Autumn is a favorite season for many people due to colorful foliage and cooler days. It’s also a perfect time to enjoy your backyard when bugs and humidity aren’t as bothersome. While the soothing sound of moving water creates an inviting outdoor retreat, keep in mind that falling leaves is a signal that it’s time to prepare your water feature for winter. Keep reading to learn about proper fall water feature maintenance for a pond, waterfall, or fountain.
In our suburban Chicago area, freezing temperatures often arrive quickly and remain for long stretches. Completing a few maintenance tasks before the first hard freeze can protect your pumps and plumbing, support healthy pond fish, and make spring startup much easier. The right approach depends on what type of water feature you have.
Fall Maintenance for Ponds
Since a pond is a living ecosystem, fall maintenance should focus on limiting organic debris, preparing pond plants, and creating a healthy environment for fish throughout the winter.
Keep Falling Leaves Out of the Pond
Leaves that settle in a pond eventually decompose, contributing to sludge and releasing gases that can become trapped beneath winter ice. Avoid this problem by placing protective netting over the pond before heavy leaf drop begins. Remove accumulated leaves from the net regularly so their weight does not pull it into the water.
Remember to empty your skimmer basket frequently throughout the season. You can use a long-handled pond net to remove leaves, twigs, and other debris that have already settled on the bottom.
Cut Back Pond Plants
Trim yellowing or dying foliage from hardy marginal plants so it doesn’t decompose in the water. Tropical aquatic plants can be removed after the first frost, while hardy plants can generally remain in the pond to overwinter.
Hardy waterlilies should be trimmed to approximately two inches above the crown and moved to a deeper area of the pond where the tuber will remain below the ice. Stop fertilizing pond plants when you notice their growth begins to slow.
Adjust Fish Feeding as the Water Cools
Fish metabolism slows when water temperatures fall. Once the water drops below 60°F, transition koi and other pond fish to an easily digestible cold-water fish food. Stop feeding them entirely when the water temperature drops to 50°F. Fish are unable to digest food properly at colder temperatures, even when a warm afternoon brings them close to the surface.
Support Cold Weather Water Quality
Cold Water Beneficial Bacteria can help break down remaining organic matter at lower water temperatures, keeping your pond cleaner through late fall and reducing the amount of fall water feature maintenance needed in spring.
If you plan to shut down the waterfall connected to your pond, install a pond aerator on a shallow shelf rather than at the deepest point. Aeration adds oxygen and helps keep an opening in the ice so gases can escape. A pond de-icer may also be helpful during prolonged periods of extreme cold when the aerator isn’t enough to keep a hole from forming.
Remember to never strike or break the ice on a frozen pond. The resulting shock waves can stress your fish. Use an aerator or de-icer to maintain an opening safely.
Decide Whether to Run or Shut Down the Pond
Some Chicagoland homeowners keep their pond and waterfall operating throughout winter to enjoy beautiful ice formations. A running winter pond requires regular monitoring. Ice can redirect water outside the stream, while evaporation may lower the pond level and expose the pump.
If you choose to shut your pond down, disconnect the pump and store it in a frost-free location like the garage. The correct shutdown process varies according to the pond’s design, plumbing, and filtration system, so professional winterization is recommended when you are unsure.
Fall Maintenance for Pondless® Waterfalls
A Pondless Waterfall can often remain operating well into fall, but leaves should be removed from the stream and reservoir before they clog the intake or collect around the pump.
When shutting down your waterfall, turn off the power and disconnect the pump. Clean accumulated dirt and debris from the pump and inspect it for wear. Store the pump in a frost-free location. Accessible plumbing should be drained so trapped water cannot freeze, expand, and potentially damage the lines.
Trim dead plants surrounding the waterfall. These simple steps will help keep debris from reaching the underground reservoir and make restarting the feature easier in spring.
Fall Maintenance for Fountains
Decorative fountains including urns, spheres, basalt columns, spilling bowls, and fountain walls, also need protection from Chicago’s repeated freezing and thawing.
Clean the Fountain Before Shutdown
Remove leaves, algae, and other debris from the fountain and reservoir. This prevents organic buildup from staining the feature or clogging the pump when it is restarted.
Turn off the pump and allow water to drain back into the underground basin. If the system contains a check valve, it may need to be disconnected so the plumbing can drain completely. Store your pump in a frost-free location.
Prevent Water from Collecting and Freezing
Pay special attention to bowls, recessed tops, and other areas that can hold rain or melting snow. Water that collects in these spaces can freeze, expand, and potentially damage the fountain. It’s best to protect your decorative feature with a Fountain Cover. They’re extremely durable and are easier to use than wrapping tarp around the fountain.
Schedule Fall Water Feature Maintenance Before the Freeze
Every water feature is different. Its size, plumbing, pump location, fish population, and exposure to winter weather all affect how it should be prepared. Whether you choose to maintain your feature on your own or hire the pros to do it for you, it’s wise to get a jump start on the season by taking care of fall water feature maintenance sooner rather than later.
