Pond Preparations This October

If you have a pond in your garden, you might already be aware of some of the dangers that autumn and winter can bring. However, if you have inherited a pond in your new house, you might not be aware of the things you need to do or keep an eye on as the weather starts to change. Here are just a few things that you might want to be aware of.

Leaf Fall

October is the prime time where leaves will be falling from the trees. Even if you have no trees close to your garden, you will still find a collection of leaves scattered across the lawn, patio and even your pond. There are a number of issues that could be caused by leaving rotting leaves on the surface of your pond.
You have two main options here. Firstly, heading out almost daily to fish them all out. Not so bad on dry days, or if you have a smaller pond. Bit more of an issue on rainy days or with larger ponds. Secondly, you can get netting that nicely covers the pond, without taking out the light. All you then need to do is clear off the netting.

Pumps And Fountains

We should all know what happens to the pipes around our home when water is left in them during a harsh frost they can split and crack. The same goes for any pipes in your pond.
The small pipes that feed your filter and your fountain would not withstand the below zero temperatures. You can keep an eye on the weather forecast, just remember that the closer to zero the weather gets the higher the risk. We often recommend that you bring these items completely out of your pond and indoors or at least dried in your shed. However, if you are unsure, please speak to your local aquatics centre who will be able to guide you further.

Reduce The Food

In the winter months, the fish in your pond will start to hibernate, thus eating less to nothing. In general, it is recommended that below 10 degrees you should be scarcely feeding your fish, or even at all. They struggle to digest in the cold weather, and overfeeding can cause them to have digestion issues which could be fatal.

New Ponds

While it might seem like a strange time to consider having a pond installed in your garden, it could actually be the best time to consider it. Starting the conversation now allows for you to have designs planned out and then work started while much of the greenery in your garden has died away for the winter.
Once your pond is installed or built, you can allow this to fill with natural water throughout the winter months. This way, when spring rolls around you will simply need to treat the water (there will be no need to remove chlorine as you will only have to do this from tap water, not natural rainwater) and get ready to introduce some fish. It will be the perfect introduction to spring for your garden!

If you are interested in having a pond installed in your garden, or even a revamp on your existing pond, please get in touch with the team at Abingdons today who will be happy to discuss this with you.
New ponds look great with a complete garden overhaul, so why not consider garden landscaping and adding a pond into your design? Check out our blog “What Does Landscape Redesign Include?” for more information.