|
|
| Landscaping & Gardening Information |
|
|
|
|
Keeping the Balance of Nature: Pond Water Maintenance
You might be tempted to let Mother Nature, tend to your backyard pond, and who could blame you? After all, she does a pretty good job of taking care of really big ponds, so why would your backyard ecosystem pose much of a challenge to her? Unfortunately, the fact is your backyard pond is only going to get some cursory attention from Mom; the rest of the work is going to be left up to you. In the "real world" chlorinated water doesn't find its way into ponds very often. "Big" pond water passes through a great many natural filtration and oxygenation systems, and the various fish and flora work together to keep the pond clean and fresh. Our backyard ponds don't have quite that much help, so here's where you need to step in: If you are going to keep fish then you absolutely must remove all traces of chlorine from your pond before your favorite Koi set up housekeeping. Pond fish cannot live in chlorinated water so don't even try. There are many products available to remove chlorine quickly, or you can opt for the old-fashioned, natural way if you have the time to spend. If you opt for 'a la natural' then expect to wait about 8 to 10 days for the chlorine to dissipate. You will need to make sure that your pump and filter are running and that you have set up an aerating method such as a waterfall or "splasher" to bring oxygen into the water. Make sure that the pond is exposed to plenty of sunlight (the natural enemy of chlorine), and use a chlorine testing kit to check the water daily. Me? I just drop some de-chlorinating product into the pond and check back the next day. Even if chlorine is totally removed, you still have nitrite and ammonia to worry about. These two toxic buddies are byproducts of fish waste and can wreak havoc with your Koi's health. After a while Mother Nature will kick in some help by allowing beneficial bacteria colonies to develop that enjoy eating nitrite and ammonia for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They won't be present in new ponds, however, unless you buy some bacteria starter kits to kick start the process. Your garden pond could become overtaxed, ecologically, if you add too many fish too quickly. Start out adding no more than two per week so that the newly introduced bacteria do not get overwhelmed by the waste that will be produced. Just when you think you've got it all under control that ugly thing called "pH" raises its head. Testing for pH levels is also very important since neither plants nor fish will survive very long if the pond's pH is out of whack. Your pH test kit should show a reading of between 6.8 and 7.4. You can add the proper chemicals to raise or lower if as neccessary. Speaking of test kits, get one that will allow you to test the pond's salt levels as well. Unless you're raising baby Sea bass, too much salt is not a good thing. After your pond is fully established, Mother Nature will lend a bigger hand and you can settle into a routine of testing every three of four weeks unless something serious, such as flooding, has occurred in between. Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
A Storage Bench Provides Much Needed Outdoor Space If you are like most of us, there are two things that you cannot get enough of: storage and outdoor seating. What if I told you that I have the perfect solution to solve both of these problems and that it comes in a stylish, hard to resist package? Want to Build a Pond? A pond, logically, the first question you should ask is WHERE? Do you have a huge yard with a lot of trees and shrubs and flowerbeds? In other words what is the present landscape like? Would you prefer your pond in a sunny spot or in the shade? That may not seem too important, but if you should decide to surround your pond with flowers, it becomes very important. It seems (to me at least) that there are many more varieties of flowers that are sun lovers rather than ones that prefer shade. Another consideration also is that if you place your pond too near to trees, then falling leaves become a cleanup problem. Black Walnut Trees Produce A Natural Insecticide The black walnut tree manufactures a substance that is a natural insecticide according to experts at the Texas State University in Austin. All about Tulip Gardens As the curtain of winter lifts, tulips are one of the first flowers to take the spring stage. As the last drifts of snow seep into the soil, these bright signs of spring dance in the sunlight. However, you don't have to wait for spring to grow tulips. Whether it lies in a bed, under a shrub, in the crevices of a rock garden or in a container, a tulip bulb is an underground flower factory just waiting to "spring up" from whatever soil it occupies. 