Plants
Tropical plants should now be brought inside and hardy plants trimmed back. Before the first frost/ice coverage, all hardy plants should be dropped 1.5 to 3 feet deep. For Barrie and the surrounding area, plants zone 4 or lower are considered hardy. Zone 5 plants are considered borderline, so ask our pond staff if you are unsure. Tropical pond plants brought inside will not go dormant, so they will need direct sunlight for a good portion of the day. The tropical pond plants can either sit directly in water or they can be watered frequently.
Fish
Feeding should now be reduced to once every few days. This is now the time to be thinking about how you are going to over winter your fish. If your pond is 3.5 feet deep or deeper you should be able to over winter fish. If your pond is deep enough, you will have to keep at least one open hole for gas exchange. This can be achieved by using a de-icer/heater in conjunction with an aerator. If your pond is not deep enough, you will have to bring your fish inside or they will not survive. You can set up a preformed plastic tub in your basement or garage with a small pump running or you enjoy them all winter in an aquarium. The Barrie store carries both preformed tubs and aquarium kits.
Pond in General
If you plan on using a pond pump to keep an open hole in the ice, make sure that you clean it before the water freezes. It should also be located in a protected spot fairly deep. Using a pump to keep an open hole is fairly risky because it can potentially break the pump if the ice reaches it. A pump that is specifically built to run in the winter is the Aquaforce by Aquascape. This pump is available in 1000, 1500 and 2000 GPH sizes.