Winterizing your Pond

[missmanors]

Many of us have ponds these days, and it's important to get them ready for the winter's cold weather. Some of the simpler ponds as the one I have at the present time, are easy to winterize. I just had to drain mine, clean it out and store the pump indoors for the winter.

Many of you have more elaborate systems to deal with, however. You will need to clean out any plant debris that is in the pond, drain some of the water to make room for any accumulated melting snow or rain, (also as frozen water expands it needs more room). Remove the pump and store it indoors to keep it safe from freezing in the cold temperatures.

If you've spent your hard earned money on some koi fish, you will want to protect them as well. Even though the koi's metabolism slows down a lot during the cold weather, they still need some care. You will need to ensure that oxygen can enter the water, while letting harmful build-up of gases to escape the pond. There are a couple of ways recommended to do this. The first is to purchase a submersible bubbler pump, which is energy efficient and can be found in home improvement stores. The second, which is not quite effective, is to purchase a cattle de-icers which are floating rings that use electrical power to keep a water surface from freezing over.

[homealone]

I dont have a pond here at my home, due to the lack of room in my yard. Though I would love to have one some day. I have seen some ponds that are just so beautiful. I know if I had one I would proably spend hours just staring at it. They are very calming and quite relaxing.
Thanks for these tips. This way when I am able to have a pond I will know just how to get it prepared for the cold winter months.