Getting Ready for Winter

Anyone else thinking about it?

I am in MD, near Baltimore. It's been too cold to swim for weeks now, so the
pool is getting closed this weekend. I was thinking of moving my filter
plants to the main pond, so I could drain, and clean the filter. I figure
then I can let the stream dry up so I can patch the leak. After I do all
that, I'll probably leave the filter empty for the winter and call the pond
ready for the winter.

Too early?

BV.

I am in MD, near Baltimore. It's been too cold to swim for weeks now, so the
pool is getting closed this weekend. I was thinking of moving my filter
plants to the main pond, so I could drain, and clean the filter. I figure
then I can let the stream dry up so I can patch the leak. After I do all
that, I'll probably leave the filter empty for the winter and call the pond
ready for the winter.

Too early? BV.

Are the leaves starting to fall yet?

Zone 7a, I put my screens on about mid-October, but I've already done my
final cleaning of one bio-chamber and last weekend was the pre-filter,
these will both run using a slower pump come end of Oct when I clean the
other bio-filter and store it dry along with the main pump.

My deciding factor about screens is, one good wind storm that has me raking
leaves out of the ponds, one time of that and I don't want to do it again,
screens go on. ;o) ~ jan
~Power to the Porg, Flow On!~

"~ jan JJsPond.us" wrote in message
...
snip
I'll probably leave the filter empty for the winter and call the pond
ready for the winter.

Too early? BV.

Are the leaves starting to fall yet?

Not yet. I don't think they've even turned yet. I just figure life is so
busy, that I have a free weekend, I better do this before I don't do it at
all.

BV.

Not yet. I don't think they've even turned yet. I just figure life is so
busy, that I have a free weekend, I better do this before I don't do it at
all. BV.

Winterizing the pool, yes. The pond.... I'm afraid you still have time to
go green if you drain the veggie filter this soon. ~ jan

~Power to the Porg, Flow On!~

North Texas is still having summer. Whether it cools off or not, i am
on a plane to los angeles saturday e a r l y.




On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 09:20:03 -0400, "Benign Vanilla"
wrote:


"~ jan JJsPond.us" wrote in message
.. .
snip
I'll probably leave the filter empty for the winter and call the
pond
ready for the winter.

Too early? BV.

Are the leaves starting to fall yet?

Not yet. I don't think they've even turned yet. I just figure life is
so
busy, that I have a free weekend, I better do this before I don't do
it at
all.

BV.

I'm having the pond netted this coming week... anticipating leaf fall about
3 weeks
early this year. Leaves haven't even begun to turn so don't know why I'm
rushing
the season.
BV, I think it is way too early to drain the veggie filter. In fact, I
don't drain mine
until springtime. I usually end up having a home for frogs and other wild
life in the
veggie filter. I do remove the water hyacinths though.

Nedra

"~ jan JJsPond.us" wrote in message
...
Not yet. I don't think they've even turned yet. I just figure life is so
busy, that I have a free weekend, I better do this before I don't do it
at
all. BV.

Winterizing the pool, yes. The pond.... I'm afraid you still have time to
go green if you drain the veggie filter this soon. ~ jan

~Power to the Porg, Flow On!~

"Nedra" wrote in message
ink.net...
I'm having the pond netted this coming week... anticipating leaf fall
about
3 weeks early this year

Will have to drag leaf screens out this weekend. Maple leaves started to
fall a week ago after a week of late fall / early winter type weather with
almost freezing nighttime temps and lots of rain. Some of the leaf fall
might be from earlier heat though -- we went from dry high 80s / low 90s to
mid 60s in just a few days.

Still have muck in pond from spring time, so will be doing a little shop
vaccing soon too. Cut back the reeds and cattails, cut back the pickeral and
sink it, trim off all the suddenly yellow lily pads, and the last lily
blossom from yesterday. Today discovered a water hyacinth that I'd forgotten
about -- scooped it out of pond last week when it washed out of its
retaining loop so pond piggies wouldn't destroy it and put it in a separate
water garden with other pond plants waiting to be repotted. It has now
completely rooted itself into a pot with an iris!! Just might try to
overwinter it inside that way as I don't see how I can "unroot" it now.
--
zookeeper
Oregon, USDA Zone 7
3500gal pond, 13 pond piggies

On 25 Sep 2004 00:38:28 GMT, EROSPAM (Ka30P) wrote:

===
===Our leaves seem to be turning a couple weeks
===earlier than I ever remember here.
===Which makes me nervous...
===
===
===kathy :-)
===algae primer
===http://hometown.aol.com/ka30p/myhomepage/garden.html


Well what leaves I have left on my trees here in Alabama, are all
messed up and wilted (just like the plants in Wal MArts garden
section) I think they took such a beating from Ivan that the
capilaries or whatever they are called got broken and no longer carry
any water etc to them. They look awfull. Usally they turn color before
dropping, and around here thats should not be until sometime in
November or so. All it takes right now is just a slight breeze and
tons of leaves just start falling. I do;pt have a single pine cone or
accorn left on any trees. Nor do I have sweetgum balls hanging either,
which I really do not miss as they are hard on barefeet! Usually the
sweet gums turn a deep crimson red and a bright orange yellow and then
fall, now they are wilted up green and falling........whle we normally
donot get much of a color change in this section like others do in
other states what little we usually get was always a nice change.
Guess old Ivan decided we don;t deserve that either. Oh well, all it
means is I'll either have more dead trees than I though I had, or I
get a chance for a head start on my fall cleanup. Just what I really
need as its been nothing but raking and cleaning up all the mess from
Ivan since he blew into town.
Visit my website: http://www.frugalmachinist.com
Opinions expressed are those of my wife,
I had no input whatsoever.
Remove "nospam" from email addy.

there is a drought going on in Wisconsin. the trees are really stressed here.
Ingrid

On 25 Sep 2004 00:38:28 GMT, EROSPAM (Ka30P) wrote:
Our leaves seem to be turning a couple weeks
===earlier than I ever remember here.
===Which makes me nervous...


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"Nedra" wrote in message
ink.net...
snip
BV, I think it is way too early to drain the veggie filter. In fact, I
don't drain mine
until springtime. I usually end up having a home for frogs and other wild
life in the
veggie filter. I do remove the water hyacinths though.
snip

That is normally what I do, but the leak in my stream has gotten much worse.
I am now losing about 6-8 inches of water a week which is enough to put my
pump out of the water. When I said shut the VF down, what I really meant,
was moving the VF plants to the main pond, and then shutting down the VF so
I can clean it, and patch the stream. This way the plants are still there to
clean the water. I can circulate the main pond with a smaller pump.

BV.