The Difference Between Large and Small Ponds
May 31, 2007
If you think that a large pond is simply a small pond that “grew up”, you’re in for some pond maintenance problems. Let’s start off my defining the terms that we’ll be using here. A large pond is anything over 1,000 gallons (5,000 liters). A pond that holds over 4,000 gallons (20,000 liters) is a very large pond.
Large ponds require a whole different level of financial and time committment than small ponds do. You’ll need larger and more efficient pumps and filters as well as the additional plumbing that those devices require. You’ll probably also spend a lot more for plants and fish as well as higher maintenance costs for those plants and fish.
Your building and maintenance costs are dependant, to a great extent, on how deep your pond is. A 6′ deep pond, for example, calls for a large and highly-specialized biofilter which uses a lot of electricity and requires a pretty hefty chunk of space for installation. You’ll need extra UV power and some sophisticated plumbing including bottom drains, skimmers, valves, and the like.
Introducting KOI-Cam!
May 30, 2007
This is a project I’ve had on the back burner for many months now, but now it’s finally ready!
We rigged up a wireless camera and aimed it at the KOI pond here, directly where my KOI get their daily feedings. To check it out right now, visit www.koi-cam.com.
Right now, it’s just a snapshot that can be updated by hitting your ‘refresh’ button on your browser - but soon we’ll have it available as a streaming video feed.
The KOI get regular feedings at the times listed on the website. check out my new auto-feeder called ‘Koi-Cafe’ also shows at www.koi-cam.com. This feeder is run by battery, and also comes with a solar panel for re-charging the battery! It’s not hooked up yet, but it’s still pretty amazing.
The feeder makes sure that my hungry little underwater pigs get all the food they need to grow large and healthy. Plus, we’ve just added some new fish recently, right out of Charles Lewis’ (President of The Tropical Koi Club of South Florida) personal collection. We’ll be having a photo tour of Charles’ pond very soon - he’s got some beautiful show koi in his 10,000 gallon pond.
How To Choose Water Garden Plants
May 30, 2007
So. The water garden bug has bitten. You’ve dug and leveled and sweated and said words you hope that no one else has heard. Now it’s time for the fun part ? picking out your water garden plants!
Plant varieties within these four categories are what you need to eyeball: deep-water, marginals, oxygenators, and floaters. (If you think these words are big and weird, just thank your stars we’re not talking medicine.)
After you’ve diligently planted your babies in plastic tubs, pans, or clay pots, packing the fertilizer- and chemical-free soil down tightly, load the container down with pea gravel to keep the soil from floating away. (Don’t ask why this works, but it does.) Plunk your prize into the water at the appropriate depth (You’ll read about that in just a minute, so hang on to your hat.) and you’re on your way!
Plant-dunking should be done during the growing season. Wait four or five weeks for the water plants to do their thing before you add your fish. If you just can’t hold your horses, er, your fish, for that long, you can jump the gun a couple of weeks, but the idea is to let the plants first get established.
Landscaping of Hindu Religious Places
May 29, 2007
Traditionally Hindu tepmples were located either on hills or forests or river banks.In ancient times, the temples were constructed in such locations faraway from human habitations for providing a calm, peaceful and pleasant environment and also for ensuring a close bond between man and nature.Hindu temples are generally associated with trees such as Ficus benghalensis, Ficus Religiosa, Aegle marmelos,Azardirachta indica, Temple tree, Bauhinia spp, etc, Herbs such as Vinca rosea, Nerium spp etc.The gigantic trees like ficus spp and some other trees are closely associated with temples since time immemorial.The mixed fragrance, the flowers and the leaf litter on the ground gives a pleasent experience to a pilgrim or tourist.
But contemperoray gardeners and landscapists fail to appreciate this aspect while attempting gardening at these places, which have become tourist and mass pilgrimage centers in modern times.Most contemporary gardeners design symmetric gardening with huge lawns and tiled floor sorrounding the tree bases.The representation of trees is very poor in comparision to the lawns and plants.
Assymmetry should be the rule while designing landscaping near these temples.The asymmetric garden should have abundant representation of Tree species such as Ficus, Neem, Wood apple,Alexandrian laurel, Jack Fruit, Mango atc spread in a random manner.
Beauty With Indigenous Species
May 28, 2007
A garden a serves a man’s every day need for s refreshing and pleasent experience.We have to appreciate that the garden serves as a home not only to the trees and plants that appear, but is a home to lots of small and big creatures of animal kingdom. Thus a garden is a conservatotory in these modern times of fast industrialization and increasing threat to ecological balance.
Thus a gardener has to keep in mind the need for aiding ecological balance or nature conservation when designing or planning or restructuring a garden.
In India, garderners (government and private) show a strong tendency for planting exotic species (totally foreign species or exotic to that particular microclimate, as seemingly they beleive that exotic species are attractive.Yes every thing new is attractive and indigenous species look ugly as our eyes got used to them.This tendency for exotic plants and trees either in gardening or largescale social forestry is atrocious and gives no regard for the essence of nature conservation and ecological balance that these gardens can serve for!
