Getting ready for winter

Any thoughts about whether it's a good idea to do a cleaning before taking out pump & lowering plants for the winter?

arkay

I think one of the best things to do while getting ready for winter is to make sure that you keep the leaves out of your pond. We use a very light net over our pond as the leaves are falling during the season. Decaying leaves are not good for your water or fish. Good luck. Bob

I can't believe it's going to be snowing again in a few short months.

Thanks for your input - I'll take a look at the site & book. I have put a leaf net over the pond early this year to keep cats out of it - I presume it was a cat that upset my pots & ate a fish. I trim dead leaves & flowers from water plants but there's a layer of sediment - maybe an 8th to a quarter of an inch - on the bottom even though I totally refurbished the pond this year. It was that sediment I was thinking about clearing out. The water, itself, is clear & I'm still running filter & waterfall - probably until mid-November.

Hi Arkay,
I wouldn't worry too much about the sediment. It's normal and won't hurt anything. Good luck, Bob

Cleaning out the leaves etc is very important because decaying plant and fish waste breakdown into methane gas. Make sure to use a leaf net and sludge remover or beneficial bacteria to prevent muck from taking over your pond. It sounds more like a coon instead of a cat. Take a look at this article Wildlife Associated with Water Gardens http://www.richdeer3.com/site/1566246/page/924686 and see if it sounds like a coon. Good luck, Gail