Watershaping

Pot your plants!

2010-04-02T20:43:00.001-07:00

I cannot overstate the importance of keeping ALL of you plants in pots. Unless you have a truly natural pond or never plan on doing maintenance... keep those guys in a pot.

I just spent 10 hours cleaning out a pond and didn't finish. This pond was probably 15 feet in diameter and roughly round. 2 hours pulling water iris, 2 hours pulling cattail, and the rest of the time trying to clean and pull water lilies from the rock bottom of the ENTIRE pond. Oh, and I had two other guys with me. 10 hours!

I feel for the owner, he didn't want rock in the bottom and didn't like the idea of planting the water plants directly into the pond. Now it's going to cost him hundreds of dollars to get this all cleaned up. This would have been a two hour clean up without these misinformed decisions. I say misinformed because he brought up these concerns and the original installer said to not worry about it.

Don't worry about massive maintenance bills and the possibility of water iris and cattails growing through your liner? Really?

Sounds like someone that has never done a days maintenance in his life.

No rock and all plants in pots for a standard water garden unless you want to pay me hundreds of dollars to save you from leaks and a pond that is completely out of control. Your choice.

Rain Chains

2010-02-28T13:32:00.000-08:00

I got to lead another class at Lauritzen Gardens this weekend and really enjoyed the experience. I've been involved with plenty in the past but this was probably the most interactive group I've ever had. The class was about small water features, such as Pondless, Disappearing Fountains, Rain Chains, and container water features. Thank you to those that attended.

Rain Chains have probably had the most recent interest between the class and the Home & Garden Show in Omaha last weekend. (Hence no post last week) They are really grabbing a lot of attention recently and I was wanting to address them in this post.

Rain Chains are ancient (a few hundred years old at least) Japanese down spouts. These are very beautiful downspouts that are links alone or with baskets/cups in between the links. Commonly made of copper, but not mandatory. If you're a regular HGTV or other home show watcher you've probably at least seen them once before.

The main thing I wanted to touch on with these items is that they are not fully contained down spouts. Depending on how your landscape works they are an excellent to "a little work necessary" accessory to you house/landscape. Since they are not completely enclosed there are some considerations to take into account.

They will splash and you will need to consider some type of diversion for the water. The point of downspouts is to get the water away from the house, so with an open design they don't really accomplish the main purpose. This isn't necessarily a problem. If you already, or are considering, rain water capturing this isn't a major issue. A large barrel can catch a large amount, at least on a one story setup. If you do not have a rain barrel, I'd consider doing a rain garden or bog in the immediate area. A little liner and you can create a moist area for capturing and filtering the water from the roof. Also if you are more concerned about diversion, you can still slope the area into a drain tile and direct it away from the foundation.

The other option is using one as a fountain. This does take some thought also, and will need a wide basin or lined area so you don't have to be refilling constantly. I'll be working on setting one up in the courtyard when it warms up so I hope to have pictures to better describe the process soon.

I really like the possibilities with the rainchains and am going to be working with other ways to utilize them. I will also be looking into what type of alteration it would need to make pottery into a functional rain barrel. Hopefully not much, but I want to research before I start giving out ideas.

(Pictures from Rainchains.com)

Bubbling Rocks

2010-02-15T07:21:00.000-08:00

I was looking at my analytics page for my website and saw that 'bubbling rocks' is the number one search topic for people that click on my page. I thought these had waned in popularity, but apparently not. So, lets discuss the options.

First there are the natural boulders that can be drilled and turned into a bubbling rock or Moses rock. They are often the most eye catching, but often take heavy equipment and some knowledge to create. I enjoy them the most, but they are a bit of an undertaking. A lot of rock yards will have the equipment to drill any piece you would like. Around Omaha the going rate is about $75 per foot to get them drilled.

Basalt columns are a great option also. They are often more formal, and quite heavy, but they can add a great touch to a formal garden. Also possible indoors, but a basin is necessary or some extensive handy work. Basalt is very dense, and since rock is sold by the pound, these features can add up rather quickly.

Artifical bubbling rocks are another option. In the past I have never carried this type of fountain because, well, they looked artificial. Fortunately there are a handful of companies out there that make realistic rocks, but they can be pricey. The main advantage for this type of feature is that they are at least relatively mobile. Even a large piece can often be moved with a dolly or some type of cart.

Like disappearing fountains and pondless featuers, bubbling rocks can be fit into just about any landscape and are only limited by your imagination. One big tip I have about these features are to build the basin as big as possible so you aren't refilling constantly. There will be splash! Often times I will create a sloped region outside of the basin that will funnel the splash back into the container. It doesn't catch all of it, but it does limit the water loss. A good rule of thumb is to make the basin 1.5 times wider than the feature is tall.

Spring is coming... I keep telling myself.

2010-02-11T14:31:00.000-08:00

I think a lot of people have been struggling with the constant gray and extra snow of this winter. I know I have. I think this year everyone is going to try and get out there as soon as possible, and sometimes to their own detriment.

With that in mind I have a few things to keep in mind when your pond is coming out of it's winter slumber.

1. Don't get ahead of yourself and buy hyacinth and other tropical and floating plants too quickly. Even when it is relatively warm, they think it is freezing. Those dips in temperature during the night can wipe them out in no time.

