Following advice from the group I have successfully managed to build, fill and plant-up my first pond. Now I have a couple of questions about preparing the pond for the winter.

1. I purchased a few water lilies and following advice from the retailer I did not put them in the 'deepest' part of the pond but started in a shallower area and have been gradually moving them down. They haven't got to their final destination yet but now that the folliage is dying back can I just move the plant in one go into the desired location.

2. In that water hyacinths aren’t hardy and by all accounts are very difficult to over winter do people remove and compost the plants now before they ‘sink and rot?’, or do people leave them in the pond. I guess they are OK to compost?

Are there any hints and tips anyone has for winter pond care that may not be mentioned in reference books.

Thanks

Mark (learning all the time!)

Mark wrote

1. I purchased a few water lilies and following advice from the
retailer I did not put them in the 'deepest' part of the pond but
started in a shallower area and have been gradually moving them down.
They haven't got to their final destination yet but now that the
folliage is dying back can I just move the plant in one go into the
desired location.

Some of the superb new American varieties or the good old French ones?
Good selection of both here...
http://www.lilieswatergardens.co.uk/...e.asp?cat=A-2B
Yes, just move them down to the preferred place when dormant.
I trust you planted them into proper half bins (no holes) not those stupid
net like lilly baskets everyone sells. Do water plants need drainage? What
do Kew and Wisley use, plastic half barrels.


2. In that water hyacinths aren’t hardy and by all accounts are very
difficult to over winter do people remove and compost the plants now
before they ‘sink and rot?’, or do people leave them in the pond. I
guess they are OK to compost?

Yes, compost them now.
You could try overwintering them in good light but they need warmth too, not
a cold windowsill.

Are there any hints and tips anyone has for winter pond care that may
not be mentioned in reference books.

Usual advice is to not feed your fish at all. (I do feed, but I have been
keeping fish for over 50 years and keep a close watch on weather forecasts
so for the novice the usual advice stands).
Clear out any dead plant life, tidy up.
Give your fish somewhere to hide. Large plastic flowerpot on it's side etc.
If you live in a cold part of the UK float a sheet of polystyrene foam on
the pond to keep an area open to reduce stress on the pond walls, and for
gas exchange.
If ice forms NEVER hit it to break it, the concussion could damage/kill all
your fish, fill a saucepan with hot water and stand it on the ice to slowly
melt a nice round hole.

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London

In message , clokemg
writes
snip

Are there any hints and tips anyone has for winter pond care that may
not be mentioned in reference books.

1 Tennis ball in water - can be taken out if pond freezes over,
which is likely according to the forecast for the coming winter.
2 Never smash the ice.
3 I feed wheatgerm in winter but the fish don't really need
anything at all if the balance of the water is correct.
4 clear away all dead leaves etc. during autumn.
--
June Hughes

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...

Mark wrote

1. I purchased a few water lilies and following advice from the
retailer I did not put them in the 'deepest' part of the pond but
started in a shallower area and have been gradually moving them down.
They haven't got to their final destination yet but now that the
folliage is dying back can I just move the plant in one go into the
desired location.

Some of the superb new American varieties or the good old French ones?
Good selection of both here...
http://www.lilieswatergardens.co.uk/...e.asp?cat=A-2B
Yes, just move them down to the preferred place when dormant.
I trust you planted them into proper half bins (no holes) not those stupid
net like lilly baskets everyone sells. Do water plants need drainage? What
do Kew and Wisley use, plastic half barrels.


2. In that water hyacinths aren't hardy and by all accounts are very
difficult to over winter do people remove and compost the plants now
before they 'sink and rot?', or do people leave them in the pond. I
guess they are OK to compost?

Yes, compost them now.
You could try overwintering them in good light but they need warmth too,
not a cold windowsill.

Are there any hints and tips anyone has for winter pond care that may
not be mentioned in reference books.

Usual advice is to not feed your fish at all. (I do feed, but I have been
keeping fish for over 50 years and keep a close watch on weather forecasts
so for the novice the usual advice stands).
Clear out any dead plant life, tidy up.
Give your fish somewhere to hide. Large plastic flowerpot on it's side
etc.
If you live in a cold part of the UK float a sheet of polystyrene foam on
the pond to keep an area open to reduce stress on the pond walls, and for
gas exchange.
If ice forms NEVER hit it to break it, the concussion could damage/kill
all your fish, fill a saucepan with hot water and stand it on the ice to
slowly melt a nice round hole.

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London


Also make up your mind whether you want a wildlife pond or a fish pond.

