Wildlife in Winter Ponds
August 19, 2008
This may seem contradictory, but you want to leave a little bit of debris in the pond when preparing it for winter.
Some water gardeners net out the fish, completely drain the water and scrub out the pond, refilling it with fresh water.
Frogs, tadpoles, snails and microscopic pond life need to burrow down into mud and leaves to survive the winter.
Fish also hibernate on the bottom, settling in around a bed of leaves and mud. I remove about 90% of the leaves and silt that have accumulated over the summer.
Leave the rest as “bedding material.”
You’ll be amazed at the diversity of pond life that emerges in spring. Keep in mind that tree leaves will continually blow into the pond as long as the water isn’t frozen.
I recommend covering the pond with bird netting.
This black plastic netting is almost invisible and prevents tree leaves and debris from getting into the pond.
About The Author
Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several pond-related websites including macarthurwatergardens.com and pond-filters-online.com. He also publishes a free monthly newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over 9,000 pond owners. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive a complimentary ‘New Pond Owners Guide’ for joining, just visit MacArthur Water Gardens at our website.
Hot-Weather Fish Feeding Facts
August 16, 2008
Summertime provides the best time of the year to water garden ? and also to be on the alert for high-temperature problems.
To remain healthy and continue growing, fish need to get all the nutrients available from their food, so feed them food they can easily assimilate in their systems. If fish seem hungry, feed them once to three times daily.
Feeding small amounts guarantees all the food gets eaten, preventing leftover food from spoiling in high, summertime temperatures and dirtying the water. Don’t feed fish that aren’t hungry ? it only wastes money and soils their environment.
Oxygen dissolves easier in winter, when water temperatures are low. Warmer temperatures mean harder-to-acquire oxygen in water.
In summer, therefore, fish sometimes find it difficult to get enough dissolved oxygen ? particularly in severe summer heat. Even when fish eat, the motion caused by their feeding further depletes oxygen supplies.
Avoid stressing your fish in the summer by feeding them in the cool, morning hours of the day. And to increase oxygen in the water, add a fountain or other aeration method to circulate and add air to your pond water. Submergible plants also help to increase the amount of soluble oxygen.
Maintaining Oxygen Levels in Fish and KOI Ponds
August 12, 2008
Severe environmental stressors are the most frequent causes of sudden fish death in garden ponds or other fish habitats, and the lack of oxygen in the water is the number 1 stressor of all.
Two major factors contributing to fish-pond oxygen loss concern blooming algae. During daylight hours, algae make oxygen; during the night,however, the plants take oxygen. If algae are profusely blooming, the plants deplete all the pond’s oxygen during the night, which in turn, causes fish inhabiting the pond to die.
Another way that algae trigger oxygen loss is by dying suddenly. Algae-bloom death occurs naturally or from chemical treatment of an algaecide. When algae die suddenly ? from either cause ? the oxygen becomes quickly depleted because the algae no longer are alive and making it.
Then, when dead algae begin to decompose, the decaying process even further depletes oxygen. Fish have been observed gulping for oxygen at the water’s surface in sixty minutes or less from the onset of sudden algae death.
In ponds stocked liberally with many fish, often the oxygen level is just adequate enough to sustain them. If any further claim on the existing oxygen is made, this delicate environmental balance will be upset. When no or inadequate aeration is provided, along with rising warm-weather water temperatures, the conditions for fish survival become critical.
Chicken Soup for the Soil
August 9, 2008
Keeping Your Soil Healthy
Your soil is the most important part of your garden, but too many people forget to nurture their soil. Soil is a living thing, containing microbes, fungi, insect life and general “creepy-crawlies” vital to plant health and vigor, as well as a receptacle for chemicals and trace elements. Doing a little soil prep every fall pays off each and every harvest.
First, add more organic matter. Use your rototiller or your spade, and dig under frostbitten plant material, grass clippings, leaves, wood chips, and compost. Avoid using any diseased plant material as compost ? burn it first if there are no local restrictions on burning. If you live near any livestock, cover your garden with 1 ? 2" of uncomposted manure, then disguise that with other organic materials, and let the whole thing winter over. A blanket of snow from December through March will turn all of it into about ¼" of the most beautiful topsoil you can imagine.
Easy Pond and Water Garden Construction
August 6, 2008
Today’s successful water garden usually is designed as an ecosystem that uses a balance between fish, plants and bacteria keeping the water clear. The type of pond I’m talking about is self-contained (not fed by a spring or stream) and between 100-900 sq ft; a backyard water garden that is easy to maintain and adds value to your lifestyle and property. 20 years ago the typical do-it-yourself water garden was a muck-filled cesspool waiting to happen, while the successful koi pond required deep water and unattractive out of the pond filtering equipment. Thanks to a better understanding of the pond ecosystem and some equipment ideas borrowed from the pool equipment industry, anyone with the ability to dig, make things level, and move rocks and dirt around can create a beautiful living water garden if they use proven equipment and methods.