2. Don't feed those fish too soon. Even if they are active and begging for food, make sure that water is consistently above 50 degrees. If you get a late cold snap and they have been eating, they can get some digestive issues and even die.

3. You can place those hardy lilies and other low plants on pots to give them a bit of a kick start, just don't expect anything out of the tropical lilies or lotus until much later. Even though lotus are hardy, they behave more like a tropical early in the season.

4. If you have anyone do your maintenance for you, now would be a good time to get that lined up, or at least make sure they know you want to be on their list. When that first warm streak is here, your pond guy is already booked.

"How To" Programs

2010-02-01T09:27:00.001-08:00

I feel like I need to give fair warning to all of you who watch the 48 hour miracle makeover shows on TV. I don't know enough about home renovation, or certain types of 'hardscaping' to make a blanket statement on all makeover shows... but I can say there are very few I have seen that put a water feature in the landscape that I would recommend.

I realize that a lot of these shows focus on the drama of the makeover and that makes them more interesting to the casual viewer. But if you are looking for quality info on how to install a water feature on your own, BEWARE! Most of these projects would be leaking in a matter of days or weeks, and I wouldn't give a 6 month guarantee on almost any of them.

Editing and time restraints take out a lot of specific steps that are necessary to know about. I strongly recommend talking to someone that is a specialist before tackling your own water feature project. There are a handful of books I think could take you step by step through the construction, but I am yet to see a tv program come even remotely close to a quality description.

Watch for ideas and questions, but please do not base your entire project on a 10 minute clip.

Pre-Season Schedule

2010-01-24T13:51:00.001-08:00

Spring is coming... no really. I'm already getting into the swing of seminars and home shows now that the new year is here. Already been to Atlanta for the Market, and found quite a bit of new items for the store.

For any of you who are interested we will be doing the Home & Garden Expo at the QWest Center February, 18 - 21.

Seminars and Workshops:
Lauritzen Garden Class - Small Water Features - February 27th
Pott County Master Gardeners Workshops - March 27th
Atlantic Garden Seminar - March 27th

We will also be heading to a few other places such as Lennox, possibly Bedford and Corning, as well as quite a few garden clubs and other organizations.

Winter and Oxygenization

2009-10-22T12:53:00.000-07:00

With the season quickly drawing to a close, many of us will be considering what to do with our pond for the winter. There are plenty of options in winterizing your water garden.

One is to run it all year long. Depending on your climate this is the most desirable, but not always the most practical. If it is too cold in your region to avoid ice issues, and IF you have the correct style of fall or stream, you can often get away with running it as long as you keep the skimmer opening open at all times. This is a bit of a risk for most and you can't leave town without a pond-sitter, but the ice sculptures that form are quite amazing in their own right.

Second is pulling the pump and winterizing your pond. Unless you have a very large feature you will need to keep oxygen available to the fish. This is done most commonly through a tank heater or bubbler. Each has their pros and cons, and many variations of each. The standard tank heater is easiest, but most are relatively costly to run due to their high Wattage needs. Their are lower wattage heaters, look around and see what options there are, we have had issues with longevity with some of the smaller wattage ones so be careful.

Bubblers are the other half of the second option. They are good to keep water moving and the ice open a large amount of the winter. It is not necessary in most cases to keep the ice open at all times, but as often as possible. In zone 4-5 we can use a small danner mag drive pump for 85 - 90% of the winter. Breathers are excellent, but hard to come by, if available they are good options.

The third option is to forget about keeping the ice open and just getting an air pump/stone that will get oxygen to your fish no matter what the surface is like. We've recently gotten one brand in stock to try. I haven't had a chance to test it so I'm not willing to give them any props yet, but hopefully this will be the best option yet. Often kept in an overturned bucket propped slightly off the ground, these air pumps can deliver a consistent air supply for your fish no matter how cold or icy they get.

Good luck with your winterization and feel free to stop by our site for more tips and products. I am currently working on rebuilding our site so not everything is up yet, but it will be shortly.

Thoughts of UVs

2009-06-18T22:08:00.000-07:00

UV lights are often a frustrating topic. If the wattage and flow rate is set up correctly they can be the ponder's best friend, if not, they are right up there with the worst of them.

They are often times a much larger up front cost compared to standard treatments, but when you look at the long term repeated treatment versus a one time cost, plus replacement bulbs, they are often times as inexpensive or less than treatment. Basically, if you have the wattage and flow adjusted correctly, you will never have green water again. If you do, the bulb has burnt out or the calibration is off.

With how they function, killing all that circulates through them, they do not work on string algae. You still need a barley or other treatment to combat that. Also, is you use natural treatment for the string algae remember to unplug your uv for 24 hours or you are killing your treatment as well as the algae.

They often have roughly 14 month life spans (the bulbs), but if you only use them before your plants have gotten established, they can often work for 3 to 4 years. But remember, as with any other treatment, they are the band-aid, plants are the cure. If you have proper balance of plants and fish you should need minimal treatment of any kind once the plants are established.

I need the whole story!

