suggestions welcome

[addy1]

Due to timing, tenants moving out a month quicker than we thought, a sellers market in arizona, we are leaving a month early.

I do not want to leave the winter shutdown to our house sitters.

I am shutting down the pond almost 2 months early.

I am considering buying a 1000 gph or so, submersible pump, running a hose feed over the bog surface to waterfall back into the big pond. Put the pond breathers in ready to be plugged in , in the big pond. Plug in the breather in the 1000 gallon stock tank as it will not have any flow.

If real cold hits before we make it back we can have them unplug the submersible, plug in the breathers.

Clean of course, cut back the lilies etc.

What do you all think of this plan?

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Not a Northerner so no first-hand knowledge of Winter pond shutdown procedures, but I am a gardener of some 40+ years.
How much time is left in your growing season? Cutting the plants back this early may only trigger new growth.

 

[addy1]

We can have a hard frost in September, usually October. I know the lilies will regrow some they did last year when I groomed them in October.
Or it can be warmish until December. You can never tell in our area

 

[addy1]

Our bees were flying until December last year. Are a lot of their winter food was eaten before winter hit. We had to start feeding them in January.

 

[Mmathis]

Addy, I'm assuming that you don't have a time frame for how long you'll be gone..... are you staying until the house is sold? What kind of feedback to you have on the housing market out there at this time -- sellers market, but what are buyers out there looking for? Do you know of anyone who has shown an interest in the house?

Once you're in AZ, will you be able to make visits back to MD, or are you there for the duration?
__________________________

I think your plan looks good, but I'm like Meyer and have no concept of winter shut-down. And of course, you have your cameras so you can keep an eye on things, and your house-sitter can keep you up-to-date on what's going on.

I keep thinking about your apple fiasco. How likely is it that something like that could happen again? I don't know how your stuff is set up, but would putting a "cage" of some sort around any intakes be of any benefit? But you're probably already doing that.

 

[addy1]

The tank is apple protected.
Time in az, no clue. Visits back to md., expensive.
Yes sellers market. Interest in house, hope so. It is on the pricey side.
Large custom , acre lot, pool. So who knows.

 

[addy1]

Even putting seed out for spring is a gamble. We can be warm enough for it to sprout, after deep freezes. Then die with the next freeze.

 

[cas]

Plug in the breather in the 1000 gallon stock tank as it will not have any flow.

My pond is only 1,000 gallons and I would be afraid to stop water flow too early. How about adding an aerator? Then the winter help can just unplug it when it gets cold and then plug in the pond breathers?

 

[Jersey_Marine]

addy you have more experience than me when it comes to ponds but I would just be afraid if we have it warm leading up to the winter the algae could go nuts within those 2 months. I know alot of people think algae is good but I have this illusion in my head of a thick pea soup..

 

[addy1]

At this point algae would not bother me, I very seldom have it in either pond that has fish.
If the water turns green, no biggy it will be gone as soon as I turn the bog back on.
The smaller pond I could have a aerator running until cold. The big pond would have some slow filtration going on.
The bog surface area is so large it really cools the pond.

 

[MitchM]

I would plug in the breathers before you go so you know that they're working.
To a new person, it's not always evident that they are running properly.
I have mine running a month or 2 on each side of the ice cover time in order to help out the pond gas exchange a bit.

 

[addy1]

I was thinking of doing that. Maybe wrap a little filter material around them just incase they try to draw in the still growing plants. At least with the cameras I can check their running status

This is stressful, we also need to have the bees ready for winter.
We can buy a lot of bees and fish if we catch this market and get the house sold.
I am going to do all I can for them

 

[tbendl]

I wish you luck, it's gotta be tough leaving with all of that going on.

 

[addy1]

It is, we have been waiting since 2008 for this market, we need to grab it.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

2007-2008 put a lot of people on waiting lists for lots of things.