Freeze Up’s and How to Prevent Them

The cold snap at the start of November may be the beginning of a period of attrition. This morning I found yesterdays rain puddles covered in ice!

Lag your water supply. I put bubble wrap on my outside tap and bring my hose pipes indoors.
Empty containers that may otherwise freeze. Last year I left water in a galvanised watering can. When it froze and the ice expanded it caused the seams to crack.
Protect pots and containers by moving into frost free areas.
Even frost proof pots need to be on feet so the bottom of the pot is not frozen to the soil.
Remember frost flows down hill and creates frost pockets that are colder than the surrounding area.

Pond Ice

• Take delicate items out of the shallow end of a pond.
• Ponds do not respond as well as I would like to the floating ball method of keeping an ice free surface.
  A long 4″by2″ piece of wood in the pond is my way of gently stirring things up to break the ice for the sake of the fish. You can buy small water heaters.
• Bird baths can be kept ice free with a new additive ‘Fountain Frost-Free is a safe, environmentally friendly way to protect your water feature, birdbath, pond and pump from freezing whilst ensuring that the safety of your children, pets, birds and wildlife is not compromised. It prevents water freezing in temperatures up to -6 degrees.’
• Amazon have a range of weird and wonderful pond ice preventers floats and heaters.

Time to stock up on deicer for the car wind screen and rock salt for the road. I won’t use rock salt near the garden for fear of burning or poisoning the plants at the edge of paths.
How come the moss never dies in the cold? Well I may as well get some path cleaning concentrate as well.