2009-06-13T20:52:00.001-07:00

I had a lady come in today and she was a little upset about how the bottle of treatment she bought last month had not worked. I was surprised by this because in multiple years of selling Aqua-One we have had no complaints. Zero.

After a few minutes of discussing other options she casually asks if she has to leave her pond running all the time. YES! In the matter of a few minutes the good bacteria and organisms start to struggle and die. If you turn off your pond, you are losing all of the benefit of your treatment, biological filtration, and natural petina/carpet algae. Couple that with the fact that Aqua-One is a natual treatment that isn't being cirrculated and dying off almost immediately, yeah, that would make a big difference.

If you are having problems with your pond, you have to tell your pond people the whole story! If you leave out 'little' things like that, you are probably being led down the wrong path. Turning off the pond at any time, okay for pondless, not for ponds. How many koi do you have? How often do you feed them? Are there leaves in the bottom of the pond? Are you or any neighbors treating the yard? Are there any recently added plants, fish, or features?

If you think there is any chance a new or minor element could have contributed to your maintenance issues, there is a good chance they have. It may seem trivial, but the little things do matter.

You may get a bored expression from your pond pro, but if they haven't seen the pond with their own eyes, there could be something that is obvious to them, that is not to you. Take the time to go over the exact set up of your pond, it can save you a lot of time and money.

Lightning & Skimmers

2009-06-11T10:01:00.000-07:00

As you could probably guess these two do not mix well. I quite honestly did not believe the owner when he called and said his skimmer was liquid. There is a two story house and large trees surrounding this pond, how could lightning hit something that is pretty much underground?

Apparently, after talking to multiple firemen, it was concluded that it was lightning and it was probably headed for the house, but 'found' the current from the pump and followed it to the skimmer. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it. And now you can too.

We attempted to find the remnants of the irrigation box that housed the check valve, shown below, but no evidence was found. It was completely incinerated. I don't know if anyone else has ever had this experience, but it was definitely a first for me.

I guess I get to find out how creative I am with rebuilding a pond that has been struck by lightning. Now I've heard of a pump getting burnt out by a power surge from a lightning strike, but never liquified by a direct strike!

The DIY good and bad.

2009-06-02T14:52:00.000-07:00

I just got done having my butt handed to me on the IVillage forum over my rant on using quilt batting. I need to watch where I rant. Complaining about crazy DIYers on a forum that is almost exclusively DIY is never a good idea. Don't get me wrong, there are many great things that can be done with DIY ingenuity, but in the line of business I am in I only see the negative side of it.

Also I looked closer at the posts and it wasn't the same individual that had the leaves and other issues I'd already responded to. Oops.

I understand the use of an 'ultra fine' media when there is an algae bloom or sediment issues. My feeling is that whenever you have those issues it can be handled in a preventive way, not a fix my current issue way. You can strain your pond as many times as you desire, or you can figure out why you are having the issue and prevent it from happening. That is my humble opinion.

I realize I am basically writing to myself on this blog, but hey, in case I have millions of readers that just choose to not post any responses, I thought I'd explain myself a little.

Pounding my head against a wall!

2009-05-28T21:03:00.000-07:00

I just got done posting on the i Village pond forum and I want to pull my hair out. There is some individual that has cloudy water and can't figure out what to do. Apparently quilt batting is a popular filter media with some ponders.

Really!?!

That just doesn't sound good to me. Why put that stuff in your pond? There have been millions spent on research and development by the industry and no one sells quilt batting for ponds. There is a reason for this.

Top that with the fact that this individual admitted they had large amounts of leaves in their pond and I really want to scream. If you post enough times and leave out important facts, someone will give you a lame idea that might blindly work.

Talk about treating a gaping wound with a band-aid when you need a tourniquet. If the answer is right in front of your face... well that is probably the answer.

Always check the most obvious culprit before you start digging. If your pump isn't working, check it is plugged in, than if the outlet works. Trust me, I've learned that one the hard way a few times.

Live by the KISS method, Keep It Simple, Stupid!

Rehabing Ponds

2009-05-10T20:54:00.000-07:00

Many companies are not willing to rehab an existing pond, I on the other hand kind of enjoy it. To be able to take a broken down water feature and make it like new, and usually better, just feels right. I'm working on one that was starting to fall in on itself, a very common problem. As well as an over grown landscape surrounding the pond.

As you can see the edges were falling in as well as some badly laid flagstone. The water fall was virtually destroyed and there was no true filtration system. There was some archaic out of pond box, but it looked like it had not been cleaned for multiple years.

What I have done so far is to pull every piece of flagstone, recut the edges, and relay all the edge and path/patio flagstone. Along with retro-fitting a compact Savio skimmer and installing a new stream and fountain, things are beginning to look much better.

What was a sloping rough flagstone area is now a multi-level tight laid flagstone patio with plants and boulders positioned within the flag. It has gone over so well the job has almost doubled in size since we started. I will have updated photos as soon as I finish up.

There are so many different "don'ts" in this original pond that I'm not sure where to start. Overall it is just a good example of having a specialist put in your waterfeature. There are plenty of landscapers that can install a pond, but wouldn't you rather have an educated pro install it? Just like a lot of plumbers could do your electric, but wouldn't you rather have an electrician do the work in your house.

