My pond runs all winter, zone 2/3

[Tula]

I wish I could have a huge greenhouse with ponds and waterfalls.....wouldn't that be a lovely place to sip our morning coffee in the winter?

 

[Lisak1]

It's definitely been an abrupt end to fall and a fast slide right into winter. What if this it? What if winter is here to stay? What if this is our new normal? Blech.

 

[callingcolleen1]

I got some bad cold all of a sudden...
Still alive!

 

[callingcolleen1]

My little greenhouse is warm and cosy bUT pretty small with all the plants right now. When sun comes up I will sit out there with little Rio and soak up some sun. My ear hurts too...

 

[j.w]

Good you are still alive, that is always nice to wake up to. We have warmed up now to right at freezing. I think Rio chewed your ear while you were sleeping, hope it feels better soon.

 

[callingcolleen1]

I got some head cold from work and I think it is going away now, feeling little better and good thing cause I have to work in a couple hours. I was going to call in sick when I was feeling really yucky. Sometimes laying around makes me feel worse than getting up and out of the house for a few hours.
Little Rio was up all night, running full speed chasing something, don't know what, but she sure was busy while I recovered in bed. Thank goodness for Bad Bear, he plays so nice with her!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Should you really cut all the plants down in winter? And just look at all the lovely Horn Wort after the minus 25 Celsius last week!

 

[addy1]

I left my hornwort alone, I can see the fish swimming in it under the ice cover. Still looks nice and green.

 

[Lisak1]

Should you really cut all the plants down in winter?

I leave my sturdy plants alone - reeds, grasses, anything that won't fall into the pond stays until spring. I find they help collect leaves and other debris along the edges that would otherwise end up in the pond. And the leaves and things that collect help to insulate the plants so they come back again in the spring. Win win!

 

[callingcolleen1]

I also like the way the tall grasses look all winter too. The big yellow flag I usually used to just gather all the long fallen pieces and then pile them all on top of the main plant for winter protection. The plant foliage provides winter protection, especially with the snow falls over top of them, then it acts like a little greenhouse and protected the duck weed from the minus 25 Celsius weather we just had a week ago or so. In the spring too the old plant foliage will protect the new young shoots from sudden extreme cold too. I never really did like the "hacked stubble" look myself.

In the spring, the dead dry plant foliage should pull away nicely from the plant when it starts to regrow. If you leave the plant material you will get a stronger plant, as the energy from the leaves need to drain back to the bulb. Once the plants have turned yellow, all the energy has drained back into the bulb and so if you must cut them down, wait till the leaves are yellow.

 

[j.w]

The only plants that come out of my pond are what dies and sinks to the bottom right before Winter. I am in the process of removing the Yellow flag in Spring/Summer from in between the rocks as it grows such big clumps it pushes the rocks down into the pond. I've taken lots out but have more to do next year. Then I will just let a clump that I have started to let float by itself live and try to keep it at a minimum size so it doesn't overtake my pond. I have a big sedge plant in a pot that has been getting bigger and bigger each year. One of these days I think it will bust out of the pot it is in. Then I hope it will float and not sink to the bottom. The fish and frogs like hanging out in and under it. My Hornwort has a lot of algae on it but hoping that won't smother and kill it over winter. I love it and hope it comes back.
Your water looks so clear @callingcolleen1 and keep doing what you are doing cuz it is working so well for you. Keep doing the video's, I so enjoy them and the information you provide.

 

[callingcolleen1]

The Horn wort is just simply my favorite plant as well, cause it is just so amazing and at least I can see nice green plants floating under the ice with the fish, and I also think it looks so nice frozen in the ice like that too.

Plus the nice thing about Horn wort is once you finally get it growing, the Horn Wort will usually outgrow what the fish can eat as well, It also provide good nourishment to the big fish under the ice as well.

In the beginning, for the first few years, I struggled to get it to grow really big. But as the years go on, the bits of Horn wort start to get bigger and bigger, and by each new spring, there will be more and more bits that left over from the year before, and those bits will turn into more and more Horn Wort every summer too!

If you have trouble growing Horn Wort, cause it is getting sucked into your skimmer, look back at my video and see the plastic wire coated basket that was meant for silverware and stuff for your kitchen drawers, but I used it as a "gate" to stop the big fish originally from going into the water flow to the bottom pond, but it also holds back the Horn wort and would work the same for those who have skimmers that the horn wort gets caught into as well!!!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Hey! We posted at the same time there I think JW!! I am just too happy to help everybody so they can all have lovely plants and super clear water too! If we all have a healthy little beautiful pond in our back yards, it is just the best therapy out there and plus it gives back to nature what we took out, little wet lands for frogs, birds, bees, and even the little grass snakes, they need to live too!

 

[j.w]

Well then maybe there is hope for my Hornwort as I have only had it for a couple years and I really don't notice the fish eating it and I don't have koi. I still see it down there growing, just hate the thought of losing it to the algae. No skimmer in my pond just the pre-filter and that won't hurt it cuz if any gets sucked up against it I just pull it off when cleaning the filter. I love my pond and fish and they do bring a lot of joy to me and others who come over and visit.

 

[callingcolleen1]

I was just outside right now and most of the ice is melted from top and lots off the middle pond. I took a big long stick, reached into water and grabbed some horn wort and pulled the algae gently away. It only took a couple minutes and it will make a big difference if you do that every time you go out to check on pond, grab the handy dandy stick and pull some out, groom it and then throw it back into pond.