The right actions for a pond in autumn

The right actions to take to manage your pond in autumn. To put your pond in the best conditions for next year , you will need a little courage, because at night, the risk of frost lurks. It is imperative to protect the most fragile plants, how?

Protect aquatic plants

Place your fragile plants at a lower level under water, especially small water lilies. Plants of tropical origin must be brought in to protect them from frost, a basin will do the job well and this one will be placed in a lit room (window or horticultural lamp).

Pruning the plants remaining in the pond is not useful at this time; spring is the best time to do this. This will allow you to enjoy your plants, which, with the frost, will give an unexpected effect. On the other hand, the hollow stems will allow for an essential gas exchange between the water and the air, even when the pond is frozen.

The mass of plants will create a protection zone (micro climate) for the inhabitants of the pond as well as for the amphibians. You will nevertheless have to prune the stems that are broken by the wind or naturally bent back. Pruning is done 10 cm above the water level, this prevents the plant from rotting due to water infiltration into the hollow stems.

The general rule is to remove anything that might rot in the water, as anything that rots releases methane gas which, when the pond is frozen, can become dangerous to fish.

Limit dead leaves in the pond

When the leaves start to fall, it is essential to remove the dead leaves from the pond, always to prevent them from rotting in the water. You can do this in different ways:
remove the leaves using a net, the operation will be done daily.
place a protective net above the pool: two stakes, a taut wire and you make a sort of tent above the pool.

This is very practical because the leaves automatically fall back to the bottom of the net. When the leaves have finished falling, you just need to collect them all at the foot of the net in one operation.

The perimeter of the net is secured using small stakes and tent tensioners (be careful with plastic stakes as they are generally not very strong).

Prefer a net with fine mesh of 0.5 cm, so that the smallest leaves will not pass through it and there is no risk that fish or frogs will get tangled up in it.

The skimmer is another possibility if it is large enough to accept a large quantity of leaves and the suction is well calibrated to create a sufficient current to absorb all the leaves as they fall into the pond.

To my knowledge, only the latest skimmer model from OASE is large enough for this type of use. Or the homemade creation.

Pumps and pipes

The pumps will be removed and placed in a bucket of water so as not to risk the moving parts becoming blocked and to prevent the seals from drying out.

To easily clean the pumps, add bleach to the water, after 2 or three days, remove the pump and remove the dirt using a soft brush; the dirt (often algae) comes off without any difficulty.

After cleaning, rinse well with clean water and replace the pump in a bucket of clean water. The pipes will be purged to avoid the risk of damaging them by frost.

The fish

The most fragile fish will be placed in a sufficiently large cold water aquarium (such as Veiltails and other fragile fish). An air diffuser and filtration will be required.

Currently, investing in a bare tank with accessories is no longer very expensive. Fish feeding must be intensified to allow them to build up the reserves essential for wintering.

Take the opportunity to add vitamins to your food . Be careful with excess food! It must be removed using a net, unless you have a skimmer that will automatically remove it.

You can feed three times a day; if you are not available, use an automatic feeder because it is better to give a small amount three times than a large amount once. When the water temperature approaches 10°C it is imperative to give suitable food that is easy to digest, let yourself be advised by a professional who has the full range of suitable products.

When the temperature drops below 8°C , stop feeding except for sturgeons (cold water fish)