Algae Control... Oxymoron?

2009-05-06T20:47:00.000-07:00

No, algae control is not an oxymoron like 'military intelligence' or 'deafening silence'. Can it be very elusive... yes! I wish there was a one size fits all answer, but maybe the answer is just that. Each pond has a specific eco system that does not translate across the country or across the lawn from your neighbor's landscape. Plant types, fish amount, natural water pH, and so many other factors make the best blanket answer, just that, there is no one size fits all answer.

Each pond has it's own signature that must be discovered. One treatment may answer your friend's pond, but it won't necessarily answer yours. Don't get frustrated too quickly, there are so many possibilities you can figure something out that works for you.

An Ultra Violet Light is probably the closest thing to a magic bullet when properly fitted, but it does nothing about string algae. Certain algae-cides are great, but they can harm fish especially on warm days, and often times they either feed the next generation of algae or need a second type of treatment to break down the dead algae.

My experience has been that a combination of Aqua-One and barley extract/pellets is the best answer for the most people. A1 is a natural treatment that kills algae and also breaks down the dead algae, and I have found that extract/pellets work better than bales of barley since they don't have to decompose first. Ultra Violet lights are great also, but they must be properly fitted according to flow and wattage, as well as doing nothing for string algae, which you need barley for anyway. Also - if you have a UV, turn it off for 24 hours after treatment with natural treatments or else you are killing your beneficial bacteria.

With all of this being said, plants and a healthy balance are the only true answer. The above mentioned treatments are just that, a treatment or a band-aid. If you want a healthy pond you don't have to continually treat, get plants, plants, and more plants!

Most Common Maintenance Issues

2009-05-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

1. Too Many Koi!

I love Koi as much as the next ponder, but they are not to be kept like goldfish. I've stated it before, but it bears repeating. 1 goldfish per 10 gallons, one 1' Koi per hundred gallons, and one 2' Koi per thousand gallons on a standard water garden. Now if you have a true Koi pond we are talking a whole other ball game, otherwise, you're going to have algae and health issues.

2. Over feeding you fish.

You actually don't have to feed your fish at all. Now they become more friendly when you do regularly, but don't go crazy with it. If there is any left over after they are done eating you are now feeding algae, not your fish.

3. Not enough plants.

Plants can be the entire filtration system on their own. Really. If you don't have plants competing for the nutrients and shading out the algae you are going to need treatments. Rule of thumb - Treatments are the band-aid, plants are the cure.

4. Rock bottom ponds.

Now this is not true in all cases, I'm speaking of my experience. There are some of the very best installers in the country that argue this fact to no end. My experience is that unless you love getting in your pond, or have more filtration than the average water garden, you will hate the rock on the bottom of your pond. It all turns green eventually anyway, why pay for pretty rock that you will never see again.

5. Cyclical mistakes.

Often to do with algae. "I had green water, than I drain it, than it turns green again!" Yeah, that is what it does. You didn't solve your algae problem, you just started the cycle over again. - or - "I love clean rocks so I power wash my pond" Same idea as above. If you remove all the beneficial organisms, which most live in the patina / carpet algae, you just restarted your biological system. Also, you get too aggressive with that power washer, you can put a hole in your liner.

6. Salt usage.

"My neighbor uses salt and they don't have the same issue as I do." They may not have the algae issues, but they don't have the same plants as you do. Over 1% and you start to burn floaters, over that and you start to kill most water plants. If you have a 'pond guy' that uses salt make sure its under 1%. Chances are he's listened to a Koi enthusiast and they mentioned salt, which is great for Koi. They often don't have water plants. And ... less salt comes out then you think on water changes, if you don't have a salt test, be very careful even if you are dosing lightly.

7. Un-potted plants.

Water gardens are not Natural!!! Unless you have a natural pond without any type of liner, unpotted plants will become a manintenance nightmare. Lillies and lotus need to be fertilized and divided regularly, it is MUCH easier to do this when they are potted. Cattail and many marginals can be very invasive and damage your opnd in the long run if they jump the pot or don't have one at all.

The Most Important Thing!

2009-04-29T08:06:00.000-07:00

Now that we are in the full swing of the early pond season it is important to remember a few things. Plants!

That is only one, but they are so important that it should count as a few. Plants are the backbone of your water garden. If you have enough and the right type you really don't need much else. It will never stop amazing me at the level of maintenance that disappears just by having enough filtration and shade plants. Our courtyard pond gets a single dose of Aqua-One in the spring and then NOTHING else! It is roughly 15 by 8 with a Savio skimmer, endless cascades waterfall box, and a planting pocket.

There are anywhere between 4 to 7 lilies in the pond during the year and a lotus. There are hyacinth in the stream and the cascades is packed full of filtration plants. Also, not to be ignored are many plants in the planting pocket. If you haven't seen one of these, its basically a bog filtration pocket on the side of the pond. There is no water being forced through the pocket, but the underlay sides allows water in and out, but keeps the dirt in the pocket. A great visual buffer zone between land and pond also. You can pack this full of filtration plants and tropicals. They are largely under-valued. This is the only picture I can find of the pocket, but I know I have better ones at the store, I'll update shortly.

