Since this is my first year ponding, this will be my first winter and spring.
I plan on shutting down the pump but leaving the bubbler running throughout the winter. I am going to do a deep cleaning just prior to shutting her down.
But my questions are when do I shut her down for the winter and when do I start her back up in spring?
We are in zone 6b, but our seasons are shorter like a zone 5 with zone 6 temps.
We can have snow by Halloween, but it could stay in the 50's and 60's till Thanksgiving (with snow periodically). Our springs are much the same. We get temps into the 50's and 60's (somtimes 70's)in April, but we had snow in the middle of May this year.
Should I wait till the weather is conistantly cold to shut her down (maybe mid Nov) and wait till it is consistantly warmer in the spring to start her up (maybe May). Or can I wait longer maybe Dec 1st to shut her down and start her up the middle of April? I imagine most of the plants in the pond will be dead or dieing by the first of Nov so I would worry keeping it running without the plant filtration.
Also I have anarchis at the bottom that says it can survive winter in my zone. Do I just leave them there or is there a chance they may rot and foul the water over winter making it a good idea to pull them out with the fall cleaning?
