Only a year + between posts!

Wow, haven't been paying much attention to this blog in quite some time! I'll try and get better at this, but it is getting late in the season so we'll aim for next year being more steady.

It is getting late in the year and we have a lot of people asking about when and how to shut down their ponds for the winter. In my region (Z4) we widely recommend tearing down the pond for the winter. Certain types of ponds can run all year, but you have to keep a close eye on them and you must have a certain type of fall or stream.
When to tear down varies on the weather and if you have wadders or not. Until the water freezes hard there isn't too much reason to tear down earlier than that, but if you have to get into your pond you probably want to do it early unless you have wadders to keep yourself insulated from the cold water.
The hows of plant winterizing varies according to their hardiness. Hardy lilies and lotus can just be cut back and dropped to the bottom of your pond. Make sure the lotus are fully brown before cutting them back or you can lose them. Hardy marginals vary by plant and are best handled by asking specific questions about their individual hardiness. Tropical lilies can be overwintered by putting their tubers in moist sand and keeping them in a cool area, but many treat them as annuals and just buy new each year.
Fish don't need any special treatment if you have a decent amount of volume and about two feet of depth. Keep a hole in the ice with a bubbler, deicer, or stock tank heater so the gasses can exchange. Do not feed them after the water temp drops below 50 degrees or they can die from the food rotting in their system. If the ice freezes solid for a few days melt the ice, breaking with a hammer can do damage since they are in a state of near hibernation.
I will have more info on our website - Pondibilities - link to the side. Any more questions or specific plant questions can be sent their or here. Thank you.