I'm not saying that you will never need to treat your pond again with enough water plants. Early in the year they are not established enough to starve out the algae, so early treatment is necessary, or a UV. But when you get the right balance, it minimizes the maintenance like nothing short of an ultra violet light.

Only a year + between posts!

2008-10-02T10:04:00.000-07:00

Wow, haven't been paying much attention to this blog in quite some time! I'll try and get better at this, but it is getting late in the season so we'll aim for next year being more steady.

It is getting late in the year and we have a lot of people asking about when and how to shut down their ponds for the winter. In my region (Z4) we widely recommend tearing down the pond for the winter. Certain types of ponds can run all year, but you have to keep a close eye on them and you must have a certain type of fall or stream.
When to tear down varies on the weather and if you have wadders or not. Until the water freezes hard there isn't too much reason to tear down earlier than that, but if you have to get into your pond you probably want to do it early unless you have wadders to keep yourself insulated from the cold water.
The hows of plant winterizing varies according to their hardiness. Hardy lilies and lotus can just be cut back and dropped to the bottom of your pond. Make sure the lotus are fully brown before cutting them back or you can lose them. Hardy marginals vary by plant and are best handled by asking specific questions about their individual hardiness. Tropical lilies can be overwintered by putting their tubers in moist sand and keeping them in a cool area, but many treat them as annuals and just buy new each year.
Fish don't need any special treatment if you have a decent amount of volume and about two feet of depth. Keep a hole in the ice with a bubbler, deicer, or stock tank heater so the gasses can exchange. Do not feed them after the water temp drops below 50 degrees or they can die from the food rotting in their system. If the ice freezes solid for a few days melt the ice, breaking with a hammer can do damage since they are in a state of near hibernation.
I will have more info on our website - Pondibilities - link to the side. Any more questions or specific plant questions can be sent their or here. Thank you.

forum

2007-07-28T08:14:00.000-07:00

I've gotten involved with the ivillage water garden forum and have really been intrigued. There are so many people with so many suggestions it really reminds me that each and every pond is a different ecosystem. Lotus are easy to grow vs. They are nearly impossible, UV wattage recommendations, rock or no rock, bottom drains, predators, etc........
There is so much information out there it is staggering and a little bit daunting to the newbie, my suggestion is to make sure you know what you want. Kinda the same theme as my last post, but it is so important. Do you want a koi pond, a reflecting pool, a water garden, a farm pond, or something else. It will effect what rock you use, the filtration, pumps, fish, treatment, you name it and different settings require different tools.
Does anyone out there have a forum or blog you really enjoy? Let me know if you do I'd love to have some more links and sources of information. Happy ponding.

Heres the ivillage link. http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/

Koi Ponds

2007-07-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

I have recently had the pleasure of exploring the world of koi ponds. Its a mechanical wonderland with so many possibilities and options. I was in Kansas City this past week and had the pleasure to see a professional's personal koi pond...wow! Absolutely beautiful. Check out their link (Hix & Son) on the right margin when you get a chance. They also directed me to an excellent site, sacramentokoi.com, that had soooo much information and tons of how to info.
This whole trip was started by an experience I want to talk about. I was recently contacted to consult/build a koi pond, I guess I should say re-build a koi pond. Now I do not claim to be any sort of koi expert, but I do know there is a lot of difference between a koi pond and a water garden. If you want a koi pond, make sure you are very clear about your intentions to your contractor. You can say 'I want a koi pond' and they could still build you a two foot deep pond with shelves and bio filtration alone. This isn't a koi pond, its a water garden with fish. While koi and water gardens can get along to some extent, our own experiences have gone well, there are significant issues with this combination. See sacaramentokoi.com, 20 questions link, for all the reasons. I am by no means saying to not do a water garden with fish, I think they are a necessity, but you must understand goldfish and koi have different effects, and will greatly change your biological setup.
A 'true' koi pond should have no shelves, with steep sides and be at least 4 feet deep. Water plants cause problems; koi rooting through them, carrying diseases, harder to catch a koi you must treat, salt and water plants don't mix, etc... Bottom drains are basically a necessity, and very helpful in watergardens of large size. And the filtration! Koi ponds make water gardens look amazingly simple. There is way too much information to include in one post, but check out the links I've mentioned if you are interested in a koi pond.
To try and wrap up this lengthy post, make sure you know what you want, what you're getting into, and that you communicate your desires clearly to the builder. Otherwise you could very well end up with a cookie-cutter water garden that won't be able to sustain the amount or size of koi you desire. Make sure you get what you want and its done right.

Fertilizing

2007-05-26T09:42:00.000-07:00

Fertilizing your lilies and lotus is not necessarily a must, but if you want the most out of your plants it really is. Lilies, and especially lotus, are heavy feeders and really need to be fertilized every three weeks or so. We put our lotus and lilies in large containers and put three tabs in the lilies and four in the lotus every three weeks. I mentioned the pot size because roughly one tab per gallon of container is what we go by, you can burn your lilies by over fertilizing. We most often use Highland Rim products because they have simply performed the best, pondtabs are a good option also if you can't find highland rim.
First tip, make sure to 're-seal' the hole you make when you push those into the plant. If you don't you're fertilizing the whole pond, including the algae. We aren't very high on the liquid fertilizer for the same reason. Secondly, don't fertilize the lotus until you have aerial leaves. Finally, depending on climate, stop fertilizing in late August so the plants can harden up a little before they go dormant. If you aren't in the mid west make sure to talk to a local specialist to find out what is best for your region.

