One of our loyal readers kindly reminded me that I failed to mention anything about pond plants as we get into fall and winter.
My apologies!!!
Keep in mind though that in most cases throughout the summer, my main mission is to keep a particular plant out of the picture…but we’re not talking about pond algae control today.
And before I fall asleep in blissful hibernation…here’s a video with a few tips on caring for your desirable pond plants in the fall and winter.
[youtube width=”425″ height=”355″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz4bzzJjhp8&feature=youtube_gdata[/youtube]
Now this video is very basic and not comprehensive by any means but it should help a few folks that may wonder about such things.
Like any good gardener, a pond owner should get to know more about the specific plants they prefer to have in their pond. Are they hardy, marginal, or tropical? And they should get some idea of their temperature zone using a plant hardiness zone map or other resource such as this one from the National Arboretum.
It’s also a good idea to have a plan ahead of time in terms of what you might want to do with your plants coming into the fall. Whether you leave them in the bottom of the pond, cover the pond in some protective way, bring them indoors, or simply discard them and plan again for next spring is a personal decision based on what you may want to do and what you can get away with in terms of conditions.
If you’ve had any experience in working with your pond plants over the fall and winter, please share your thoughts below.
They are always very much appreciated!
I HAVE LARGE KOI 1 TO 2 FEET IN LENGTH THEY TOPOLE THE POTS OVER AND MADE A MESS SO I GOT SOME 2X2INCH WELDED GALVANIZED 12GA.MESH AND SEALED OFF A SECTION THAT THE FISH CANT GET IN THAT WAY THE PLANTS ARE SAFE AND NO MESS.IN THE SPRING I PLACE THE PLANTS WERE I WANT THEM AND PUT HYACINTHS AND LILYS IN THERE IT MAKES A GREAT SANTUARY FOR BABY FISH I RAISE 300 TO 5OO BABIES THIS WAY I SELL THEM FOR 2 DOLLARS EACH NO TROUBLE SEE YOU RENE
Just a tip on how I handle Lotus plants. In the winter I do not cut back the leaves like we do with water lilies. The leaves are trimmed back in the spring. The lotus pot is placed in the deep part of the pond so the rhizome does not freeze.
here in calif the weather is still somewhat warm in mid october my watelillies are still in bloom and the water hyacanth are still big and hardy but next month i will just cut the dead leaves off of the lillies and the pickeral and dump most of the hyacnths in the recycle bin to dri up and die the best ones will overwinter in the pond i bunch them together so the center ones are protected and warmer i have to cover the pond so the crane migraters will not get the koi as they travel to their new homes this also keep the pine needles out of the pond durring the windy time i dont turn any pumps or filters off and sit back and wait for spring good luck to you all chris