Pond Winter Care

It’s very important as a pond owner to be prepared for winter, especially when the freezing weather arrives as it can cause big problems if certain things are not prevented.

We always advise that you prepare in advance, that way you are preventing problems as opposed to treating problems, as catching it early can be a lot more beneficial.

First things first, remove any dead plants, during this time of year aquatic plants start to die off, and it’s extremely important that any rotting leaves or plants are removed, if not dealt with they can release harmful gases into your pond which is bad for plants, fish and other aquatic life.

If something has died off, then remove it. We also advise cutting back any plants which have thrived during the spring and summer as this will begin to die off as the sunlight is rarer and the cold sets it. Doing this will mean less work when it happens as you have already removed the bulk of it.

Use a pond vacuum or net to remove any leaves from surrounding trees and plants because if these are left in the pond then over the winter period they will rot down too, turning into silt and sludge, holding pollutants and releasing their own into the water, causing bad water quality.

To stop leaves and other debris getting into the pond in the first place, we’d advise using a pond cover net over your pond, this will catch everything before it gets into the water, making for easy removal.

Track The Temperature

Always keep a check on the temperature of your pond too, as fish should not be fed at very low temperatures. This is because their digestive system shuts down when it’s cold, so even if they do eat (which they normally won’t) the food will sit in their stomach and rot down, causing internal bacterial problems.

If food is uneaten and not removed, which is more likely the case then this can pollute the pond, leading the fish disease, so either way we advise to not feed once the temperature has gone below 5 degrees.

You can either remove your pump and filter from the pond, or raise the pump up from the bottom of the pond, this stops your from taking warmer water at the bottom and circulating it around, the fish prefer the bottom due to this slightly higher temperature.

Your Pond and Ice

Ice is something which can plague a pond during the winter, especially the last few we have experienced. Ice will trap gases in your pond, it will also prevent oxygen from getting into your pond water. If snow also falls onto this ice then your pond will also have been blocked from light entering, which means the plants you have left will die off.

Our best advice is to use a pond heater, they come in many sizes, from 150 watt to 300 watts and more, they higher the wattage the more efficient they will be at their job. They will keep a small area free from ice, this means they gases will be able to escape and your fish will have oxygen in their water to breathe!

Duckweed in a Pond

Duckweed has featured at the Chelsea Flower Show in the past, but this doesn't mean it's desirable to everyone, nor does it mean it's easy to look after. 

When duckweed starts to thrive it will literally cover the entire surface of your pond if left untamed. Eventually your pond could look like the image, which almost looks like a surface you could walk on. (Once when walking the dog, she thought it was a solid surface, and did she get a suprise!)

Some fish will eat duckweed, but not at a fast enough rate to hold it back.

Duckweed is not necessarily dangerous to your pond, it will make your fish and wildlife difficult to observe. Dead and brown duckweed though, should be removed from the pond as soon as possible, as it can sink to the bottom of the pond and pollute  the water.

The ideal solution to get rid of duckweed is to use a pond skimmer, a pond skimmer works by "skimming" the surface of your pond and removing any excess waste, this includes duckweed.

There are difficult types of skimmer available, you can buy stand-alone skimmers, which have their own pump built in and will float around the pond. You can also buy a skimmer which will fit onto your pump, sending the debris to your filter, but please note, your pump must have a sucking option for this to work.

To begin with, we'd advise to remove as much of the duckweed as possible yourself by hand, then to add the skimmer, this will prevent the skimmer from clogging up too fast and means it will work more efficiently, hopefully preventing it from growing back.

Stopping Blanket Weed

There's no doubt that blanket weed sometimes know as string algae is unsightly, and can not only spoil the look of your pond, it can also cause many other problems too.Blanket weed is easily recognisable as a hair like structure which will grow from the sides of your pond and other surfaces in the pond itself, it thrives off sunlight, oxygen and fresh water, which is why you should never refill your pond like some people do, it sounds like the logical thing to do, but it's like feeding the fire.

If you want to stop blanket weed, then there are various forms of removing it from your pond, I will list these below, with a short description of how they work:

Powder Chemicals - You would normally sprinkle these into the water around the edges of your pond, these are designed to kill the blanket weed at it's root, which is the sides of the pond normally. 
Pros: works fast and effectively, ideal if you're rushing to get rid of it for a weekend BBQ or something. 
Cons: The dead blanket weed will sink to the bottom of your pond, and if not removed effectively will pollute the pond.

Example of a Natural Enzyme

Liquid Chemicals - These are a very simple to use solution, which you would dose the correct amount in relation to your pond size, pour it into the pond and let it do the work. 
Pros: rapidly works and effective too, again ideal if you're in a rush.  
Cons: This again kills the blanket weed and it will sink to the bottom of the pond causing pollution if not removed.

Natural Enzymes - These treatments work slowly to remove the blanket weed, normally taking around 2 weeks or so to work. They will remain in your pond breaking down the blanket weed in the future.

Pros: Will not take oxygen out of the pond and hard to overdose the pond. 
Cons: Can take longer to work.

Barley Straw - Barley straw bales can be purchased and put in your pond, they will need to be somewhere with moving water. 
Pros: Completely natural, and works long term (usually up to 6 months). 
Cons: Not ideal in ponds with no moving water, not guaranteed to work.

So which one should I use?  

An example of a powder chemical

Choosing depends on your situation really, if you've got guests coming over on the weekend and you need something to kill the blanketweed ASAP, then a chemical (powdered normally work faster) is probably your best solution as they are faster working. Just make sure to use some type of sludge buster to  consume the dead remains afterwards.

On the other hand if you don't mind how long it takes and you don't want to use chemicals, then maybe barley straw is your best option, just bear in mind that it will need to be placed under or near moving water to be effective so if that's not an option go for the natural enzymes which will break down and consume the blanket weed naturally and continue to over the next few months.

Just be careful when purchasing the powder chemicals, some of the older types which are no longer available usually would kill all plant life in your pond including lilies. These are still on sale in some shops which have got old stock, but normally a fully trained member of staff will let you know. This type is best used in ponds with no plants!