Don't Dig Too Soon!

2007-05-21T22:28:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post after a tough day of breaking bad news to a nice lady. Don't Dig Too Soon! I know it can be tempting to jump right into building your pond, but trust me you don't want to get ahead of yourself. A great lady called me and had me drive to her house so I could help her finish her pond. To my great dismay she had alrady dug a HUGE pond, with help from her husband's excavator, and than let it sit over the winter. This wouldn't have been as big of an issue if she hadn't already bought her liner. After the winter weather and the flooding conditions the hole washed out and became too big for her liner. Now she is faced with the options of buying a new piece of liner, re-building the sides (trust me its not fun), or filling the whole thing in and starting over. Either way its a lot more money and/or labor. So all you DIYers, do yourself a HUGE favor and make sure you don't dig too soon. Just a helpful hint.

Common Problems

2007-05-01T16:48:00.000-07:00

After spending a full day rebuilding a bio-fall, the same amount of time I could have built half a pond, I am reminded how important it is to select the proper builder. Whether you are building your pond yourself or hiring someone it is imperative to get as much information as you can. Is this their speiality? If its the third 'specialty' listed on their business card, it really isn't. Take a look at some of their past ponds. Are they concerned about longevity or maintenance? Many, even some I thought were good companies, don't appear to be concerned about the future.

Now each job a contractor does they learn something, I wish when I built my first pond I knew what I know now. But there are some very important things that I have seen ignored in many ponds. For example, streams need to be deep with solid sides because if you walk around your stream it will compact and the rock will slide if it isn't concreted or foamed. This is a major issue, I've fixed multiple ponds this year that the side rock was falling in and the water level was off due to people walking around, admittedly one was mine. Learn from my, and many other's, mistakes and make sure to solidify the rock on sides of streams and ponds. If you think you or your contractor is building your stream too shallow, chances it is way too shallow. If it looks like the rock could slide, it will.

* One point I would like to make is I am in an area that large angular rock is hard to come by, most is river rock or glacier rock that is relatively smooth and rounded. When this type of rock is used securing with foam or concrete is important. If you can get your hands on more angular or easily stacked rock this isn't nearly as important.

Salt & Your Pond

2007-04-25T08:34:00.000-07:00

It has came to my attention that some pond maintenance people are being rather liberal in their use of salt. Now before I go into a rant, every situation is different and each pond has different needs, but chances are you don't want to use salt in your pond. If you have a 'Koi Pond' or 'Reflecting Pool' than go a head, but if you have a water garden you don't want salt! Let me be more specific, if you have ANY plants in your pond do not use salt. These companies have listened to their 'koi guy' and assumed that one situation fits all. Koi like a little salt in their water, it is a great treatment for their health and to protect their slime coat. Most basic parasites can be taken care of with a salt dip. But if you have any plants, over 1% salt can begin to damage floating plants and much more will damage or kill most pond plants.

Here's another circumstance that you need to keep in mind. If you have your pond set at 1% salt and do a water change, you still have nearly 1% salt. If your water evaporates, the salt does not. Make sure to check your salt level before adding more, because chances are you mainly have the percent before the water change or loss. If you have any plants and you have maintenance done with salt they are probably going to put too much in. If you have salt before the change, and they add more you probably have way too much.

Once again, if you have a koi pond or other non-plant pond, go ahead with in reason. Even without plants you don't want over 3-4% unless you have spoken with a koi specialist. We have treated sick fish with 7%, but they get really slow and they can die with prolonged exposure or any greater percent. Now I do not claim to be an expert with koi, so make sure to talk to an expert before doing anything with salt treatments. But make sure to remember that if you do much over 1% salt, you're going to really damage some plants. Just something to ponder.

Spring Plant Care

2007-04-14T19:45:00.000-07:00

Re-potting and overall care of your water plants is very important to pond health and ease of maintenance. If you don't at least take a look at your lilies, marginals, and/or lotus you will kick yourself down the road.

Not dividing your lilies drastically changes their appearance and health. Lilies can very quickly jump their pot and grow into the other strata of your pond. Trust me, as someone who does maintenance, you don't want to mess with this. Especially if you rocked the bottom of your pond. Not dividing will also change the appearance of your lilies. As they crowd the pot, and each other, the leaves will stand out of the water and the plant will not bloom nearly as often or as well.

Lotus are a less common water plant, but are so stunning they should be in every water garden. There are multiple sizes of this plant, so even with a small pond, you can find a complimentary lotus. Propagation of lotus can be difficult due to very delicate growth tips. You must find the 'knuckles' behind the tubers and cut behind that narrowing point, than replant and cover the tuber. It doesn't sound that difficult, but care must be taken.

