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Autumm/Winter
One of the most significant events of Fall is, of course, when leaves begin to fall from the trees above. If these leaves get in the pond and decay it will throw off the ecological balance of a water garden. One option is to use a net to skim leaves off the surface of the pond as they fall, but this can be a daily chore. Also, don't expect a skimmer type filter to get the leaves. Skimmers are designed to get the occasional leaf or other floating debris. |
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Plants
Prepare the plants. You should have stopped feeding your plants by now. As the foliage on your hardy plants begins to die back you should remove any dead and dying leaves and place the plant deep enough in the pond to keep the roots from freezing. While it is true that some marginal or shallow water plants will survive even if their roots freeze solid it is best to lower all of your plants below the ice zone. Prepare the pond. If your pond is too small or shallow to offer protection from freezing temperatures then you still have other options. You can add a floating deicer, which will keep an area of the pond above freezing. If your pond is not too large and does not contain any fish you can place a cover such as plywood over the pond and cover this with bags of leaves or bales of straw to provide insulation. A tarp should also be placed over the straw to keep it dry to provide better insulation. A basement can provide protection if you remove the plants and store them either in their original containers or in peat moss. A method that I like is to build a temporary shelter over the pond. Lumber or PVC pipe can be used to construct a framework over the pond. Place clear plastic over this and weight the plastic down with soil or stone. This frame should hold the plastic a few feet above the water. Greenhouse type plastic is best but construction grade plastic should last the winter. This method works very well and is basically like moving the pond to one USDA hardiness zone higher. On clear days the sun warms the water and even if covered with snow there is good insulation over the pond. Some tropicals can be wintered over this way in mild winters even if you live in zone 6 or 7. Plants with special needs. Some plants do not like being submerged in the pond through the winter. Iris ensata formerly know as Iris kaempferi a Japenese Iris should be removed from the pond and planted in the yard until spring when new growth starts and it can be placed back in the pond for the summer. Lobelia cardinalis (Cardinal Flower) should be removed from the pond and planted in the yard for the winter. This plant should have a few inches of mulch over it as well. You will have more success wintering over cannas if you remove the rhizomes from the pot and store in slightly damp peat in a basement or other cool area. Tropical plants. Some tripical water lilies will bloom all winter if kept in a tub container inside and given at least six hours of bright light. You can also winter them over by removing the tuber from the pot after the foliage has died back from a freeze. Place the tuber in a container of slightly damp sand or peat moss at 50 degrees. In the spring you will need to heat the tuber in an aquarium to about 75 degrees to trigger its growth before moving outside. One choice with tropical plants is simply to dispose of them after freezing weather and replace them in the spring. This way you get to try new plants and colors next season. If you want to try wintering over your tropical plants there are a few methods worth trying. Many tropical plants can be brought inside and treated as a houseplant for the winter. Umbrella Palm, and Calla Lilies will do very well with medium light levels. If these are in no hole containers then no special care is needed otherwise keeping the pots in a tray full of water is needed to keep the plants wet. Water hyacinths and water lettuce require more care than they are worth; it is much easier and less expensive to replace them each spring. If you still want to make the effort they require 10 hours of intense light and temperatures above 70 degrees.