Fall for Your Pond
by Ken Schoen

If you already read Parts 1 and 2 of this series, welcome back! Fall is the time to start winding things down for the winter, so we’ll turn our attention to maintenance issues first and then to more design tips for those of you still planning your first (or next) pond.

Leaves—Fall leaves in our area are spectacular, but in our ponds... not so much. Nets are the simplest approach and very effective. Bird netting, though the least expensive alternative, is not my favorite, since it tends to get tangled up, has rather large openings and tears easily. I also net some fairly large ponds, where a stronger weave than that of bird netting is necessary. I also like to use a framework to support the netting into an a-frame or quonset hut type shape so that the leaves fall to the edges. Pulling the net straight across the pond tends to result in the “teabag” syndrome once the leaves get rained on. Skimmers on ponds are not meant to handle a load of autumn leaves, so need to be emptied often. If you don’t have the luxury of a net (or think they’re too ugly to deal with!), try to get the leaves off the bottom so when the big freeze comes they’re not deteriorating underwater. Larger ponds are to be watched at smaller spillways or overflow pipes to make sure they don’t get clogged.

Fish—Once pond temperatures start declining, if you’re feeding your fish, this would be a good time to start cutting down on the amount. Mixing in some wheat germ type food and then progressing to all wheat germ (especially if you have koi) would be beneficial since they’re not metabolizing the food as well in the falling temperatures. Remember, they don’t have stomachs to digest their food. Once the pond water has reached 50 degrees you can stop feeding completely. Don’t look at me like that! They won’t starve, and don’t believe those puppy-dog eyes.

Plants—This is a good time to start cutting back perennial water plants that are starting to go dormant. This helps keep the foliage out of the pond as it starts to brown out. Hardy marginal plants will typically survive the winter with multiple freeze/thaw cycles, but if you are willing to go through the extra work of putting them at the bottom of the pond, will typically do even better.

Ken Schoen (www.koiponds.com) has been specializing in ponds and other water features in the Hudson Valley and beyond for over 20 years. If you have a pond question, please email him at pondbuilder@verizon.net or mail it to Waterscapes, 155 Washington Ave, Kingston, NY 12401 and he’ll try to answer it.