Marginals are usually much easier to re-pot than the other water plants, but many of them are aggressive and just as important to care for. Unless you are going to keep a yearly eye on certain marginals, I would suggest not even putting them in your pond. Make sure to check how aggressive or invasive certain plants are if they are planted directly into your pond or if you will not be cutting them back at least once a year. There are so many different plants that can be called marginal I won't go into specifics, but most can simply be divided and re-potted. The one point I will focus on is if these marginals are exceptionally good filter plants, consider potting them in a mesh pot with pea gravel alone. If a great filter plant, such as pickerel or thalia, is planted directly into pea gravel the roots have even more contact with water and filter that much better. As I said before, make sure the plants you use are not too aggressive if you aren't going to tend to them during the year.

Make sure to talk to a local specialist or contact us for more in depth information about plant maintenance. Also consider fertilization, especially with lotus and lilies, due the their heavy feeding habits. Good luck with your spring ponding.

Maintenance

2007-04-02T18:48:00.000-07:00

After a long day of pond cleaning, I thought I would make a few comments while its still fresh in my mind.

First, unless you really, really want to, don't put rock in the bottom of your pond. It really is a maintenance nightmare. Some say that this rock will act as your biological filter, unless you have a lot of gph moving through your pond it won't. Everything that dies or floats to the bottom of your pond will turn to unhealthy anaerobic material. Than you have to take all that rock out to really clean your pond. Secondly, all that pretty rock you just paid for, is covered in algae and looks the same as the liner you covered.

Second, keep ALL plants in a pot. Just like the liner, that pot will be covered in algae and blend in soon enough. I just spent two hours pulling iris and cat tails out of sulfur smelling muck. If it had been potted, it would have taken ten minutes. Lilies and marginals can jump pots, but a knife and repotting can take care of that in a few minutes per plant.

Third, don't put out you hyacinth and other tropicals yet. I'm in the midwest with a week of freezing nights in the forcast, even though it was almost 80 today. Don't be fooled by the warm weather early, you'll have to buy your plants twice. And as far as tropical lilies, make sure the water is conistently around 70 degrees, it won't do much of anything until the water temperature raises.

Of course all of these suggestions are regionally based, and there are different points of view, especially with rocked ponds. Each region and individual pond has its own ecosystems, ask around and see what works best for ponders around you. I do quite a few maintenance jobs a season, so I have first hand experience with these things, and I would gladly clean three un-rocked and only pottend ponds than one rocked pond with unpotted plants. Something to think about.

Spring Clean Up?

2007-03-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

Looking outside its hard to believe that there were 5 to 7 foot drifts of snow last week. From blizzard to 6o something in a week, thats midwest weather for you. As far as water gardens are considered, these warm streaks make you want to get in and do some work. While most people do a thorough cleaning in the Spring, think about a light cleaning in the spring and a big cleaning in the fall. Why?
This time of year your fish are coming off of a long period of not eating and near hibernation. They could be sick or simply more susceptible to disease in this weakened state. Now, if you have no fish or bring them in during the winter, you have no issues.
When ever you do a cleaning there is going to be some anaerobic bacteria and other nasty stuff that gets stirred up. This gunk has amonia and other harmful stuff for fish. Now this is always in the pond, but when it gets stirred up, combined with weak fish, there can be damage done to gills and even kill your fish.
If you do want to do a thorough cleaning this spring there are a few things you can do to limit the stress on your fish. Take your fish out before you start to clean, like I said before, when you stir that gunk up there can be bad side-effects. Fill your fish container (at least partially) with old pond water. This will limit the likelihood of shocking the fish due to temprature or water quality changes. And following that line of thought, make sure to acclimate them to the new water just as you would when you buy a new fish. It may be their home pond, but its completely new water.

Link List Added

2007-03-02T12:56:00.000-08:00

I just added a link list that includes the best of the best in the nation. If these guys can't help you, you're probably beyond help. Hopefully I've covered a pretty good geographic area and at least on of them is close to you. If not, check the member list on the NAPP page. Well, I've got to get back to shoveling the four feet drifts in my front yard. Talk to you soon.

Other Water Features

2007-02-26T10:43:00.000-08:00

I want to catch some of you up on other water features. If you are not in the market for a full water garden, you can still have the sight and sound of water. No matter what your budget, you can get a disappearing fountain, pond-less waterfall, or desk top fountain.

Disappearing fountains are often pieces of pottery turned into a beautiful water feature. These features can be put into any setting, inside or out. Their basin can be burried so the water seems to be 'disappearing' into the ground, or they can have beautiful tiled or wooden basins. Check out my page and look for the disappearing fountains link. We have many pictures and examples on the page. Also check out www.nelsonwatergardens.com in Houston and watersedge.com in Lawrence, Kansas, they are some of the original disappearing fountain people.

Pond-less water falls are another recently popular water feature. These pieces are beautiful additions to any backyard. They give you the beauty of a water fall, without the size requirements or maintenance of a full body of water. Be careful with these features though, there are a few things that you must know, so make sure they have done this before. Once again I could do a how section on these, but I'm just getting you started today. We also have some examples of these features on our web site, and most water garden specialists have at least some experience with them.

