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  • Results 1 to 10 of 10

    Thread: Cutting Back Pond Plants????

    1. #1
      toprowguy is offline Junior Member
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      Cutting Back Pond Plants????

      When should I cut back my pond plants (Irises, Grasses, Water Hyacinth, Cat's Tail, Water lilies)???

      After cutting them back what should I do with them??? (Leave them where they are, place them at the bottom of the pond, take them out of the water, take them out of their pots and dry them out)

      Thank you for the help.

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    2. #2
      vipldy's Avatar
      vipldy is offline The Fish Whisperer
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      Quote Originally Posted by toprowguy View Post
      When should I cut back my pond plants (Irises, Grasses, Water Hyacinth, Cat's Tail, Water lilies)???

      After cutting them back what should I do with them??? (Leave them where they are, place them at the bottom of the pond, take them out of the water, take them out of their pots and dry them out)

      Thank you for the help.

      Hi! I am in zone 5 and I wait to cut back my lilies when they look pretty done and then they can go to the bottom of the pond..I will cut my cat tails and grasses later in the season and drop down..
      Marie

      Have You Hugged Your Koi Today Ruby's Keeper

    3. #3
      Cinnaman is offline Senior Member
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      I cut all of my iris, grass, swamp hibiscus, lilies, etc.. before I put the leaf net over the pond....which will be around Oct 15. It's easier to pull the net over trimmed plants without getting snagged. Also, if I wait until after the net comes off (early-mid December) the plants have frozen a couple of times and are a mushy mess.

      Dave

    4. #4
      toprowguy is offline Junior Member
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      That's why I was asking, I want to put my net over the pond but the plants are still growing. When cutting the plant so early it doesn't effect there growing rate the following year does it??? Thanks for the help.

    5. #5
      Cinnaman is offline Senior Member
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      I know, it sucks to cut everything back while it still looks decent. I'll be pulling impatience out of my stream that are still in full bloom. I can't easily get under my net to cut back the plants so I cut them back early. It never affected my plant's growth the following year. It will help your water quality by not having plants die and decompose underneath your leaf net. I made that mistake my first year and had a mess of mushy plants and algae stuck in some ice around the pond edges to clean up.

      If your pond is relatively small, and you think you can take your net off without much trouble, I'd wait 2 or 3 weeks to cut them back. If you have some tall iris or other tall marginals they tend to snag in the net and make it difficult to pull across the pond.
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    6. #6
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      Cinnaman, cute pond!

      Like the others, I too cut 'em back before they die, but I put the screens on all winter to keep flying debris out even after we've picked up. We get some good winds around here in winter... and fall... and spring... did I mention we get some good winds.
      ~ jj
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    7. #7
      toprowguy is offline Junior Member
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      Thanks for the information, your pond looks great. One question, is that a bannana plant in front right of your pond? If it is what do you do with that during the winter. Thanks

    8. #8
      Cinnaman is offline Senior Member
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      You're welcome & thanks!

      Yes, it is a musa basjoo banana. They are pretty cold tolerant, but need protection during the winter here. I've had success overwintering it by; cutting leaves off when they turn yellow, wrapping the entire trunk in a couple of layers of bubble wrap, putting a contractor size trash bag over the entire tree (with a few small holes in the top for ventilation), then putting two or three bags of leaves around the base of the tree. I usually get some rot on the top six inches of the tree that I cut off when I unwrap it in the spring.

      Dave

    9. #9
      beckesj is offline Senior Member
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      Quote Originally Posted by Cinnaman View Post
      I cut all of my iris, grass, swamp hibiscus, lilies, etc.. before I put the leaf net over the pond....which will be around Oct 15. It's easier to pull the net over trimmed plants without getting snagged. Also, if I wait until after the net comes off (early-mid December) the plants have frozen a couple of times and are a mushy mess.

      Dave
      I cut my iris and cattails early also so that I can get the net to fit correctly, thankfully I netted it last week because a heron has already been here 3 times today and it's only 10:00am. The plants have always come back and thrived in the spring so the early cutting doesn't seem to harm them.
      Steve


    10. #10
      toprowguy is offline Junior Member
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      Thanks I might have to look to get a musa basjoo in the spring. I always thought you had to bring them in during the winter.

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