A Care Guide for your Garden Pond in Winter

With winter comes freezing temperatures, pouring rain, and a slowdown of growth. You’ve probably raked all your dead leaves, but there’s still more to do for your garden in winter.

Your pond is another part of your garden that needs winterization. Whether it is above ground or embedded in the soil, proper pond care is a must.  We’ve compiled some essential tips on pond care which you may find useful.

A Water Feature Pump can stop ice from forming.

Winters are wet and damp and the majority of ponds aren’t affected by this, barrel water features are fine left outside but with a little bit of care this will help them to last longer, our guide on oak barrel care happens to cover the basics of wood care.

But it’s important to note that the surface of your pond can freeze. If you have fish and plants in your pond, then you should prevent this. It’s best to keep an area free of ice to prevent a buildup of carbon dioxide and to allow oxygen to filter in the water.

By constantly disturbing the water, a pump helps break up the bonds between ice crystals. This prevents ice sheets from forming over your pond. We stock several lined water features with electric pumps, making them ideal for this.

Is it safe to keep a water feature pump running in Winter?

The weather in the UK is mild enough that we don’t often experience freezing temperatures. But cold snaps do happen and some areas can experience freezing temperatures for several days in a row. You cannot have your pump running during conditions like these.

When it gets extremely cold, ice can form even when the water is flowing. Turning the pump off and draining the water will prevent the pipes from bursting. Don’t just turn the pump off and leave water still inside as that will still freeze over.

Should you be heating a fish pond in Winter?

It depends on several factors. The best fish for your garden pond typically don’t mind low temperatures. Neither do they mind if a bit of the pond freezes. With mild winters you will often find there’s no need to use a heater at all.

Although it is good to keep an area free of ice to help regulate the pond climate, you do not need a heater to do this. Whatever you do, don’t hack carelessly at the ice! Strong vibrations in the water will stress your fish. Instead, do it gently with a skimmer or use de-icer solutions that are safe to use with fish.

Caring for your pond garden in Winter

You should have cleaned out all the dead leaves, foliage, and other debris from the pond during Autumn. If not, its best to do it as soon as possible. Decomposing plant matter produce lots of gas as they decay. This isn’t good for ponds that contain fish as these gasses can be harmful to their health. It can also affect the plants that are still alive.

Your plants naturally die back a little during winter and will grow back in spring. So don’t worry too much about this. They need only a little pruning of their dead sections. Once spring rolls back around, you will see them growing and blooming once more.