Finally table top and 'other' fountains are the last option we will discuss. This is probably the most competitive feature on the market, and the most options too. Anyone that has looked around a Home Depot or Lowes has seen inexpensive fountains. These are not 'quality' fountains, but if you can't drop over 75 dollars they are an option. There are many better options from many sources, just take a look around on the net or a specialized retail store. There are beautiful copper fountains and ceramic bowls with bamboo spouts. It just takes a little searching.

If you have any questions about these features just post a comment and I'll be sure to respond quickly. Or check out my website, www.pondibilities.com

2007-02-18T15:28:00.000-08:00

If you are a veteran water gardener this will be old news to you, but if you are thinking about getting involved, or just went through your first year there is one thing you need to know. No matter what you do, there will be algae. Sorry, its just the way it is. And quite frankly, unless you have a well installed Ultra Violet light, algae will grow before your other pond plants are big enough to shade out the algae. There are a couple of things you must decide before you attack your algae problems.

1. Natural or Chemical
2. Ultra Violet Light

There are very good options when it comes to treatment and how to handle algae. You should decide if you wish to use beneficial bacteria and other biological treatments, or treat your water garden chemically. Pond biological boosters can help jump start your pond's ecological balance, but they are not necessary, nor always a great answer. Actually, taking a bucket of established pond water and/or a used filter mat can be as helpful to boosting your beneficial bacteria as anything you can buy. There are many options, such as Aqua-One and many of the Winston products, but make sure they are not heavy in phosphorus. This can actually make the ecology more conducive to algae blooms, it doesn't make sense, but its true. There are many other products and treatments, but these are two of my favorites.
Chemical treatments and other algae-cides are functional treatment options. They will get rid of algae for a certain amount of time, but they are a band-aid. This is also true for biological treatment, but even more so for chemical. Another warning, you can over treat your pond chemically and kill fish or plants, so make sure to read instructions carefully. For instance we had one client use a whole gallon of Aqua-One on a pond when they should have used closer to a quart. It really worked, but we wouldn't recommend this. If it had been a chemical treatment pretty much everything alive in the pond would have died. No matter which road you prefer, getting the right balance of fish, oxygenating plants, and surface plants is the best option to limit algae growth. Unfortunately the first year and early spring these factors are not established before the algae begins to bloom.
Ultra Violet Lights have not been very popular, in many areas, in the past, but these lights are quite simply the best answer for many green water issues. Any algae that travels through the UV light is killed, if the right wattage and flow is considered. Once again, read and follow direction carefully if these are not being installed by a professional. Unfortunately string or angel hair algae is attached to rock and is not affected, but another post will get deeper into that topic. UV lights are more expensive initially, but think about how often you re-apply your treatment. It may cost a good chunk of change to buy the fixture and pump, but its a one time cost, plus replacement bulbs every few years. In the long run, it really isn't that expensive.
All three of these treatment options have had excellent results from different individuals. Believe me, one is not always better than the other, each pond has different variables. Please don't be afraid to try something even if it didn't work for your friend's pond. I wish I could say "product X" will work every time in every situation, but I can't. If someone does, they're trying to sell, not help you. S0, I hope I have explained your options and illuminated what has worked best in my experience. I Good luck.

2007-02-13T10:03:00.000-08:00

Well . . . Blank pages can be daunting so I'll just start typing.

I'm here to educate you, answer question, and maybe even entertain you every once in a while. Watershaping is not the most common title for water gardens and other water features, but it fits best for what I do. There are so many different ways to get water into your back yard or house that calling myself a pond builder kinda limits what I do. I specialize in water features, whether they are water gardens, pondless waterfalls, disappearing fountains or other features. I've been building features for four years and have been surrounded by water features for over ten years. I freely admit I may not be able to answer every single question, but I will be able to connect you with someone who can. Go ahead and ask any questions you have, and I'll do my best. Since this is a new blog, I'll start off the conversation.

There are so many topics to cover that I'll just throw out one that is probably on your mind if you are looking to build a pond.

Can I build this thing or am I going to have to hire someone?

There are so many quality water shapers out there that hopefully you will be able to find one near you. Check the NAPP members list, these are true professionals and specialists that will build a quality and unique feature. (Nat Assc of Pond Pros) If you don't have one in your area, I have two tips to at least narrow your search.

1. Look at the business cards and signage, if 'water falls & ponds' is three or four items down their list of specialties . . . it isn't.

2. If 'kit' is a staple of their vocabulary or they use aquascapes, lets just say your water garden is probably going to look like everyone elses.

If you are a DIY type of person, it can be done. I would suggest talking to a professional and pay for some consulting. Things like depth, marginal shelves, skimmers, uv lights, levels, liner patching, and etc all have tricks and secrets you want to know about. There are so many excelent educational resources online. I'm always looking and will post some more, but here are 5 of the best water shapers and most knowldgeable pros in the nation.

Water's Edge - Kansas
Nelson Water Gardens & Nursery - Texas
Allgood Outdoors / Wakoola - Georgia
Nature's Expression - Kentucky
Nevada Water Gardens - Nevada

I would love to be able to list my own business website on a top five list, but I will offer my own information as a helpful page. www.pondibilities.com Feel free to take a look around and see some of the different options there are for water features. I will also be posting free informational packets and times of workshops and seminars. Thanks.