside on the patio. But there’s a decision you must make first.

The Winter Decision You Have To Make
Are you going to leave the waterfalls running, or are you going to shut the pond down for the winter? For what it’s worth, most local enthusiasts shut their pond or pondless down in order to avoid having to monitor ice build-up in the stream, which can untimely lead to a leak if you’re not careful. And if you choose the shut down option, don’t forget to unhook your pump, remove it from your skimmer, and store it in a warm place for the winter. Also, remove all the filter mats from the BIOFALLS® filter, hose them off, and put them in a warm, dry place for the winter.

And for the Winter Adventurer
On the other hand, if you’re a winter adventurer, and you choose to leave the falls running, the artistic beauty of frozen icicles forming around the waterfalls will always be something at which to marvel. And either way, as the surface of your pond freezes over, make sure to keep a hole in the surface with an agitating bubbler so that gasses can be safely exchanged, and your fish can complete their winter hibernation successfully without complications. If you’ve covered all these bases, congratulations, you’re ready for old man winter. 

Until next month, have a Happy Thanksgiving.