Will this work??

[MicHome]

We just moved to Northern Michigan and last summer I built a 900 gal pond in our back yard. This was the first summer that I really stocked the pond with many different plants. I am setting up an overwintering area in my basement for the plants. Winters here get to minus 30 and sometimes even minus 40 with 150 inches of snow on average.
My fish will be fine, one section of the pond is 4 1/2 feet deep but it is at an angle. The rest of the pond has shelves and half of the pond is 1 1/2 foot deep. My plants cannot be sunk to the bottom since that area is needed for the fish to overwinter (and it is on an angle)

My question is the plants....I set up an area of the basement that stays at 50 degrees and have a light set up over the 2 foot by 3 foot container. I was wondering the following

Do I need water circulation to keep the water from fouling?
Would it help to put aluminum foil on the sides of the tank to help reflect the light?
Is 50 degrees too cold? (I don't have any tropicals other than water hyacinth)
Will the plants grow at all at this temp with the grow lights??

If anyone can answer my questions I would really appreciate it!!

 

[mrsclem]

I would use something to circulate the water. It will get stagnant and your plants could rot. Had that happen one year and it wasn't pleasant!

 

[MicHome]

I would use something to circulate the water. It will get stagnant and your plants could rot. Had that happen one year and it wasn't pleasant!

Thank you for your answer (and sorry to hear about your rotted plants), hopefully someone can answer my other questions

 

[Lisak1]

What type of plants do you have?

 

[addy1]

My marginal plants freeze solid and come back every year. The only ones I set lower are the lilies. Your plants may be fine left where they are, depending on what you have.

 

[Koi4JT]

We just moved to Northern Michigan and last summer I built a 900 gal pond in our back yard. This was the first summer that I really stocked the pond with many different plants. I am setting up an overwintering area in my basement for the plants. Winters here get to minus 30 and sometimes even minus 40 with 150 inches of snow on average.
My fish will be fine, one section of the pond is 4 1/2 feet deep but it is at an angle. The rest of the pond has shelves and half of the pond is 1 1/2 foot deep. My plants cannot be sunk to the bottom since that area is needed for the fish to overwinter (and it is on an angle)

My question is the plants....I set up an area of the basement that stays at 50 degrees and have a light set up over the 2 foot by 3 foot container. I was wondering the following

Do I need water circulation to keep the water from fouling?
Would it help to put aluminum foil on the sides of the tank to help reflect the light?
Is 50 degrees too cold? (I don't have any tropicals other than water hyacinth)
Will the plants grow at all at this temp with the grow lights??

If anyone can answer my questions I would really appreciate it!!

I have a similar problem as my wife loves orchids and other tropical plants which we used to store all through our house during the winter. Ugh!!!. I subsequently converted a lower outside deck area into a greenhouse of sorts that I can regulate the light, temperature and humidity. Most of the plants survive well during the winters (lows usually in the low teens) with adequate temperature (68-75 degrees), 70% humidity and 10-12 hours light from lights located closely above the plants that need it the most. Your basement idea has I feel too many negatives, too cold and no natural sunlight. The one plus perhaps is that you can water the plants, much of which will run through the pots onto the floor and which may help to maintain the humidity. Also, proper watering and fertilizing need to be researched as too much or too little of either will cause problems down the road. Good luck.

 

[MicHome]

I have hardy water lilies, thalia, water hyacinth, pond iris,pickerel, parrots feather, frogbit, floating heart, four leaf clover, pennywort, hornwort, cyperus, calla lily, elephant ear, houtinnia, arrowhead, corkscrew rush, canna, & cattail.

the calla lily I have already removed washed the bulb, sprayed with fungicide, dried and stored in a paper bag with peatmoss and put in the 50 degree basement

The cyperus is in my living room in front of a south facing window. I did add some frogbit to the water around the cyperus plus some of the water hyacinth and houtinnia.

Elephant ear is in the kitchen window in a non draining pot, it is also facing south.

Corkscrew rush also in pot in kitchen

I potted some water hyacinths in a plastic wash pan in soggy dirt under florescent grow lights in my laundry room.