Pete
www.thecanalshop.com

"June Hughes" wrote in message
...
In message , clokemg
writes
snip

Are there any hints and tips anyone has for winter pond care that
may
not be mentioned in reference books.

1 Tennis ball in water - can be taken out if pond freezes
over,
which is likely according to the forecast for the coming winter.
2 Never smash the ice.
3 I feed wheatgerm in winter but the fish don't really need
anything at all if the balance of the water is correct.
4 clear away all dead leaves etc. during autumn.

..... all dead leaves? Ooh, I think that's a bit drastic.
A healthy pond is one that is in balance and that requires a degree of
wildlife which will need a bit of vegetable detritus in the bottom.
Where are the froggies going to hide?
A clean pond is a bath.

--
ned

http://www.bugsandweeds.co.uk
last update 30.09.2005

In message , ned writes

"June Hughes" wrote in message
...
In message , clokemg
writes
snip

Are there any hints and tips anyone has for winter pond care that
may
not be mentioned in reference books.

1 Tennis ball in water - can be taken out if pond freezes
over,
which is likely according to the forecast for the coming winter.
2 Never smash the ice.
3 I feed wheatgerm in winter but the fish don't really need
anything at all if the balance of the water is correct.
4 clear away all dead leaves etc. during autumn.

.... all dead leaves? Ooh, I think that's a bit drastic.
A healthy pond is one that is in balance and that requires a degree of
wildlife which will need a bit of vegetable detritus in the bottom.
Where are the froggies going to hide?
A clean pond is a bath.

Marginal plants do that job.
--
June Hughes

In article , Bob Hobden wrote:
trust you planted them [Lilies] into proper half bins (no holes) not
those stupid net like lilly baskets everyone sells.

I just mine in the mud at the bottom of the pond where they seem to be
thriving. Is that a bad idea?

Kevin

Thanks for all the advice.

My pond is a wildlife pond so I don't need to worry about fish. As it is new it doesn't have a lot of dead material in the bottom and in place you can still see the liner. Would it be best to let the plant rot down to provide bottom cover or take them out?

I must admit the lillies are still in the 'stupid' pots as I haven't repotted them. The pots are actually quite big so I thought I would do it next year when I would probably need to split them? Is there any advantage to doing it now?

"clokemg" wrote...

Thanks for all the advice.

My pond is a wildlife pond so I don't need to worry about fish. As it
is new it doesn't have a lot of dead material in the bottom and in
place you can still see the liner. Would it be best to let the plant
rot down to provide bottom cover or take them out?

I must admit the lillies are still in the 'stupid' pots as I haven't
repotted them. The pots are actually quite big so I thought I would do
it next year when I would probably need to split them? Is there any
advantage to doing it now?


Oh, if it's a wildlife pond my understanding is you leave it to fill itself
in.
Which is the ultimate ambition of all ponds. :-)

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London

"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...



Oh, if it's a wildlife pond my understanding is you leave it to fill
itself in.
Which is the ultimate ambition of all ponds. :-)

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London

Yup, I learned this from a previous pond thread here.
Goldfish etc. type or wildlife type - the two together are incompatible
Regards
Pete
www.thecanalshop.com

Peter Stockdale wrote:
"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
...



Oh, if it's a wildlife pond my understanding is you leave it to
fill
itself in.
Which is the ultimate ambition of all ponds. :-)

--
Regards
Bob
In Runnymede, 17 miles West of London

Yup, I learned this from a previous pond thread here.
Goldfish etc. type or wildlife type - the two together are
incompatible

LOL
Ask three people the same question and you get three different
answers.
My pond is home to two largish Golden Orfe - one aged ten and one
twelve plus. Yet the frogs, toads, water beetles, pond skaters,
leeches and the itsy bitsy arthropods seem to cope alright. A much
greater threat to them is the local hooligan of a water shrew - but
that's wildlife for you.

--
ned

http://www.bugsandweeds.co.uk
last update 30.09.2005

"ned" wrote in message
...

Yup, I learned this from a previous pond thread here.
Goldfish etc. type or wildlife type - the two together are
incompatible

LOL
Ask three people the same question and you get three different
answers.
My pond is home to two largish Golden Orfe - one aged ten and one
twelve plus. Yet the frogs, toads, water beetles, pond skaters,
leeches and the itsy bitsy arthropods seem to cope alright. A much
greater threat to them is the local hooligan of a water shrew - but
that's wildlife for you.

--
ned

http://www.bugsandweeds.co.uk
last update 30.09.2005


Fraid my 100+ goldfish soon see off any potential pondmates of other species
They have recently been ably assisted by a family of moorhens.

Pete
www.thecanalshop.com