Comments on: Can I have a koi pond in the Upper Peninsula?

By: CJ

CJ — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:21:40 +0000

I live in the lower peninsula of Michigan, and I happily grow all those plants you mentioned. However, the UP is colder, zone 4ish, depending on where you live up there. I think most of those plants will do fine, if you mulch well in the winter, plant in excellent soil, and water regularly. I am not sure about how koi would over winter there. Good Luck!

By: Jenn

Jenn — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:31:55 +0000

My father in law has a koi pond, he brings fish in in the winter, puts them in a big plastic box (rubbermaid?) in the garage over the winter. We live in Michigan, but not the upper. We’re more like the thumb area. His fish are very pretty, and have multiplied, so they must be very happy! He has had his koi pond for years.

By: Dianna

Dianna — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 22:56:05 +0000

sorry forgot to say the pond is nearly 1000 gallons.The smaller 150 gallon is solid with ice but there are no fish in that only plants.

By: Dianna

Dianna — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 22:54:39 +0000

The UK weather is very cold this year -5 this evening,,we keep the pond covered with bubble wrap,layers of it and an ice heater.The fish look pretty miserable huddled around the heater.Apparently the ghos koi are tougher,but the other koi I may bring in if this gets worse.

By: Karin

Karin — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 10:10:29 +0000

I checked out Melissa’s blog about overwintering goldfish in a shallow pond. I believe she used the word nervewracking at some point, and that is where I am now when I look out the window at the frozen fishpond.

I live Uppsala, Sweden, which on our charts is borderline zones 3-4, temperatures to minus 20 C. We installed a small pond (600 liters, which could be about 150 gallons??? I’m bad at conversion) that I think is about the same size as Melissa’s Mom’s 125 gallon pond. We have three goldfish. I have been preparing to move them indoors, but you and some others suggested that even a shallow pond the key is to keep the water circulating. Our pond is 40 cm (16″?) deep at the deepest.

Doesn’t that sound TOO shallow?

Also, I haven’t been good about removing decaying plant material. Should I crack the ice and do that if I let the fish stay in the pond?

Nervewracked,
Karin

By: Water-Garden-Fish-Pond

Water-Garden-Fish-Pond — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 15:44:53 +0000

The only thing you need to make sure is that you know the depth of the water that freezes in wintertime and make sure you build it much deeper than that. I would be interested to know if there were any other reasons. If anyone knows please let me know.

By: Chris

Chris — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 23:09:36 +0000

I almost forgot… you can’t reliably grow most Japanese maples in the UP… but you can grow the two new varieties of elderberry that look just like laceleaf japanese maples.

Sambucus Black Lace (introduced in 06, really rare and hard to find) is jet black with beautiful laceleaf foliage. There is another one with lime yellow foliage, but I don’t remember the name. I remember because I just bought my first two today after looking for them since I first saw them in catalogues (promptly sold out) last fall.

By: Brooke

Brooke — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 22:23:15 +0000

I’m from a family dating back over six generations in the UP. I left. I keep moving south so that I can grow more. I am sure some folks wouldn’t mind moving fish in and out by the season, but eight to nine months of the year spent mostly indoors drives most people to either drink or take up some awful hobby like bluegrass (I’m having a little fun at my Dad’s expense, here)…Why on earth are people moving up there? That I cannot fathom…

By: flake

flake — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 11:25:57 +0000

Hi we have lived in the central UP of Michigan where we have grown a garden over 30 years and have had a small pond for 3 years.
We had goldfish the first two we brought them in over winter. Have many friends with koi and some do bring them and winter them in their basement but one women has a very big deep pond and successfully leaves hers in she has koi and gold fish and fancy golds she puts small thing I was thinking it was heat and some kind of air bubbler over the winter. (Which by the way is very very very very long. LOL The seasons have changed since the 70′s. If you move here you must love the snow. Unless you move to the banana belt. Which is down at Garden. Hope this helped

flake ( In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan) who put her pond in the wrong spot..

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 18:44:51 +0000

Liquid water won’t even get much below 32 degrees. Its chemistry. If a fish can survive in 32 degree water in Florida, they can survive in 32 degree water in Antarctica.

So all you need to do is make sure the pond doesn’t freeze all the way through. You can do this with a heater, but a more common way is to just keep the water constantly moving and circulating. Then of course depth will matter as well, the deeper the better.

For plants… I’m afraid you’ll have problems growing Japanese maples unless you can provide them with a microclimate (pack one in tight near your house, or by a larger tree for instance). The others should do fine, maybe not the phlox, and the deer & rabbits will probably eat your hostas.

One of the issues is where you live of course. Keweenaw Peninsula, or just barely over the bridge? Inland, or near a lake? (Lakes will provide warmth in the winter from wind passing over that 32 degree water).