Advice About Water Gardens

Plant care is a concern in the fall and winter when temperatures drop below freezing. Plants should be allowed to go dormant and hardy marginal plants should remain where they are. Water lilies and lotuses should be lowered to the bottom of the pool if they are in a raised position. All leaves should be removed once the plants go dormant. We recommend that you cover your pool with pool netting to prevent falling leaves from entering the pool. See our Online Catalog for netting sizes.

• PN100 7' x 10' pool netting $7.69
• PN200 14' x 14' pool netting $12.99
• PN300 28' x 28' pool netting $32.99
• PN500 14' x 75' pool netting $35.99

It is also house-cleaning time and a long handle net should be used to remove fallen leaves from the pond. This should be repeated if necessary until ice forms. Decaying leaves create sulfide gases that are toxic to fish and plants. Your fish will enjoy their winter more in a cleaner pond.

We recommend that you use a pool de-icer to keep an opening in the ice throughout the winter. Automatic Pool De-icers complete with Guard will keep an 18" to 24" opening free of ice. It will allow oxygen in, and toxic gases are allowed to escape. It self activates when the temperature reaches a few degrees above freezing. The safety guard protects your pool liner from the heating coil.

1000 watt de-icer with guard
15 foot cord - AD751 Reg. $59.99
Winter special $55.00

1500 watt de-icer with guard
15 foot cord - AD752 Reg. $65.99
Winter special $60.00

Sale good through November 30th
Add $7.50 shipping and handling.
Mention that you are ordering from the Internet.

REMEMBER TO ORDER YOUR LOTUS EARLY FOR SPRING SHIPPING. THIS WILL GUARANTEE THAT THE VARIETIES ORDERED WILL BE RESERVED. WE START SHIPPING TUBERS IN APRIL.

Goldfish and Koi will stop feeding or show little interest in feeding during the the late fall when temperatures drop below 50 degrees. Because their metabolism has diminished, no further feeding is required until they become active in the spring. They will safely make it through the winter in pools that are 2 or more feet deep. Toxic gasses can be sealed in when ponds are completely covered with ice, so an exit hole (see pool heaters) will solve this problem. If you have prevented falling leaves from reaching the bottom of your pond, your fish will safely make it through the winter regardless of temperatures.

Tropical waterlilies, tropical marginal plants,and floating plants need above freezing temperatures and adequate sunlight if they are to survive the winter. A greenhouse is the surest way to keep them over. It is often easier to treat them as annuals and replace them each season.

Lotuses can be safely stored indoors in their growing container. They are best kept cool and moist but not in water. In the spring if the container is tipped upside down you should discover one or more viable white tubers that can be replanted in late April or early May. Discard all dead lifeless roots.