Pond care in winter

Winter pond care is mostly about leaves and ice. The right action depends on whether the pond has fish.

Leaves

The RHS October notes say to put a net over the pond so autumn leaves do not sink and rot. In January, rake out what has landed, or shake the net. Rotting leaves are the case where even a wildlife pond can run short of oxygen under the ice. A few leaves are not an emergency. The wildlife guide says there is little evidence that a light fall of leaves harms pond life.

We haven't tested this. Figures are as the maker states them (checked 13 November 2026).

Hozelock pond cover net, 3 m × 4 m, model 1731 0000. The Amazon UK listing (ASIN B0074JYXU8) describes a cover net for leaves, large debris and predators such as herons and cats, supplied with pegs. The title says 4 stakes and the description says 6 plastic pegs, so count what is in the bag. On 13 November 2026 the listing price for the 3 × 4 m size was £19.61. It is a leaf and predator net. It is not a child-safety grille. A child can get under it, and it will not hold a child's weight. Read pond safety if children use the garden.

View the Hozelock 3 × 4 m cover net on Amazon UK

A 3 × 4 m net only covers a 3 × 4 m pond if you can peg it past the edge. Measure the water plus the margin. Take the net off, or at least shake it, before the weight of wet leaves drops it into the water. In a hard frost, do not walk onto a net over ice.

Ice

The RHS is consistent across its December, January and general care pages:

• If the pond has fish, do not let it freeze into a solid lid. They suggest an air pump, a pond heater or a float, and they say a complete freeze can kill fish.
• To open a hole, rest a saucepan of hot water on the ice until it melts through.
• Do not smash the ice. The shock harms fish.
• A ball floating on the water can delay a freeze. The RHS adds a warning: it can also tempt children onto the ice. Do not use that trick where children might treat the pond as a rink. Child safety outranks a neat hole in the ice.
• Brush snow off the ice, where it is safe to do so, so light reaches the plants and algae that are still making oxygen.
• A wildlife pond with few or no fish, and without a build-up of rotting waste, usually does not need a hole. The RHS says algae and plants under the ice produce enough oxygen for the pond life.

Never send a child, or anyone else, out onto the pond to break the ice. Melt a hole from the bank.

Pumps

The RHS October notes say to remove pumps, fountains and removable lights, clean them, and store them somewhere safe for the winter. The general care page also says that circulating water with a pump raises oxygen, particularly in a deeper pond, and helps amphibians and fish.

Read those as two situations, not a contradiction to ignore. A pump you can lift out is stored for the winter in the October advice, especially a fountain that is only ornamental. A fish pond that is freezing needs some way to keep a hole open, which the RHS describes as an air pump, a heater or a float, not as "leave the waterfall running and hope". If you are unsure whether your filter bacteria will survive a shutdown, that is a question for the filter maker or an aquatic shop before the first frost. The RHS says biological bacteria can die if a filter is off for 24 hours or more, which is a summer warning as much as a winter one. Fish health problems are for a vet or an aquatic specialist.

Check the water level in a hard frost. The RHS says a sudden drop can be a liner leak, and to keep the pond topped up until you can repair it in spring. Use rainwater if you have it.

Should I feed the fish in winter?

This page does not give a feeding schedule. Fish metabolism and food type depend on the species and the water temperature. Ask the supplier or a vet rather than following a month name from a different climate.

Can the leaf net stay on all year?

It can keep herons off, which is what the Hozelock listing claims, but it also keeps light and falling insects out, and it is in the way of plants. The RHS asks for it in autumn. Take it off once the leaves have finished if the pond is for wildlife.