5 Pieces of Equipment Gardeners Cant Live Without Gardening is fun and rewarding and may be considered a hobby, talent or both and sometimes it's just luck. Gardening is not as easy as it looks and involves dedication, time and consistency and many trials and errors. There are many aspects to maintaining a healthy garden, but some aspects are more important than others. An individual who likes to garden can have the knowledge to produce the best garden in the world, but without the right equipment and materials it just wouldn't be possible. How to Grow Apples The first thing you need to grow apples is a long-term commitment. Growing apples takes considerable time and quite a bit of work. Still, if one of your fondest childhood memories is the apple tree in your backyard, producing your own apples is a satisfying part of gardening. Outdoor Furniture: Exploring the Benefits of Teak Of the many types of materials that are available for the construction of outdoor furniture, teak is often overlooked. This beautiful wood ? of tropical origin ? adds character and elegance to your outdoor design through a blending of nature and man-made elements which provide an outstanding aesthetic presentation to any yard. The Amazing Hummingbird Without a doubt, hummingbirds are beautiful and interesting creatures. Add Value to Your Home - Landscaping Just recently my friend had his house appraised between $800,000 and $815,000 by two different independent house valuators. He spent two days hard work in the garden placing new grass on mats, bringing in new plants, putting creepers on the wall, and adding a water feature. He sold his house at an auction two weeks later for $853,500. It only took him a few hours of his work and a few thousand dollars to make a lot of profit. A Rose is a Rose? There are many varied definitions of what each color of rose symbolizes. Florists and floral experts alike will agree that flowers hold the meaning we give them and the feeling with which they are given. Herbs: Growing Your Own The first thing you need to do when deciding to create your own Herb Garden is to decide on the size of the plot of land you want to use. This will depend on what herbs and how much you want to grow. Unless you are an experienced gardener or a herb fanatic don't make your plot too big at first. Remember, you can always add to it later. You can create a raised bed to grow your herbs in and always add more when you decide you need to grow more. Remember to plan out your planting sequence and keep records of what is planted where as well as marking your planting with plastic nametags. Orchid Care What The Flower Tells In Orchid Care The Flower Will Tell You About Some Diseases Unique Flowers make a memorable gift! Think "outside of the box" when sending your next floral gift! The possibilities are endless! Floral Design is an art and florists can customize a masterpiece of flowers! Flowers That Beautify Your Home and Garden To help gardeners choose flowers, various systems for rating hardiness have been developed. A plant is considered hardy in a region if it can grow and thrive there without requiring special protective measures such as insulating with straw mulch. Planning a Water Garden... A water garden is the area of your landscape that will provide you with relaxing sounds of the water, while adding to the overall details of your landscape. The water garden is a project that you must 'plan' for continued success. If you are lucky enough to have the room in your lawn for a water garden, you are already one step ahead of many gardeners! Let's talk a little about how to plan for your water garden. A few important factors about placement of a water garden that often are forgotten are: Catch a Leprechaun in Your Garden There is no mention to be found of female leprechauns in traditional Irish legend, so as to how they came to be .. your guess is as good as mine. Gardenscape On A Shoestring 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. Wild Flower Garden - Plan to Plant In the previous article I discussed design for your new wild flower garden. The next stage is planning the planting. This is an exciting stage, we are just a few steps away from turning your garden design concept into a reality. But first things first. Three Stumbling Blocks to Growing Grapes in the Backyard Are you one of those home gardeners that don't know the three stumbling blocks to successfully growing grapes in your backyard? Don't worry, you're not alone. International Flower Delivery As our global community continues to expand we often find ourselves with friends and families who live in countries outside of the U.S. In the past this caused somewhat of a dilemma if a person wanted to send a gift of flowers internationally. It was not as simple as calling the local florist; it was almost impossible to find a florist who could wire transfer the order to another florist in a different country. This has changed, however, because of the availability of resources via the Internet.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2005 |