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This may seem
contradictory, but you want to leave a little bit of debris in
the pond when preparing it for winter.
Some water
gardeners net out the fish, completely drain the water and scrub
out the pond, refilling it with fresh water. Frogs, tadpoles,
snails and microscopic pond life need to burrow down into mud
and leaves to survive the winter.
Fish also
hibernate on the bottom, settling in around a bed of leaves and
mud. I remove about 90% of the leaves and silt that have
accumulated over the summer.
Leave the
rest as "bedding material." You’ll be amazed at the diversity of
pond life that emerges in spring. Keep in mind that tree leaves
will continually blow into the pond as long as the water isn’t
frozen. I recommend covering the pond with bird netting.
This black
plastic netting is almost invisible and prevents tree leaves and
debris from getting into the pond.
Pond Netting |
