Many people have a home garden for the aesthetic value – to add beauty to their landscape and have a relaxing atmosphere.
But home gardens require year-round attention, even in the winter.
If the plants in your pond are not properly cared for, some may die off during the winter months.
You can protect the plants by overwintering them.
Overwintering is the process of getting pond plants through the ugly winter months.
There are specific steps you can abide by to prevent plants from dying.
What to expect? The preparation of your plants for winter will depend solely on what type of plants are in your garden. The following article will discuss the steps you can take to winterize different varieties of pond plants.
How Do You Prepare Your Pond for The Winter?
Every owner of a home garden has a procedure to prepare their ponds for winter.
Here’s how you can prepare your pond for the winter season.
Take out any debris or leaves from the pond
The first order of business is to remove any dead leaves or organic material from the pond.
Starting at the top of your pond and working your way to the bottom, make sure you collect all the debris. You can scoop the dirt in the pond by using either a rake or pond net.
Also, make sure to get all the sludge at the bottom of the pond as well (again, here is where a pond vacuum gets you the best results).
Cut any dead or dying leaves from the garden plants
Up next, it’s winterizing our plants.
First step, cut the dead leaves.
Dead leaves need to be cut, because if they fall into the pond, they will eventually break down into sludge.
Shut your pump, remove it and clean it for storage
If you are in a moderate climate, where ponds do not freeze solid, you could also just leave your pump running over the winter.
It can be beneficial for oxygenation in the pond to leave the pump on over the winter.
If you leave the pump on during the winter, it will require more checking on your part.
That will prevent ice dams from forming that could reroute water out of the pond.
If you are in colder climates, you could also remove, clean the pump and store it for use in other seasons.
If you store your pump, keep it submerged in water so that the seals do not dry out.
You can add cold water beneficial bacteria to your pond (this is optional)
Beneficial bacteria convert debris in your pond during winter in order to improve water quality.
These bacteria are designed to work below 10 degrees celsius.
If you have any filters, remove, clean, and store them
Take the filters out of your pond, give them a cleaning and store them in the house.
Make sure to drain any water from your pumps, to prevent them from cracking while the water is frozen.
If you have any other pond items, remove them, clean and remove them, and pack them in your house or garage.
Add a pond heater so that your pond will not freeze completely
In colder climates, ponds can freeze over.
Having your pond freeze means that oxygen can’t get in to the pond anymore. It can also prevent harmful gasses from escaping.
By adding a pond heater or de-icer, you can keep your pond oxygenated through the winter.
It creates a hole in the ice to allow proper gas exchange.
After you winterize your pond, you can winterize your plants.
How to Prepare Your Pond Plants for The Winter?
After preparing your pond for winter, the next step is to get your pond plants ready for winter.
Pond plants can survive the winter if properly cared for. You can either bring them indoors or submerge them deeper in the pond.
The winterization method you use for your plants will depend on the type of plant you have in your pond. Each different type of pond plant will require a different method of winterization.
How to Winterize Hardy Pond Plants?
Hardy pond plants can survive and flourish in cooler months but would not grow actively during winter and would be dormant.
Therefore, when the weather turns cooler, you can stop fertilizing them.
Examples of hardy pond plants include:”
- Hardy Water Lilies
- Water Hyacinth
- Frogbit
- Horsetail
- Water Hibiscus
- Water Plantain
- Water Soldier
- Hornwort
- Lotus
You can start winterizing the hardy pond plants when the first frost hits.
Here is how to do it:
- Remove any dead or dying leaves from the plants.
- During the winter feel free to place the vases in the coldest part of your pond, this is where the water will remain warm.
- In situations where there is no deep pond, you can keep them in a Styrofoam cooler placed in the house at 5 degrees Celsius, as long as the cooler is well hydrated and not in direct light.
- Once winter is over, place the plants back where they belong.
How to Winterize Non-Hardy Pond Plants?
Pond plants, that are non-hardy, will not survive winter in the cold weather.
Examples of non-hardy pond plants are:
- Poppies
- Water Hawthorne
- Mosaic
- Floating heart
- Floating pond plants (e.g, water lettuce, water hyacinth)
You have two options to winterize pond plants:
- Allow them to die and compost them, and then you can replace them in the spring.
- Put them inside.
If you want to put them inside, be sure to remove them before the first frost.
Take them inside, and put them in water at 18 degrees Celsius.
In addition, they will need light exposure for 10 hours a day.