A indigenous plant or tree supports numerous other soil flora and fauna, birds and other animals through various ecological relations.An exotic plant or tree on the other hand, while not supporting the flora and fauna of that particular area, may actually have a deteriorating effect!
Gardenscape On A Shoestring
May 27, 2007
Many of us flip through garden magazines, all the while thinking that it takes years, a professional, or tons of money to landscape the gardens featured in the glossy pictures. This isn’t necessarily true. You can design a breathtaking garden and be the envy of the neighborhood by following some of the following tips.
Know What You Like and What Works
Drive around your neighborhood and see what’s out there that grows well in your zone. You can jot down what you see on index cards, so they are organized and handy. Start gathering page clippings from magazines and collect some pictures of the designs that interest you. This can help you decide what garden style you like. You’ll have an easy reference for plants and placement too.
Select Location and Color
Next, look at your notes and clippings and choose the color scheme you’d like to have in your garden. Don’t forget to keep in mind if you’re designing and planting in shade, sun, or partial shade or partial sun. Are you looking for something bright and vibrant or something more calming and soothing? Consider starting with a foundation of shrubs and accenting with some perennials, bulbs, ornamental grasses, and annuals for more seasonal color. Perhaps, you want all flowers. Decide on a shape that complements your house style. Straight styles give a more formal appearance while curves give a more informal feel. If you don’t feel confident selecting colors, you can use a color wheel to help pick contrasting and complimenting colors.
Summer Pond Tips
May 26, 2007
Low Oxygen levels Kill Fish
Use an oxygen tester and air stones to keep your available oxygen level to at least 7.0 parts per million of dissolved oxygen in 90 degree F. water. Koi and goldfish start showing signs of stress at oxygen levels of 4.0 ppm and will start dying at 3.0 ppm. The higher the water temperature goes the less oxygen that’s available. Water temperatures over 90 degrees will also affect fish health so keep the temperature under control by providing shade during the hottest parts of the day.
It’s Parasite Season
Warm water causes an increase in parasites such as anchor worms, fish lice or flukes. Some parasites such as anchor worm and fish lice are visible and can be treated with Dylox, Dipterex or Masoten.
Invisible parasites such as external protozoa and flukes can not be seen but they usually cause symptoms including extra thick mucus, constant scratching by rubbing against objects, flashing, or jumping. Some variations will cause a noticeable head shaking and yawning. COntact your pond specialist for treatments because different symptoms are indicative of different infections. Follow label instructions at all times or you could cause serious injury or death to your fish.
Hand Feeding your Koi
May 25, 2007
One of the most rewarding and entertaining things about having a Koi pond is when your fish finally start eating out of your hand. There is no better way to learn each fishes’ personality and temprament than to have them nuzzle your fingers when they are hungry.
The key to training your Koi to eat from your hand is patience and conditioning. Like any wild animal Koi have a natural distrust for anything that they think can hurth them, and you’re plenty big enough to do that as far as they are concerned.
If your goal is hand feeding then you need to start training from the very first time that you feed a new fish. Of course, it’s not too late to start training your existing fish, but it’s easier if you start out that way.
If you have been feeding your fish by simply broadcasting the food on top of the water then stop doing that immediately. Instead, bring your feed bag next to the pond and kneel down. Then, place a few pellets in your hand, submerge your hand, and let the pellets slowly fall out. Don’t worry if your fish seem to not be paying attention. They know that your hand is in the water and they know that pellets just appeared out of nowhere.
Choosing Pond Plants
May 25, 2007
A pond without plants is like cake without icing. Pond plants fight algae, give fish a hiding place against predators, and beautify our own little slice of paradise to plunk down in at the end of a tiring day.
Don’t smother your pond with plants, however. Start with half the surface area, and don’t let them cover more than two-thirds to three-quarters at their growing peak. Overcrowding stresses them out, and hey ? it just looks bad!
Don’t let the terms "hardy" and "tropical" throw you when choosing plants for your pond. Just remember that these terms refer to the environment in which the plant has originally been adapted ? and not to whether it can be thrown across the room or how well it looks in a fancy mixed drink.
Hardy pond plants, as a rule, can handle cold temperatures and frost. Of course, this is relative to your USDA agricultural zone, found here: http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html.
Ask your plant professional or check the plant’s label before taking home that plant that does great in Hawaii, but not so great in Maine.
Starting a Shade Garden…
May 24, 2007
The shade garden can be exploding with color and texture. No matter how much shade is in your landscape, the right flowers, plants, bushes and bulbs will grow in this area when given a chance. As there are various types of shade, you will need to choose the plants that are ‘right’ for the type of shade you have: partial, dense, full, or filtered shade. In starting a shade garden, one of the easiest shade gardens will be the filtered shade garden. What you need to do first is look at the trees or bushes that are making this area a filtered shade garden. Pruning off the lower branches on taller bushes and on the tree will allow additional light into your garden. Because you are planning a filtered shade garden, you do want some amount of sunlight in that garden below the tree.
Thinning out the bottom saplings that are trying to grow from the tree is needed at this time to ensure they do not grow up in your garden. Underbrush and thorny bushes should be cut down and dug up at this time before starting your shade garden.
