Fall and Winter Pond Maintenance in Landrum

In the fall, water is almost always very clear because of the cooler temperatures and the full, lush plants. Enjoy the good water quality! Here are some things that you can do to keep your water garden looking good. Note: Several of the steps do not apply to Pondless® Waterfall systems.

There may be an increasing numbers of yellow leaves this time of year, so prune them off all of your plants. Your lilies – tropical and hardy – should still be going strong, at least until the first heavy frost.

Stop fertilizing when the weather becomes cooler. This lets the plants know the season is coming to an end.

When the water temperature is around 55 F° (10° C), stop feeding your fish. Continuing to feed them could cause health problems or death for them, since their digestive systems are beginning to slow down for the winter.

As leaves falls from nearby trees, you’ll probably have to empty the debris net every day to keep up with the influx of leaves. Some of them will undoubtedly sink to the bottom, try to remove as many as you can, however a few left in the pond will give insects and frogs a place to over winter.

If you leave too much organic matter in your pond, the water may turn brown. If this happens, remove the excess debris and add activated carbon to clear the water.

As it gets colder, your aquatic plants will have all but died for the season. Now you can cut back the dead plant material and remove the tropicals. Cut back the cattails above the water level, or better yet, leave them up to see how magnificent they look in the winter.

If you’re fortunate enough to be where it stays warm all year round, you’re set for the winter.
If you live up north, where the surface of the pond freezes, you’ll need to prepare for winter by deciding whether you want to keep your pond running or shut it down.

To shut your pond down, first unplug your pump and pull it out of the water. The pump should be stored in a frost-free location, submerged in a bucket of water to keep the seals from drying.

If you have fish, a small re-circulating pump that bubbles at the water surface is necessary to oxygenate the water. In all but extremely low temperatures, the bubbling of the pump will also keep a hole open in the ice to allow for a gas exchange, keeping your fish alive. It is not necessary to oxygenate the water or keep a hole open in the ice if you don’t have fish.

If your area experiences long periods of extremely cold weather, you may consider adding a floating de-icer. Controlled by a thermostat, the unit only runs when the water temperature is at or below freezing, heats the water to just above that, and then shuts off again. Ask your installer or local supplier for products to help your pond during the winter.

If you use a floating de-icer, place it away from the bubbler. The movement of the water can move the heated water away from the de-icer, making it run more than necessary.

You can also choose to keep the waterfall running. This will require a little babysitting to make sure an ice dam does not form which could cause water to run out of the Pondless® Waterfall/ Pond basin. You will also still need to replace water loss so the pump can continue to function properly (see “The Water Level” above). This extra effort during the winter will reward you with the most beautiful ice formations and patterns around the falls and streambeds.

One of the nice features of the Signature Series™ Skimmer is the ability to remove the debris basket in the winter to provide a larger opening for water to reach the pump.

The most important thing is to have fun with your water feature all year long. Keep some of these key maintenance issues in mind, and it will be smooth sailing. In the meantime, stay warm!

Maintaining Your Water Feature

Now that you’ve decided to dive into the world of water gardening, you’re probably wondering exactly what you need to do to maintain you’re new aquatic beauty, and keep it looking good.

There is a lot of conflicting information out there about the dos and don’t of water garden maintenance so your head may be spinning, wondering which steps are necessary and which ones aren’t. The whole point of installing your pond in the first place was to reduce the stress in your life, not add it to.

Well, allow us to share a little bit of water gardening knowledge with you … the key to a low maintenance water garden is to keep your new ecosystem in balance! Read on and learn how to water garden the low maintenance way. So regardless of which type of water feature you own, we’ll tell you the best way to maintain it with the least amount of work on your part!

Different Pond Types
Ecosystem Ponds
The key to keeping an all-natural water garden in check is general ecosystem maintenance. The five elements of your ecosystem all need to be balanced in order to insure that everything is working smoothly. They are:

Mechanical and Biological Filters
Pumps and Plumbing
Rocks and Gravel
Aquatic Plants
Fish

These elements must all be present in order for the system to really work. Once your pond is balanced, it’s not hard to see why maintaining a well-balanced ecosystem is easy. With the exception of some seasonal maintenance, all you really need to worry about is tossing a little beneficial bacteria into your pond and cleaning out your skimmer net once every week or two.

Preformed and Container Water Gardens
When it comes to preformed and container gardens, maintenance is a little different. There are a few products that can be used to clean up your pond when non-algae problems continue. Remember, the smaller the system, the harder it is to achieve balance, so a more repeated dosage of beneficial bacteria may be necessary.

Fresh Start (dechlorinator) removes chlorine, chloramines, and heavy metals rendering the water fish safe.

Nature Clear (bacteria) works the same way as AquaClearer™ and should be added regularly.

Clear Pond (flocculant) for clumping single-celled algae together so it falls to the bottom thereby clearing the water.

Pond Sludge Buster (enzyme) for quick debris breakdown.

Anti-foam or Foam Away™ to eliminate excessive foam build-up in water features.

Preformed ponds and container gardens also differ from liner ponds in the fact that leaks cannot be fixed. Preformed ponds and barrel liners are impossible to fix if cracked and must be replaced. Evaporation is also more common and much more noticeable because of the small amount of space. You can, however, follow the same steps when refilling them as you do a natural liner pond. Lastly, over-doing plants and lowering the fish load in your preformed pond or container water garden will help balance the system better!

Pondless® Waterfall
One of the greatest features of the Pondless® Waterfall Filter is that there is very little maintenance. The system can be run 24 hours a day or can be turned off and on when desired. Don’t forget to periodically check that there is enough water in the Pondless® Waterfall basin to properly operate the waterfalls. When you hear the pump “gurgling” or sucking air, you know it is time to add water.

Rainwater Harvesting Asheville

WHY RAINWATER HARVEST?

• The earth is known as the Blue Planet for a reason, it's no surprise that water is a dominant part of our everyday lives. The worlds current challenge is to improve the planet's water quality and then maintain clean and healthy water that supports all life forms in our diverse environment.

CAPTURING AND REUSING RAINWATER MAKES DOLLARS AND "SENSE"

1. Reduce water bills including city storm sewer charges


2. Alleviate demand on municipal systems


3. Avoid strict watering schedules

BETTER FOR YOUR LANDSCAPE THAN MUNICIPALLY TREATED WATER

1. Rainwater is extremely rich in nutrients


2. Using rainwater to irrigate will reduce fertilizer use


3. No chemicals have been added to rainwater
   

THE RAINXCHANGE™ SYSTEM IS REVOLUTIONARY!

The Aquascape RainXchange™ System is a revolutionary design that combines a recirculating decorative water feature with a sub-surface rainwater harvest storage system.

Clean, Filtered Water Storage - While you enjoy the benefits of a decorative water feature, the RainXchange™ System filters the stored water to prevent stagnation and growth of unhealthy bacteria. The RainXchange™ System reveals only a beautiful water feature that integrates easily into existing landscape. Locating and storing the water underground maintains the integrity and beauty of your home and landscape.

Wildlife Habitat - Because the water stored in the RainXchange™ System is constantly moving and being aerated, it becomes a sanctuary for wildlife.

Water Feature Lifestyle - Enhanced landscaping improves property value and water features provide soothing sights and sounds that help you relax and de-stress in today’s busy world.

Environmental Conservation - Capturing rainwater to operate the water feature creates true self-sustainability, drastically reducing the need for chemically-treated traditional water sources.

For brochures about Rainwater Harvesting visit Platinum Ponds under fountains and pondless waterfalls.