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Saying goodbye for the winter

7K views 22 replies 8 participants last post by  yyankeeyankeefan 
#1 ·
The temperatures are starting to dip down in the 40's at night here. The leaves are changing colors and falling. That means it's time to close up the koi pond for the winter. Since today was a warm day I was outside starting that process. I trimmed back the plants and pulled up a lot of algae and thorns. The pond has lost its summer glory and is putting on a blanket for winter. I snapped these photos a few days ago when the light was just right. Time to say goodbye to the pond for the winter!








In order from left to right: Kurama, Byakko, and Umi catching morsels of food that fall down the waterfall. I find all kinds of things like snails and bugs when I'm cleaning the waterfall. It's a smorgasbord for them!



This was probably one of the last feedings they will get all summer. They no longer ravenously attack the food. Not only is the pond slowing down for the winter, but my koi are, too.
 
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#3 ·
^-^ Thanks, Nicole! I don't overwinter my koi inside. They're a really hardy bunch (plus they're all about 18" long). The pond is about 2.5 feet deep, and they just hang out at the bottom until the spring comes. If I lived in Canada, I might have to bring them inside, but we have pretty mild winters here.
 
#5 ·
It's more like constant pruning in the summer! Things grow so fast!

As for the actually closing process, I do cover it. Those lovely trees that shade it in the summer love to drop pounds and pounds of leaves in the winter. I put a large net over it to keep the leaves out. This weekend is when we plan to cover it. Here are some pictures from last February of what it will look like:
 

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#7 ·
Looking at the winter picture and all the netting... now I need to ask the dimensions...It appears you have created something long.... like a river across the backyard?
I know someone who dug their pond 5 foot deep cause we're in Canada, then put in a second pond on the other side of the yard, then joined the 2 with a river across the back of the yard. They're fish are their whole world. Happy fish!!
 
#8 ·
That's so wild. . . the picture of the pond shut down for the winter is such a stark contrast from the lush paradise of the summertime. . . amazing that you CREATED this little slice of heaven in your own yard! I'm telling you. . . someday, I'm gonna do it! And I know JUST who I'm going to come to for advice when I do!!!
 
#9 ·
Thank you, Sakura! ^-^ If you're ever in the area, you're welcome to stop by.

Jackie, you're right! My pond is very long because it's basically built into the side of a hill that is my backyard. The physical pond about 14' long and 4' wide, but the lower stream adds about 6' onto the width. However, the koi can't swim down it. Your friend's pond sounds simply amazing! I've even seen pictures of people who went a step further and made koi ponds into moats around their houses! Ponds are so wonderful because no two are alike.

Ches, we've seen what you did with your tanks. I know we'll all be waiting impatiently when you start on your pond!
 
#10 ·
Haha, thank you - we'll both have a long wait, though. . . I know I'll need a deeper one if the fish are to overwinter - now's not the best time for that, unless I want my 2-year old and the other tots I watch swimming with the fishes - or the poor fishes swimming with pails and buckets and soccer balls and sand dumped on them constantly! ;) If MINE eventually ends up half as nice as yours. . . I will be a really happy lady! *dreams* For now? Fish in tanks with lids all the way!

Your pond is lovely and very inspiring. Thank you for sharing this amazing piece of your world with us!
 
#12 ·
Ches, you'll laugh, but I have seen koi ponds with soccer balls and pales in them! My mom and I went on a ponds tour offered by the man who installed our pond. One of the houses had a few younger kids, and their big, beautiful koi pond had a soccer ball in the middle that the koi were trying to eat like food!! :lol:

Sakura, I love koi and goldfish with the tancho mark, too. About 6 years ago I bought a comet goldfish because he was pure white with the tancho mark (and a very good one at that). But I knew I couldn't keep him and ended up giving him away to our local butterfly garden. Funny thing is I went back there last weekend and my little tancho goldfish was still there! Granted, his red markings have spread to his cheeks, but he's still just as beautiful!

Get a eyeful of this beauty!


I would give my left leg to own a koi like that!!
 
#17 ·
So we came through the hurricane just fine. I'm sooo sooo happy I got the net on the pond before it came by. When I went out today to give everything a double check, the koi actually came out to greet me. Here is what it looks like now:
 

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#20 ·
My heart does break for everyone who lost their homes, but I'm so glad we came through unscathed. I've always wondered what happened to people's ponds in flooding situations.

The mess on the pond is only going to get worse! There are still a lot of trees with leaves on them. You can see some of it in the picture. I was out there today sweeping off my pond (haha that sounds so funny to say!) and the koi came out to check me out. They're still out and about. Guess it isn't cold enough for them to bed down for the winter yet.
 
#22 ·
Seeing these images on the news, I know I missed the worst of it. We had a power outage for like 14 hours and got rain and cold.

It's actually not bad to have a power outage in the rain for the pond. Water might not be pumped back up to the top, but the rain coming into the pond still pushes waste out of the pond and down the lower stream. It's funny to see the pond half-running.
 
#23 ·
glad that you babies were ok. i hope that everyone else is having the same luck who were effected and had a pound. well i hope everyone who was hit by the hurricane is ok anyways. but you know what i mean. for me that would be the last heartache.
 
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