Now I will admit that there are other ways that can work; But none of the other pond construction methods have the successful track record I’ve seen with pond installs using this system.
The basic elements for this system are underlayment, liner, rocks and gravel, skimmer, fill valve, pump, plumbing, biological filtration, plants, fish, and bacteria.
Organic Gardening
August 2, 2008
"Organic gardening is not just the avoidance of chemicals, in the larger view, it is organic living using nature’s laws." I read this quote by an unknown person sometime ago and realized that my parents and others like them were organic gardeners long before the current resurrection of these principles. They didn’t use chemicals on the food they would feed to their children and gardening was a part of daily living to ensure there was sufficient food to preserve for the long winters. Everything was re-cycled and kitchen scraps were routinely thrown onto the garden to replenish the earth. Organic fertilizers such as manure were used and the only fertilizer on the roses was bone meal. My mother and father produced the best tasting vegetables and lots of them ? enough to feed a family of seven throughout the winter. Birds, worms, and other signs of a living earth were welcomed into the garden.
Garlic: The Stinking Rose
July 29, 2008
Garlic (Allium sativum) has been used for centuries for both cooking and medicinal purposes. Known as the ’stinking rose’ and Russian penicillin, its medicinal purposes have been documented for centuries and have always been a popular remedy for colds, coughs, and sore throats. Garlic was used in World War I and World War II to cure many diseases and because it is a potent antiseptic. Garlic is universally known for its health benefits. It is an excellent source of phytochemicals and contains vitamins A, B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), C, iron, phosphorous, sulphur compounds, and calcium. Medical studies have shown that it lowers blood pressure, reduces cholesterol and hypertension, prevents some cancerous tumours, protects against bacterial and fungal infections, and is good for the blood and heart. It is useful as an expectorant in respiratory ailments, eliminates toxic metals, and supports the immune system. Garlic may prove to be useful for diabetics, as it seems to regulate blood sugar levels.
Mustard: The Greatest Among The Herbs
July 26, 2008
Mustard plants have been used for thousands of years for their pungent flavour in condiments, spicy greens for side dishes and salads, and in traditional folk medicine and Chinese herbal medicine to treat a variety of ailments. The name mustard comes from the Latin mustum ardens, or "burning must." It was so named because as the seeds were pounded with unfermented grape juice, or must, their pungent qualities developed, hence "burning." Mustards seeds are mentioned in ancient Sanskrit writings dating back about 5,000 years ago and the Bible calls mustard "the greatest among the herbs." Valued for their intense flavours and healing properties, mustard seed and the plant itself have been grown for its beautiful yellow flowers and spicy seedling leaves. Members of the Brassicaceae family, mustard is a cruciferous vegetable related to cabbage, Brussel sprouts, kale, kohlrabi, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, rutabagas, turnips, radishes, horseradish, cress, and broccoli with the attendant phytochemicals properties.
Balcony, Patio, and Courtyard Gardening
July 23, 2008
People choose balcony, patio, and courtyard gardening for many different reasons. Some are moving from a large house to smaller accommodation, some don’t want the hassle of a large property, and some chose to live in rental property to avoid the high-cost of owning a home. Whatever the reason, this doesn’t mean we can’t garden. No space is too small for a small space garden. One plant in a container is a garden. In fact, ever more gardening options are available in terms of pots, half-barrels, window boxes, troughs, cast-iron planters, recycled materials ? the list is unending with possibilities.
Planning a Small Space Garden
When planning your small space garden several steps are fundamental. The first consideration is to determine what purpose this space will serve. Do you want to grow vegetables, herbs, entertain family and friends, meditate, create a place of peace, healing, a memorial garden ? the list is endless. Next, walk around your space and really look at what you have. Where are doors, sheds, permanent planters located? Is there any clutter? Clear out the clutter by asking yourself: ‘Do I love it? Have I used it in the past year?’ If it no longer serves you, turf it out, paint it or fix it, give it to somebody who needs it.
How to Control Deer in Your Garden
July 20, 2008
Deer are the most difficult of all pests to deter from a garden. They love many different plants. Flowers, vegetables, trees and shrubs are all on their menu.
The best way to keep deer out of a garden is by using a fence that is at least 6 feet high. If it’s a small garden that may be feasible but for large gardens or yards, the cost is prohibitive, or possibly not practical.
So the only other choice is deterrents.
Deer don’t like the smell of raw eggs, fish products, kelp, or ammonia. Any spray made from these products can be used. Just mix the product of choice in water and spray the plants to be protected.
Deer don’t like the smell of soap either. Some gardeners have especially found success with Dial and Zest brands.
Blood meal scattered around the garden is another good deterrent.
Since deer don’t like capsaicin, the ingredient that makes peppers hot, a spray made from chili peppers deters deers.
Hang fragrant fabric-softener strips, and small nylon bags filled with human hair on trees around the garden.
