Mosquitoes in Your Garden? Try Planting These
September 12, 2008
If you are a serious gardener, you spend lots of time outdoors. And, for sure, you would rather be tending your plants than swatting mosquitoes.
While there are many things you can do to keep mosquitoes away, there are some plants that will beautify your yard and help repel mosquitoes.
As one more way to keep mosquitoes away from you and your yard, try planting these attractive plants.
HORSEMINT
Horsemint has a scent similar to citronella. Horsemint grows wild in most of the Eastern United States, from Mexico, Texas up to Minnesota to Vermont. It is partial to sandy soils and will grow in USDA Zones 5-10. Native Americans used it as a treatment for colds and flu. It has natural fungicidal and bacterial retardant properties because it’s essential oils are high in thymol.
ROSEMARY
Closing Up Your Container Garden
September 9, 2008
All good things eventually come to an end and so summer is waning, even as autumn gives most of us a fresh start. I’ll bet your summer container plantings aren’t really benefiting, though, from the “back to school-oh I love a clean notebook” boost and aren’t dying as gracefully as summer itself is. You’re going to have to help them through this!
Saving Summer
I understand if you just can’t bear the thought of waving good-bye to your wave petunias just yet. That’s okay - you can bring some of your tropical annuals indoors for the winter, to ease the pain of parting with them.
If you have the space, a sunny window and enough moisture, you can save palms, ferns and other tropicals. Likely though, you’ll have more success with taking cuttings and helping your plants clone themselves. (It’s kind of like Day of the Triffids without the evil.)
Mosquito Farms? Is That What Water Gardens Are?
September 6, 2008
What is nicer that a lovely backyard garden pond. The lush growth rising above the water, graceful fish darting about and the soothing sound of the water. These are just a few of the reasons people are drawn to water gardens.
But when you think about adding a water feature to your garden, you are torn, because you know that a charming pond can also be a mosquito hatchery. And, everyone is concerned; rightly, about mosquitoes and the diseases they spread.
It is true, mosquitoes do need water to breed, but at the same time, there are so many effective ways to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in ponds, you should not let that stop you. Water gardeners are in a unique position; they can have wet spaces that can actually help stop mosquitoes from breeding.
Just a few simple precautions are all you need to feel safe and enjoy such a wonderful addition to the landscape.
If you have a water garden, or want one, try these suggestions.
To Salt or Not to Salt Your Pond
September 1, 2008
The important question of whether or not to add salt to your pond is often confusing for beginners and forgotten by experienced pond-keepers. To newbies and pro’s alike we have this to say:
“Add Salt Today to Keep the Fish Doctor Away”
True, there are some negative effects of higher salt levels on plants in the pond, but overall we think it is absolutely the very best thing you can add to your pond in terms of keeping your fish happy and healthy. Salt acts as a natural ’stress coat’ and essentially thickens the slime coat on the fish’s body - which is it’s own natural defense system against bacteria and parasites.
Salt is also very effective in killing bacteria and parasites in the pond. When added in proper doses, salting your pond can dramatically reduce the threat of disease affecting your fish.
It’s just like with humans - we are always exposed to the common cold cells in their body, but can usually resist if their immune system is strong. Similarly, pond fish and KOI are always exposed to some degree of parasite and bacteria presence in the pond, but by keeping their immune system strong and their slime coat thick, you shouldn’t have any problems.
Storm Warnings For Ponds
August 29, 2008
California has earthquakes; we in the south and east coast have hurricanes. One thing we all share is power outages. Ours are usually caused by storms. Most power outages last only a few hours and only happen a few times a year. A hurricane is always a threat that hopefully will never happen or have only a minimal consequence. Flooding may be more common then a power interruption and both can happen at the same time.
A well built well thought out well designed pond will survive a big storm with a long power outage, lots of rain and flooding. This pond also will be less worrisome during the numerous smaller but strong storms. The most obvious and the most popular is the garden pond. It has few fish so it does not need extra filter or aeration. There is enough surface area for oxygen levels to be sufficient. The surfaces of the pond and plants handle the filtration. A koi pond should be able to stand-alone for hours without danger of quick suffocation or toxic waste build up. The key is in the number of fish. Conditions in an over stocked over fed pond will quickly deteriorate. A lesser or under stocked pond will always be healthier, have less maintenance, and survive periods of no power.
What to Feed Your Fish During Colder Winter Months
August 26, 2008
With air and water temperatures dropping in most parts of the country, now is the time to greatly reduce the amount of food you are feeding your fish.
When your water temperature starts falling below 65 degrees, you should consider switching your fish food to a more digestible wheat germ food.
At lower temperatures, the good bacteria in your fish’s digestive tract become less active, and have harder time digesting their normal high-protein diet.
In colder water temperatures, below say 50 - 55 degrees, then you should stop feeding your fish altogether.
Even though they may eat, and seem hungry, you can actually harm them by feeding them their regular diet.
In some cases, undigested food can cause health problems in fish and trouble with their digestive tract.
So don’t feel bad that they are going hungry! Pond fish and KOI can be like little underwater pigs with fins - they will continue to eat because they dont know any better…
About The Author
Winterizing Your Pond
August 22, 2008
For many parts of the country, it’s getting to be that time of year again. Time to start thinking about getting your fish and plants ready for old man winter…
Every year, as the weather gets colder and we start heading into winter, many of our customers ask us how to prepare their ponds for winter. Pond owners should be aware of several simple things to do in preparing their ponds for colder months.
Fish and plants need very different things in the winter, but can be kept in top condition for the following season if the appropriate steps are taken (see related articles).
Fish should be fed less, floating annuals should be thrown out, potted hardy plants should be cut down and moved to the bottom of the pond, filters should be cleaned & drained, and pumps shut off.
Another good practice that we recommend is to do a partial pond cleaning and water change. It’s not necessary to drain the pond completely, but we recommend draining 25% - 50% of the water and net out or remove as much organic debris as possible (IE: leaves, plants, etc.)
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.
