I spend alot of my spare time during the off season knitting which I enjoy.  Right now I’m knitting each of my grandchildren ear  warmers and mitts called Tabata.   They are designed by Anne Hanson of the Knitspot.  If you are a knitter you may want to check out her site.  She has some awesome patterns and an enjoyable blog. The yarn I purchased is Fourth of July from Briar Rose.  If your looking to purchase some really nice yarn or fiber this is one shop you need to check out.

So while I continue to knit away the hours I keep thinking about spring…..changes to the pond…..new plants to offer…..what plants are thriving in the greenhouse. When the planting season ends things begin happening in the greenhouse.  With seedlings and dividing of plants there is alot of do to get ready for the following season.  Put on the gloves, play in the dirt,  then watch the plants begin to grow.

 It won’t be long and most of us will begin the task of spring cleaning our ponds.  While there is still alot of activity in the warmer climates those of us in the north continue to wait.  Being a mild winter thus far only makes us more anxious for spring.

FALL/WINTER POND MAINTENANCE TIPS

 1. Before winter arrives, you will want to make sure your pond and filtering system are clean to ensure good water quality throughout the winter months. With the arrival of fall it is wise to do a partial water change to remove any built up contaminants to improve water quality. Partial water changes need to be made before water temperatures fall below 60 degrees to minimize fish stress. Adding pond salt at this time will improve the slime coating of fish, to help them ward off disease and parasites.

2. Before the leaves begin to fall, cover your pond with one of ourpond nets. The goal is to try and keep the pond as clean as possible for the winter months. Leaves will sink to the bottom of the pond and rot, causing excess carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. After the first frost, take out any floating plants, as these will begin to decay. Trim back hardy lilies and bog plants and place below the freeze line.

3. Switch to Microbe-Lift Autumn/Winter Prep. This will help break down organic material in the pond before winter sets in. Microbe-Lift Autumn/Winter Prep helps accelerate the decomposition of leaves, scum, sediment and other organic matter during the fall and throughout the winter months. Also, Microbe-Lift Autumn/Winter Prep helps to maintain a healthy immune system for your fish during the winter months. Microbe-Lift Autumn/Winter Prep will help jump-start your pond to a healthier environment in the spring.

4.Reduce your fish feeding as the water temperatures drop below 60 degrees. Start feeding your fish a couple of times a week. We recommend switching to a wheat germ based fish food formulated for fall and spring feeding. When water temperatures drop below 60 degrees, the metabolism of your fish slow down. Both Tetra-Pond Spring/Fall and Microbe-Lift Cold Weather fish food are highly digestible cool weather diets that are made with less protein, but contain wheat germ, which is easily digested. They also contain higher levels of fat, which help your fish survive their winter hibernation. When water temperatures reach 50 degrees, stop feeding your fish completely. Feeding at water temperatures below 50 degrees can possibly kill your fish. A pond thermometeris a must have.  This will help you in determining when to stop feeding your fish and will also help to know when to begin feeding your fish in the spring.  Its also a good idea to know your water temperature for those adding tropical pond plants to your pond in the spring.

5.Adding Microbe-Lift Barley Straw Extract will help control string algae throughout the fall and winter months. Barley Straw Extract is an effective and eco-friendly way to reduce algae. Unlike algaecides, which are ineffective in water temperatures below 50 degrees, Microbe-Lift Barley Straw Extract will continue to control algae throughout the winter months.

6.Before freezing temperatures begin, install a pond de-icer. Ponds covered with ice do not allow toxic gases to escape causing fish loss. A pond de-icer will keep a section of your pond open to allow oxygen and gas exchange.

7.During the winter removing snow from the surface of the pond will help submerged plants and microscopic aquatic plants to continue to produce oxygen as long as light penetrates through the ice. Insufficient light, along with the decomposition of plant and leaf debris may result in insufficient oxygen for the fish, causing them to suffocate. Removing the snow from a portion of your surface area will reduce the likelihood of this occurring.

Remember to add a tray of sand in your pond for the frogs to have a place to winter over.

PLOP right into the pond.  I think I saw Mr. Big Frog just shake his head….

Since we’re starting to get our ponds ready for the winter now is also a good time to create a place for those frogs we’ve watch grow from tadpoles this summer.  You may want to put a tray, such as a kitty litter tray in the bottom of your pond with sand in it.  This will give the frogs a place to bury themselves over the winter.  Sometimes if you have a filter box or skimmer they may camp out there so be sure that your pump intake is protected so they don’t get stuck in it.  I’ve opened my skimmer early spring and had them jump out.  If you have muck in the bottom of your pond they will also bury themselves in there.  Its nature so frogs will find a way to survive over the winter.

Finding more time now to do other things since the pond season is starting to slow down.  There is little time during March, April, May and June, but then July things start to slow some.  I notice the waterlilies seem to have to slowed down but when they do bloom are still wonderful.

Enjoy why we can……the tropicals are the first to go.

The tropical waterlilies sure are blooming up a storm in my pond.

The Albert Greenberg’s colors are outstanding this year as are the other waterlilies. I’m not certain if its the hot summer days or just that all the pond plants are happy this year. These were all new plants this year since we just redid our pond so other than the initial fertilizing when I planted them, the first part of June, they haven’t been fertilized since. I best get to that so I get as many flowers as possible before summer is over. I know tropical waterlilies last only during the summer but I seem to enjoy them more than the hardy waterlilies because of their colors.

