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!

Create a Bird Friendly Garden

The siting of bird features is very important, is you site features poorly it makes the birds you want to attract vunerable to predators.

The winter months are vitally important and food and water are in short supply due to freezing conditions. Once you start feeding, you will need to continue regularly as the birds will start to rely on you during this time and if the supply is cut off they could end up dying, so to start then stop is worse than doing nothing in the first place.

Bird Tables

Bird tables are common and basic bird feature, you should place it close enough to your house to be seen, but 6 feet from any brand or wall. Make sure that the table is 5 feet high or more. Always try to get one with a roof, this keeps food aswell as the birds out of the rain and stops falling leaves too.

            If you want to stop squirrels and cats from climbing the bird table then use a plastic drainpipe over the top of the wood, this should prevent them from being able to grip stopping them getting up. 

Nest Box

Suitable for all hole-nesting species of birds such as tits, nuthatches and sparrows. Mount it around 6 feet from the ground and camouflage too. Do not situate too close to the house or south facing. The hole should be around 1 inch in diameter and 5 inches from the base. Make it about 4 inches square or more.

Bird Baths

Birds require water to drink and to bath in, this is especially true during hot dry summers or very cold winters. Don’t fill the bird bath too deeply and change it regularly. If using a ground level bird bath always use a wading stone so birds are able to walk in and out.

Give Birds a Variety of Foods

Birds enjoy to eat a variety of foods not just seeds, this includes:

• fats
• peanuts
• cheese
• bacon
• cereals
• fruit
• suet
• wild bird food
• and wholemeal bread too

Spread it out so a number of birds can graze at the same time and avoid foods such as uncooked meat, salted peanuts, white bread and spicy foods!

Feeding Birds at Ground Level

Robins and Thrushes like to feed at ground level, so spread food out in a shallow tray or on your lawn so plenty of them can feed at the same time, but remember to take it away before nightfall to prevent vermin.

Hozelock Bioforce Revolution Update

Hello everyone, we just thought we would let you all know that we have discovered more information regarding the Hozelock Bioforce Revolution.

At present we have only found one company which has listed the Bioforce Revolution on their website, and they have a wide variety of information available for us to read on the product too.

They have 3 models of the revolution which are going to be available, these sizes are a 6000, 9000 and 14000. These numbers are also relevant to the volume of water that the pond filters can handle, interestingly though is that the numbers stated are what the filter can do WITH fish, which is a first. Normally you find that a pond filter will be called for example a 3000 but when you take fish and sunlight into account it can only handle half of that number, and this has how it has been for years which has always confused people, especially beginners. 

Don't worry, you are not alone, there have been plenty of people who have worked out they have 5000 litres in their pond and bought a pond filter which says it can do 5000 litres, and found out afterwards that this is without fish.

We were lucky enough to speak with someone from Hozelock who told us that they have been testing the Bioforce Revolution for a while now, and they have decided that making things more simple for the consumer was the best option all round. They have also tested these filters on ponds without fish and they can handle up to double what their figure says so for example the 14000 could handle a 28000 litre pond maximum without fish.

The filtration will be a mix of mechanical and biological, by using foam cubes with the mechanical filtration which will be stirred up when using the winding handle and Kaldnes K3 media which will house millions of colonies of live bacteria which will be your biological filtration, breaking down waste in the water.

They have also started using a PLL UV Lamp in the Revolution's too, these lamps are a lot better and stronger than PLS or G8 UV lamps, so green water will be a thing of the past for your pond. The 6000 will use an 18 watt lamp, 9000 will use a 24 watt lamp and the 14000 will use a 36 watt lamp.

To coincide with the release of the Bioforce Revolutions pond filters, Hozelock are also releasing some new filters which includes the Bioforce 3000 (which can do 3000 WITH fish), which replaces the Bioforce 5500 (which can only do half that volume as per our info above)  and the Bioforce 4500 which again can do this volume with fish in the pond. These smaller Bioforce's will not have the winding handle and will use a PLS lamp as they are designed for smaller ponds.

They will also be releasing these filters as Bioforce Filter Kits which will come with a pump which is optimal to the size of the filter and better value to purchase too.

It looks like the future is bright for Bioforce pond filters with this revolutionary (excuse the pun) new design. Hopefully other manufacturers will follow Hozelock and start to brand their filters with the size it they can handle with fish. One of Hozelock's main reason for doing this is because of extensive market research, in the UK you rarely find a pond without fish, so it makes sense to brand the products with the volume of water which it can handle with fish. 

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.

Frost In Your Garden

Frost can cause many problems in your garden, and a lot of people are usually caught out by early or late frosts.

The best way to tell if a frost is possible is to check outside at night, if it’s cold and there are no clouds, it’s very likely, especially during the late Autumn and Winter months, even into early Spring.

The moisture that your plants hold will freeze when temperatures go into minus figures, this will normally affect just plants outside, but if the temperature gets very low then even plants in your greenhouse could be affected.

Always avoid placing plants which are tender to frost where they will catch the morning sun, if their moisture freezes and the sun then hits them, it can rupture the plant cell’s walls.

Try not to feed your plants until the warmer months either, as they will start to grow green and soft which is more vunerable to frost. 

You are best to protect crops with a layer of fleece, like the fleece tunnel in the image and place a thin layer of fleece over greenhouse plants too.

Bubble insulation is a good investment at this time of year, it will help to keep the air in your greenhouse warmer for longer, so if you use a heater, it will also be more cost effective.

If you’ve been too late and frost damage has already happened, then don’t panic. You can still help your plants. 

First of all make sure to cut off and brown stems or foliage, next set up some protection by wrapping with fleece if the icey weather has been forecast to last a long time.

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!

Drought In Your Garden

We all enjoy a lovely long and hot summer, but plants definitely do not enjoy it, especially if it's uninterrupted sunshine and dry for days. This is because plants need an adequate amount of moisture to grow, and in drought conditions they cannot, their roots shrivel up and leaves go brown and crisp. With crops like tomatoes you need to keep them permanently watered to prevent the fruit from splitting, well watered vegetables will also not taste bitter. Composts can be difficult to re-wet too, so it's important to stop them becoming dry and hard.

So what can you do to prevent drought?

Conserve your water! Use water butts in your garden, collecting rain from your guttering and fit an overflow into your drains so you can collect as much as possible and if it does rain a lot then at least the excess will drain away as normal.

In drought conditions always give new/young plants priority. Water them first and the rest afterwards sparingly, it may not rain for another couple of days or even weeks.

Always concentrate water at the plants roots, not their leaves, their roots are where the water is taken in by the plant. Water about once to twice a week heavily as opposed to little and often as the moisture may never reach the plant and just get soaked up by the soil or evaporate away. It also promotes plants to root deeply rather than shallow rooting.

Don't worry about your grass, it will go brown, but lawns are much more robust and come back quickly and strongly once drought conditions are over. Water the plants not the lawn.

If you're too late and problems have already started, then there are some things you can do to help still! If plants in pots have started to look droopy, then move them out of the sun and water them slowly, they will pick back up after a while.

Soak smaller plants in their pots into water and leave them to soak for a while, once out of the water, keep them in the shade for a while at least.

If your plants are drooping, don't be afraid to water them even when the sun is shining, we're told in tradition to avoid doing this, but when they are drooping it's a matter of life or death for your plant and you need to do something rapidly. You have to be careful though, don't splash onto the leaves or anywhere around the plant, just concentrate fully on the roots.