Caring for Your New Water Garden cont.
Winter Care cont.
A second option is to disconnect the pond pump from the waterfall (or use a separate pump 120 gph or larger) and place it
about 6-8" below the water surface with the outlet pointing up so that it creates a bubbling, mini-geyser at the water
surface. When plugged in, this moving water helps prevent total freezing of the surface. Even after a power outage,
when the pump is turned back on it will quickly melt through any ice on the surface. Be sure your pond pump
still has a pre-filter attached to the inlet during the winter. If your primary pre-filter can't be used, most pumps
come with a smaller built-in or attachable pre-filter that will usually suffice.
A third option is to replace the pond pump with a floating de-icer during the coldest winter months.
Simply set the de-icer in the pond, anchoring it with a stake or stone so that it doesn't touch any exposed liner. Plug it
in, and you're done! A built-in thermostat will turn it on when water temperature drops below freezing and off when it
is not needed.
To save some electricity, the de-icer need not run all the time if it has an exposed heating element. Simply, store
the de-icer in the garage or somewhere else handy and just plug it in after the pond freezes (setting it on top of
the ice). The exposed heating elements will melt a hole through the ice cover within 24 hours. The goal is just to
prevent more than 10 days or so of uninterrupted ice cover in your pond. A few days to a week of ice cover for a
healthy pond is not harmful. However, if your pond is relatively dirty and/or has an extra-large fish load, we
recommend maintaining a continuous air hole with your de-icer or pond pump.
If you have tropical plants you can bring them indoors as houseplants over the winter or discard and replace them
next spring. Umbrella palms do especially well indoors over winter. Tropical water lilies and floating
plants are best replaced each year unless you have access to a greenhouse that stays 65-75 degrees through the winter.
Any tropical pond plants you wish to save be sure to move to a warm location before the first frost.
Floating plants killed by frost should be immediately removed so that they do not add to the plant debris in your garden.
Tropical pond plants should not be placed back into the garden in the spring until water temperature reaches
65-70 degrees (usually late May to June 1).
Once the chance of prolonged freezing spells are past (late-March), you can return your pond pump(s)
and underwater lights to their regular locations. Any pond plants can also be retrieved from deep water
winter bed and placed in their regular locations.
Annual Cleaning
Once a year you should give your water garden a good cleaning. Late fall, while you prepare your garden
for winter, or early Spring (March/April) are the best times for cleanings. Drain your garden pond with
a pump placed in the deep section of the water garden. Place your fish in a separate container of pond
water, remove all plants and clean out any debris that has collected at the bottom of your water garden.
Refill your garden pond with fresh water and return all pond plants. Before adding
your fish back give them a chance to adjust to any change in water temperature and treat the water to remove any
chlorine or other harmful additives.
If your garden pond is stone-lined, clear a location of gravel in the deepest area of your pond to
place your pond pump. Using a regular garden hose with a jet spray attachment, wash any collected
sediment down between the rocks to the low area where your pump can pump it out. Collect and discard any leaves, stems,
twigs etc. that may have collected on top of the stone. There should be no need to remove/replace any stone during the
cleaning process.
If your garden pond is relatively clean and the water has been clear most of the season, it is not
necessary to completely drain the pond to clean it. Rather, simply drain about 75% of the water (pumping from the bottom)
as you stir your water up a little to pull out any accumulated debris. Set aside all pond plants and
leaving the fish in the pond, net out any large debris that the pump did not remove, re-filling the water garden
slowly to allow the pond fish a chance to adjust to the water temperature. Remember to apply a
dechlorinator unless you are using well water.
Your goal in either cleaning procedure is to remove 95% of the accumulated debris/sludge in the water garden
as quickly as possible without disturbing the pond fish any more than necessary. There is no need
and it is actually detrimental to 'scrub' down the pond when you clean it.... you'll just be killing the beneficial
bacteria/algae that lives in the green film covering the liner! So remember, in this case, quick and easy is best!
After a fall cleaning we highly recommend to stretch a leaf net across your pond through the fall and winter to
prevent wind blown leaves and debris from collecting in your water garden. If no leaf net is used be
sure to "skim" your pond with a hand net on a regular basis.
Cleaning can be repeated any time during the year your water becomes excessively "dirty' with floating debris or waste.
We do not recommend summer cleanings except in severe cases since it tends to disrupt the balance of the eco-system
which we are trying to maintain. However, with a proper balance of fish & plants with minimal care, a cleaning
should not be required more than once a year.
Questions?
Feel free to give us a call if you have any further questions or concerns. Water gardening is a fascinating, easy
hobby once you learn the basics of the new eco-system you have created. Enjoy your new water garden!
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