We decided to redo our pond this year, again, as my husband would say.   It was a long weekend project but its complete now and with a few minor changes here and there will be so much better than the old one.  Mostly the problem I had with the other one was all the rocks in the pond which made it hard getting in and out.  Pretty slippery….so we decided to remove all the rocks and make the shelf larger and the bottom flat instead of sloped around the edges.  Much easier for getting in and out for the tasks of trimming plants and fertilizing them.  We changed our waterfall to enter from a different angle with a long stream bed flowing into the pond.  Much more tranquil and natural.  This will still give me a nice bog area to plant bog plants in.   Its been a couple weeks and the plants are finally starting to adjust.  Now just need to get the bacteria going to clear it up more. What a difference one month makes!

I started this blog a couple weeks ago and then things got busy so now I have updated pictures of the pond and wow did it perform.  Everything is growing well and I must say the plants and fish are happy. The water is crystal clear and the plants are looking so healthy.  I already see a lotus bud on the Mrs. Perry Slocum in just 4 weeks time. Check out my Albert Greenberg.

They contain beneficial microbes (bacteria and mold cultures), which eliminate excess problem-causing nutrients from your pond.  They also contain microbes, which provide the comprehensive removal of bottom sludge.  The microbes will not only degrade cellulose (one of the primary components of plants wastes), but will also eliminate pectin (fibrous materials also found in plants), xylanase (found in various parts of plants also), and most importantly lignin (the heartiest component in leaves and stems of plants).

Bio-Clean microbial pond clarifiers include two very specific cultures for removing excess, problem-causing ammonia, urea, nitrites and nitrates from the pond water.   Bio-Clean contains microbes for achieving odor control, by eliminating the dead and decaying organic wastes causing the odors.

Water Clarity – Bio-Clean also utilizes microbes to achieve water clarity.  Water clarity is accomplished when the microbes eliminate the dead and decaying organic wastes, which float in the water as suspended solids.  As these organic wastes are removed, water clarity drastically increases (from virtually no clarity, up to 6+ foot depth of clarity after only a few treatments.

Usage:  One 3 oz Bio-Clean tablet per 2500-3000 gallons of water or 20 per surface acre of water per month.  You apply around the edges of the pond.

I often get questions about whether to use water lettuce or water hyacinths as floaters in the pond.  They both basically serve the same purpose. 

Water lettuce  (Pistia stratiotes) has light green spongy leaves that looked as if they have veins running through them.   The leaves are approximately 1-5″ wide.   The leaves are covered with tiny hairs and occasionally tiny white flowers appear in the center.  Water lettuce prefers partial shade during the hotest part of the day and once the water warms up will multiply quickly.  Their dangling roots provide a place for fish to hid.  Water lettuce can be very aggressive and can deplete the oxygen in the water if you let it take over your entire pond.  So its a good idea to take out some if they start to multiply rapidly.  Water temperature should be 60 – 65 degrees before placing water lettuce in your pond as it will turn the leaves white and they will die. 

 Water Hyacinth - Eichornia crassipes) A floating plant that is a fast grower and beneficial for water filtration.  They have bright green rounded leaves and will get a purple flower on them throughout the season.  Water hyacinth have dangling roots that help filter and clean the water.  We have alot of customers who ordered water hyacinths first in the spring to provide shade immediately to help prevent growth of algae.  It takes other plants such as water lilies longer to produce their leaves to help provide the coverage needed.  When you first receive your water hyacinths you want to put them in shade for a day before adding them to your pond in direct sun or the leaves will turn brown.  They need to soak water up in their leaves.  Again make sure your water temperatures are 60 – 65 degrees before placing in your pond.

But even though we’re all anxious for the weather to turn nice so we can begin planting our flowers, vegetables gardens and clean our ponds, we have begun sending allot of nice plants to those who have the warm weather.  Lucky them! 

Dragonfly Aquatics has a couple new hardy water lilies to introduce.  Hidden Violet which is a very unusual waterlily.  Large red-violet flowers with pointed petals that catch the eye.  The leaves are a darker green which gives a nice contrast to the flowers.  It requires full sun as most of the red hardy waterlilies do and performs well. 

The other new water lily is Walter Pagels, a very creamy white hardy water lily with with a hint of pale pink.  This water lily is considered a medium hardy water lily and is an excellent choice for small to medium size ponds.  Unlike the red water lilies it will perform well in sun to part shade.  It also is one of the water lilies that will stay open later in the day for more enjoyment.

With spring upon us its important to check on your fish.  Its a critical time for them when they start coming out of dormancy.  They are more likely to become vulnerable to illness unless proper steps are taken.   When coming out of dormancy their bodies are low on the important nutrients needed to help ward of diseases. 

First make sure you clean your pond out of all debris and sludge at the bottom.  Microbe-Lift makes a good product called Sludge Away which can help. You can at this time replace about 30% of your pond water.  If using tap water make sure you add a water conditioner to remove heavy metals, chlorine, and chloramines found in most tap water.  If using tap water that goes through a softener this adds salt and its not necessary to add a water conditioner.

Its important to maintain a healthly ecosystem throughout the pond season.  This will help maintain healthly fish and keep your pond clear and free of algae.  Add a good beneficial bacteria, such as Microbe-Lift PL to your pond water regularly.   Its amazing how this can help you keep your pond balanced.