Your Essential Fall Home Maintenance Checklist: Get Ready for Cold Weather

Falling leaves, cooling temperatures, and tons of yard work all means that Autumn is on its way. With all that going on, you’re going to want to do everything you can to keep your pond clean and get it prepped for those colder winter months.

Your pond might have more specific needs than just these, especially if you have fish with unique care needs, but if you’re looking for a fairly comprehensive checklist to get you through the changing of the season, you’ve come to the right place.

If it doesn’t reach freezing temperatures you likely won’t have to do everything here to keep your pond healthy, but it’s always good to prepare.

Keep Your Pond Maintained

Regular maintenance throughout the Fall season will help your pond stay clear and make your maintenance easier in the long run. There are a few things you can do every few days to keep 

• Scoop Out Fallen Leaves
• As the leaves start to fall, regularly remove all falling foliage, from twigs to leaves and anything else that might be floating on the pond’s surface. Once they start to sink they’ll begin to decompose, which will negatively affect your pond if left for too long.
• We’re pretty partial to the Aquascape Pond Shark Net. This versatile tool works as a net, rake, and scraper so it can tackle a variety of tasks around your pond. This is a telescoping steel handle that comes in two different lengths, a 5’ and an 8’ version, depending on what your pond size is.
• Ease Up On The Fish Food
• Once your water temperature dips below 55°F, your fish’s metabolism will start to slow down, meaning they’ll need less food than during the warmer months. This is a completely natural process and just means that they’re getting ready for the winter months. The Aquascape Premium Cold Water Fish Food is perfect for the cooler months, giving your fish plenty of nutrients they need to prepare for the colder temperatures.
• When temps get down below 50°F you’ll want to stop feeding your fish entirely since they will stop feeding at this point. 
• Pick Up Some Cold Water Bacteria
• Now that temperatures have dropped to below 50°F you can start adding some cold water bacteria. These additives will help with accelerating the breakdown of leaves, organic sediment and sludge all winter long. The Microbe-Lift Autumn Prep comes in a variety of sizes depending on the gallon size of your pond.

Remove Your Annual Plants and Trim Your Perennials

They might have lasted all Summer but now’s the time to scale back on your perennial and annual plants. Make sure you pluck and trim those yellowing leaves from your lillies, irises, and marginals so they don’t decay in your pond.

• Submerged Plants: Plants like Hornwort should be trimmed down to around 2-4 inches tall before the water gets too cold. Now is a fine time to reband them with weights if you need to since you’re going to be working in the water.

• Tropical Marginals: These plants should be taken to warm and sunny locations during the winter months. Think of them like houseplants during those chilly Winter months.

• Perfect for plants like: Water Lettuce and Hyacinth

• Marginals: Once the plant starts to yellow you can trim down the dead parts down to the crown of the plant, where the stem and roots connect. Then, go ahead and trim any part of the plant that is not dead to just above the water level. 

• • • Perfect for plants like: Cattails, Iris, Reeds, and Rushes

• Water Lillies: If your water lilies are fairly hardy you can trim the longer leaves down to the plant’s crown and place them at the bottom of the pond before the first frost. For ponds that are above ground, you can keep your lilies in a cooler in a cool dark place. 

Do An Equipment Check

• Clean Your Skimmer, Filter, and Pump
• Regular cleanings of your pond’s skimmer or filter is a must for a healthy pond or water feature, but with the added plant material falling in, it will require you checking in on it several times a week to ensure its working at optimal capacity. 
• Once you’re ready to shut down your pond for the season, make sure you unplug your pump, take some time to clean out your media filter, pump, net, and any other accessories you might have set up.
• Consider A De-icer/Heater
• Winter can be a harsh time for a pond, partially for shallow ones or if the region you live in gets fairly frigid throughout the Winter months. You might want to consider picking up a de-icer like the TetraPond Pond De-Icer. This powerful little heater is perfect for smaller ponds and works to keep ice away in temperatures as low as -20°F!
• If you’re using a de-icer you will definitely want to invest in an aerator system as well. Your pond will lose oxygen during the lower temperature months, and any fish larger than 8” in length will suffer.
• Install Your Netting
• If you don’t want to be scooping leaves and twigs out of your pond all season long, you can install a mesh or a net over your pond to catch the majority of debris that falls in. By catching this debris before it settles, you’ll keep the water cleaner and ensure a safer, more stable environment for hibernating fish, which ultimately means less strenuous maintenance for you when the weather warms up.