Shasta Koi & Water Garden Club

 Winter Tips

• Discontinue feeding fish when the water temperature drops below 55 degrees.  Resist the temptation to feed them during any midwinter warm spells.  Cold quickly returns, making the fish too cold to digest food.  The undigested food spoils in the fish's guts, a sometimes fatal situation.

Plants

• Leave the dead foliage of grasses and other perennials to stand at the edge of the water feature.  This not only helps the plants survive winter, but it also offers an element of interest, as well as occasional protection for birds.
• Cut off the foliage of your lilies, and place in the deepest part of your pond.
• After the ground freezes, mulch around plants at the edge of a water feature.  Spread a 4-inch layer of shredded leaves on the ground to help preserve soil moisture and protect plants from the damage of winter's freeze-thaw cycle.
• At least once a month, verify that your stored hardy water lily rootstock remains moist.  Remoisten the newspapers if necessary.
• Order new plants for spring arrival.  Restock you water test kit and any other needed supplies at the same time.

Ever wonder what fish are doing when your not looking?  Check out this underwater webcam from Bonnie's Plants.

Resource: Ortho-Creating Water Gardens.

Equipment

• Remove the leaf netting to avoid snow buildup on it.
• Try to prevent the pond from freezing solid if it contains fish and plants.  Either remove the inhabitants or install a pond deicer.
• Avoid smashing the ice; it can harm the fish.  Use an electric or solar deicer to keep a spot on the surface open for oxygen exchange.
• Avoid operating the pump unless you live in a mild climate where ice s a temporary occurrence.
• Protect a raised pond from ice damage by draining it to ground level.
• Remember that the bottom of your pond is a few degrees warmer.  So lift your pump up of the bottom of the pond, so the water at the bottom does recycle into colder water.

 You can always cover you pond.