remembering winter and are you prepared

[Mmathis]

For those of you who "net" your ponds for leaves, do you elevate the "netting" material, or do you have it down, directly over the pond?

Almost sounds & looks like it goes both ways. Are there pros & cons for which way to do it? I'd thought about having the "netting" material up a few feet, or at least where I could walk under it unhindered, and having a nice slant so the leaves would be deflected and not collect on the "netting." Have several oak trees that drop a little in the fall, but do their main DUMP in late winter [never figured that out, but the dead leaves stay on the trees for a month or so, then drop, I guess just before the new leaf buds appear?].

Had originally [ie--way back in my pre-pond planning days] planned to make an in-ground frame that I could attach netting or screen to [grommets & eye bolts] so it could be removed when needed. Now, not sure how to do that so it would be asthetically pleasing.

FYI, the screen that has UV protection will keep sunlight from reaching the water & plants.

 

[callingcolleen1]

My netting is large and black, but you can hardly tell it's even there, cause it's so light. The sun does shine right through the net, as the squares (half inch or so I think) are fairly large, it just keeps large leaf litter from falling into pond. I have very tall and large pond plants that don't freeze off too early and look nice well into October. It just works better for me to string the net very high, from the house to the trees, and because I have three fairly large connecting ponds to cover that zig zag the yard, it just is easier for me that way. Just do whatever works best for your situation!

 

[sissy]

It has uv protection but have had no problem with the plants so far .Only reason i had it was that i replaced the screening on both my sliding glass doors as the king ripped them trying to get out of the house and I wanted uv protection for there .I think that could be why I am having great luck with my hyacinth and water lettuce ,maybe the sun was burning them up .The lilies are not under the area where the screening is .

 

[brandonsdad02]

I was looking at netting yesterday at Menards and was wondering if you use deer netting for your ponds? I found a roll of netting 7'x 100' roll for $15. I would have to run 3 sections of it but I would zip tie the sections together and just lay some pvc poles across the pond to keep it out of the water.

 

[sissy]

how big is your pond as most plastic pipe in as smaller sizes will bend unless you put a pipe in a pipe

 

[brandonsdad02]

Its about 12' wide and 15' long.

 

[sissy]

oh then thats easy too as mine is 10 ftx 20 something ft ,I never remeasured after I added to the end of it .I bought electrical conduit because it is cheaper than pvc .I could have doubled it but found I didn't need too .

 

[ididntdoit99]

I was looking at netting yesterday at Menards and was wondering if you use deer netting for your ponds? I found a roll of netting 7'x 100' roll for $15. I would have to run 3 sections of it but I would zip tie the sections together and just lay some pvc poles across the pond to keep it out of the water.

I used deer fencing last year, I didn't even have to support it with pvc, i pulled it tight, laid some bricks on it and it was good to go. Unless you get A LOT of leave on it, it shoudn't fall into the water. and with mine, the leaves seemed to blow right off the netting with the wind, so it didn't collect a bunch of leaves.

 

[brandonsdad02]

That's the problem. I have a large maple tree that hangs over the pond and my neighbor has 2 maple trees in his back yard as well. On top of that I fenced in around the pond so what leaves do fall on the net will most likely stay with in the fenced in area around the pond. Thinking about making a large frame out of pvc and putting it around the whole area and leave it up all the time. Then I won't have to deal with the helicopter thingys in the spring.

 

[addy1]

I get a zillion of those helicopter things, I just my skimmer on full draw and it collects the majority of them. The leaves I net if I see them in the pond, or let them sink and remove when I do my winter is coming clean up, after leaf falling time.

 

[ididntdoit99]

That's the problem. I have a large maple tree that hangs over the pond and my neighbor has 2 maple trees in his back yard as well. On top of that I fenced in around the pond so what leaves do fall on the net will most likely stay with in the fenced in area around the pond. Thinking about making a large frame out of pvc and putting it around the whole area and leave it up all the time. Then I won't have to deal with the helicopter thingys in the spring.

I didn't think about that with mine, i just put the fence up around mine this summer which will block the wind from blowing them back off the net once they fall in there.

Then again, i also didn't have the skimmer last year when i netted it. With the helicopters this spring, a bunch fell in there, and the skimmer got them all, so i might not even net it this fall.

 

[sissy]

I get those copters too and then end up with trees growing all over that i dig up and plant where they forrested .A pvc frame would be easy to make and you don't have to glue it .I made my neighbow a hooped one I bought galvinized pipe and end caps and cut all the pipe to 24 inches put on an end cap and pounded it into the ground and then just bought the pvc and stuck it in each pipe long enough to make a half circle above the pond ,wired the top together and threw bird netting over it and zip tied it to the pvc pipe .Similar to what you would put over a garden .

 

[Mmathis]

I made my neighbow a hooped one I bought galvinized pipe and end caps and cut all the pipe to 24 inches put on an end cap and pounded it into the ground and then just bought the pvc and stuck it in each pipe long enough to make a half circle above the pond ,wired the top together and threw bird netting over it and zip tied it to the pvc pipe .Similar to what you would put over a garden .

You wouldn't happen to have pictures of that, would you, Sissy? Would like to see what it looks like.

We don't get the "copters" so much from our trees, but get TONS of pollen & pine pollen! Will get to see how well my little in-pond skimmer handles that in the spring.

 

[sissy]

No never thought to take a pic of it .I just figure it was like a green house and easy to build .I saw it on you tube .They did theres with heavy mil plastic for winter and shade cloth for summer .

 

[callingcolleen1]

Jeepers, felt like winter was coming the other night, got close to 31 degrees F overnight, sounds weird to me that way, I think of it as plus 3 degrees C.