How to Winterize Tropical Plants?
Tropical plants thrive in warm and humid conditions.
Because these plants will not survive freezing winter temperatures.
Here are several strategies for protecting them.
- Prior to the first frost, take the time to prep the bulbs of your tropical plants. You will want to store them in a dry spot and let the bulbs dry. Once they are dry, brush off all the soils, and place them back in a box and store them indoors. The place you store them should be cool and dark and then you can replant them in the spring.
- Another option is to simply bring the tropical plants inside. This is a common way to overwinter tropical plants. Just make sure to place them in the best spot in your home that will give them lots of sunlight, just make sure they are not in a cold draft!
- The last common practice is to simply let the tropical plants go dormant. Wait until the first frost has hit, then cut the plants down to about 8 inches and store the plant containers inside the house or in the garage.
Tropical plants ought to be put away in a dark cool place for winter.
It is best for these plants to stay above freezing but below 10 degrees Celsius.
Water the plant if you notice that the soil is dry.
How to Winterize Marginal Plants?
Marginal plants refer to aquatic plants that grow around the margin of the garden pond.
Plants that fall under this category are:
- Papyrus
- Cardinal flower
- Bluebells
- Cattails
To overwinter these plants is to cut the plants back to the level of the garden pond.
At this level, no part of the plant can experience subfreezing temperatures.
How to overwinter submerged plants?
Submerged plants are water plants whose most visible part of the plant is submerged underwater.
Examples of submerged plants include:
- Hydrilla
- Eelgrass
- Pondweed
- Elodea
Tip: You can overwinter submerged plants by completely submerging them in water.
You will want to make sure that no part of the submerged plant is above water so that the plant does not freeze and die.
Another option is to move the submerged plant indoors and place it in an aquarium.
What Should One Consider When Preparing Plants for The Winter?
When preparing your pond plants for the winter, you need to consider several factors such as the following.
The depth of your pond
Understanding the depth of your pond provides you with a better thought into how to prepare for the winter.
If you have a deep pond, it is less likely that the water will freeze completely to the bottom.
This will only be the case in shallow ponds, which may end up freezing completely.
Your hardiness zones
Different regions have different hardiness zones.
An example to illustrate this point could be, a hardy plant listed for hardiness zone 2 would not necessarily be still hardy for anything in hardiness zone 5.
Therefore, it is important to know your hardiness zone and if the plants you have in your pond are hardy for your zone or not.
Growing zones
It is helpful to know what gardening zone you are in.
This will help you determine which plants will flourish in your area.
It will also help you determine whether or not the plants will survive the winter.
Keep plants indoors
If your plants are not hardy for the zone you are in, the best thing to do is move them indoors.
Consider using indigenous plants
Using indigenous plants suitable for your region ensures that plants survive the winter seasons.
Ice or no ice on the pond
In the event that ice starts to cover the pond, you may want to think about taking your plants inside for the winter before the first frost begins to settle in.
Then, as it gets cold enough, take them inside. For tropical plants, especially, you should definitely bring them inside before it gets too cold.
If the pond has ice on it, the plants will be damaged and probably die.
This is because ice on ponds means that the plants may not get enough oxygen, or that waste gases will build up in the pond.
On the other hand, if the pond does not have a covering of ice on top, the plants may be fine, but again, it depends on the plant. You may want to take the plants inside till winter is over.
Consider keeping the plants green
Understanding your pond plant type is a key to keeping it alive and thriving, as well as knowing best to prevent it becoming too cold in the cold weather.
This is important as it will better help you plan for its overwintering.
Keep the plants dormant
Plants that are dormant do not require much work.
Considering maintaining plants in a dormant state is a valid option.
You will want to allow the leaves to completely fall off and take off the stems right before frost begins to hit.
Next, you will want to store the plants inside a container in a cool and dark place.
You may just spray with some water when you notice the soil when it is dry.
Cutting off the top part of the plants
If you’re thinking of leaving the plants in the pond, I advise trimming off the upper parts of the plant.
Trimming the plants will protect them from the freeze and dying off.
Final Thoughts
Pond plants are susceptible to freezing and consequently dying in the winter months. However, overwintering them will prevent this.
The way you overwinter your pond plants is dependent on their type.
Begin your overwintering process by preparing your garden pond. As soon as the water temperature begins to drop, clean your pond and remove any debris.
And with just a little care and effort pond plants can overcome harsh winter conditions. Just keep in mind to winter over your plants at the right time and in the right way.