In the fall, water is almost always very clear because of the cooler temperatures and the full lush plants. This is the time to trim back plants in preparation for cooler temperatures. Pond maintenance chores in the fall and winter may vary depending on where you live, but there are some basic guidelines to help your aquatic plants and Koi weather the chill of Mother Nature.

• Removing decaying leaves and foliage that produce toxic gasses that can harm your fish so you want to remove this debris before winter rolls into town. You don't need to remove every leaf but remove the majority.
• If you use protective pond netting over your pond we can install it before the leaves started to fall. In spring we carefully roll up the net and discard the leaves that were caught.
• We check your skimmer basket and remove any leaves that may have gotten caught inside.
• Add a low protein food such as wheat germ once the temperature drops below 50 degrees.
• Trim back hardy marginal aquatic plants to 2" above the water to keep the dead foliage from drooping over into the pond.
• Trim back waterlily leaves and stems to 2-3" above the base of the plant. This keeps dead foliage from decomposing in the pond.
• If you want hardy waterlilies left in their pot, drop them into the deepest part of the pond to over-winter. Waterlilies as need a period of dormancy.