Question: What do I do with my aquatic plants in my backyard pond when the winter weather comes? I have floating hyacinths, some potted shoreline plants and a lily.

Answer: This answer depends on whether you will have frost for a day or two at a time over the winter or whether your pond will freeze for many days at a time during the winter. For all ponds, stop fertilizing plants as the weather cools off and remove the leaves of any pond plants as they turn brown. Don't let them fall into the water to rot away.

Some of our pond plants are hardy perennials and some are tender annuals, just like the plants in your dry land garden. The really hardy plants like cattails can have the roots frozen solid while the tops die over the winter. Just leave these plants sitting on the shelf or planted right into the rocks and gravel. No matter where you live, they will be fine.

Lotus and hardy water lily plants also have leaves that die for the winter, but the root system cannot handle being frozen or else they will die. These plants need to be set to the bottom of the pond where the roots can stay cold, but not frozen. If the pond freezes too deep, the plants will die. It is best for these plants to go dormant, so don't try to build a greenhouse to keep them warm. If you only have cold weather for a few days at a time, the plants will start sending up new growth as the water warms up.

For water gardeners in very cold climates, cypress, papyrus, water hyacinth, water lettuce and other tropical plants will need to be moved indoors for the winter or just tossed out like other annuals. Even a cool spell can kill some of these plants. These same plants can stay in a pond with a protective covering thrown over it if the frost is only going to last for a night or two.

In warm climates, the length of daylight can cause some plants to slow or stop their flowering for a few months, so stop fertilizing for the winter and begin again as the day length get longer.

Question: What do I do with our Koi and goldfish for the winter? My wife wants to bring them in, but I thought they were supposed to stay in the pond.

Answer: There are several things to consider when considering keeping your fish in the pond for the winter. First, how many fish do you have? Too many fish, especially small ones, can consume all the oxygen in the water when ice is on top. Second, ponds at least 2 feet deep hold more water and have less of a chance of freezing too deep. More water means more oxygen is available for the fish and deeper water has a larger reserve of heat to help prevent ice from freezing all the way to the bottom. Third, if ice will freeze over the pond for longer than a few days, then a deicer will be necessary to keep a hole in the ice for gas exchange with the atmosphere.

If you want to bring some of the small fish indoors for the winter, you can. Fancy varieties of goldfish also do better if brought in for the winter. It is best to use a large aquarium or tub that can be aerated and filtered properly, and drained easily for water changes. Just like any other aquarium start up, proper water testing is required to prevent toxic chemicals from building up when you first start it running in the fall.

Email questions to Jeff Rugg at [email protected]. To find out more about Jeff Rugg and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.