I had a greenhouse in my last home in Pa and could grow just about everything...I know plants can make it through winter most places but our summer is only from June 10th to about Aug 30 (other than those times frost is likely)...I am fearful that our winters are so long and brutal that many of the plants only are good to zone 5. We are zone 3 here. Otherwise I would be happy to take Addy's advice.

Should the temp in the basement be 60 instead?

 

[peter hillman]

Water always needs circulation or it becomes stagnant.

 

[Koi4JT]

I have hardy water lilies, thalia, water hyacinth, pond iris,pickerel, parrots feather, frogbit, floating heart, four leaf clover, pennywort, hornwort, cyperus, calla lily, elephant ear, houtinnia, arrowhead, corkscrew rush, canna, & cattail.

the calla lily I have already removed washed the bulb, sprayed with fungicide, dried and stored in a paper bag with peatmoss and put in the 50 degree basement

The cyperus is in my living room in front of a south facing window. I did add some frogbit to the water around the cyperus plus some of the water hyacinth and houtinnia.

Elephant ear is in the kitchen window in a non draining pot, it is also facing south.

Corkscrew rush also in pot in kitchen

I potted some water hyacinths in a plastic wash pan in soggy dirt under florescent grow lights in my laundry room.

I had a greenhouse in my last home in Pa and could grow just about everything...I know plants can make it through winter most places but our summer is only from June 10th to about Aug 30 (other than those times frost is likely)...I am fearful that our winters are so long and brutal that many of the plants only are good to zone 5. We are zone 3 here. Otherwise I would be happy to take Addy's advice.

Should the temp in the basement be 60 instead?

Wow, you have an outstanding array of outdoor plants. We used to have lilies in our ponds but the koi used to eat them, as well as the water hyacinth and most anything else we tried to grow within the pond. We used to have 5 large koi, now only one. "Bob", my red and black 24" most friendly koi became ill about 5 months ago with a swim bladder issue. I kept him going for 5 weeks in a kiddie pool but he eventually succumbed when returned to the small pond. He was close to 17 year old. Oh well, but on a good note, we usually get a half dozen or so new babies each year. I built a bog about 12 years ago when I added the second smaller pond. This is where we grow the grasses and lotus's and only grow the iris's in the ponds, which the koi don't seem to destroy. Now, back to your plants, the warmer the better regarding your basement. In my greenhouse, the temperature ranges between 68 and 75 degrees to mimic an average spring/fall day. Perhaps you can cordon off a small area and just heat and illuminate that area for your plants rather than your entire basement...such as a mini green house. JT

 

[sissy]

This is the first year I have been able to keep anything in my pond .Koi destroy everything .But this year they left them alone .Not sure why they left them alone

 

[Koi4JT]

This is the first year I have been able to keep anything in my pond .Koi destroy everything .But this year they left them alone .Not sure why they left them alone

Nice array of plants. Perhaps the vast quantity of them prevented the Koi from causing too much damage as I didn't see much open water area. But then that helps keep the predators away (Blue Herons in my case).

 

[sissy]

I think starting them in the waterfall pond helped .They are over 3 feet tall in there .I have to thin the banana plants out again .I have given away over 50 baby banana plants this year .I have 8 more in pots and have them by my back decks now .This is only the second summer with them

 

[morewater]

The majority of your list are hardies and can be left outside to freeze.

Simply cut them down to nothing and ignore them. They'll come back.

As to the tropicals, you'll need to bring them indoors to prevent freezing.

 

[Tula]

I think starting them in the waterfall pond helped .They are over 3 feet tall in there .I have to thin the banana plants out again .I have given away over 50 baby banana plants this year .I have 8 more in pots and have them by my back decks now .This is only the second summer with them

@sissy I would love a banana plant! Where would I find one, in my area?

 

[Tula]

Where in Norther Michigan are you located? My folks have a place on Grand Traverse Bay, near Charlevoix....beautiful area!

I wonder if you could build a type of " cold frame " , and provide supplemental heat...this would allow for natural light. Just a thought.