Landscaping & Gardening Information | home | site map | contact us |
Keeping the Balance of Nature: Pond Water Maintenance
You might be tempted to let Mother Nature, tend to your backyardpond, and who could blame you? After all, she does a pretty goodjob of taking care of really big ponds, so why would yourbackyard ecosystem pose much of a challenge to her? Unfortunately, the fact is your backyard pond is only going toget some cursory attention from Mom; the rest of the work isgoing to be left up to you. In the "real world" chlorinated water doesn't find its way intoponds very often. "Big" pond water passes through a great manynatural filtration and oxygenation systems, and the various fishand flora work together to keep the pond clean and fresh. Ourbackyard ponds don't have quite that much help, so here's whereyou need to step in: If you are going to keep fish then you absolutely must remove alltraces of chlorine from your pond before your favorite Koi set uphousekeeping. Pond fish cannot live in chlorinated water so don'teven try. There are many products available to remove chlorinequickly, or you can opt for the old-fashioned, natural way if youhave the time to spend. If you opt for 'a la natural' then expect to wait about 8 to 10days for the chlorine to dissipate. You will need to make surethat your pump and filter are running and that you have set up anaerating method such as a waterfall or "splasher" to bring oxygeninto the water. Make sure that the pond is exposed to plenty ofsunlight (the natural enemy of chlorine), and use a chlorinetesting kit to check the water daily. Me? I just drop some de-chlorinating product into the pond andcheck back the next day. Even if chlorine is totally removed, you still have nitrite andammonia to worry about. These two toxic buddies are byproducts offish waste and can wreak havoc with your Koi's health. After awhile Mother Nature will kick in some help by allowing beneficialbacteria colonies to develop that enjoy eating nitrite andammonia for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They won't be present innew ponds, however, unless you buy some bacteria starter kits tokick start the process. Your garden pond could become overtaxed, ecologically, if you addtoo many fish too quickly. Start out adding no more than two perweek so that the newly introduced bacteria do not get overwhelmedby the waste that will be produced. Just when you think you've got it all under control that uglything called "pH" raises its head. Testing for pH levels is alsovery important since neither plants nor fish will survive verylong if the pond's pH is out of whack. Your pH test kit shouldshow a reading of between 6.8 and 7.4. You can add the properchemicals to raise or lower if as neccessary. Speaking of test kits, get one that will allow you to test thepond'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 abigger hand and you can settle into a routine of testing everythree of four weeks unless something serious, such as flooding,has occurred in between. Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several
MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting |
RELATED ARTICLES
Ship Ahoy! The Nautical Touch in Your Outdoor Living Space Would you rather be sailing or are you strictly a shore bird? Whether you're land-locked or seaside, you can create a nautical look in your outdoor living space by following a few easy principles. You'll find that even landlubbers can answer the siren song of the sea. How to Grow Bananas If your grocer says, "Yes, we have no bananas. We have no bananas today," it isn't surprising since the banana is the world's second favorite fruit, surpassed in popularity only by the apple. Garden for Birds #4 I would like to know.. Letting Nature Grow Your Garden It is wisest to let Nature have Her way. Nature has her own agenda, and your life as a gardener will be easier if you bow to Her desires. Patio Accessories - Complete The Great Outdoors Patio accessories can range from small to large and of all types of materials and styles depending on your garden décor. Outdoor entertaining on the patio or backyard has skyrocketed in the last few years as people are treating their patios as outdoor rooms. Tips for Backyard Fish Ponds Care Installing a backyard fish pond is an aesthetic addition to your landscaping and offers a bit of tranquility as well. However, taking care of backyard fish ponds is not as easy as one might think. Gardening Vertically: Fad, Emerging Frontier or Long-Overlooked Art Form Sure, it makes sense that there's a buzz about vertical gardening-there are lots more of us to feed these days with much less productive land. "Let's make the best use of our diminishing resources," many are saying. Using Annuals in Your Perrenial Garden Annuals in your pernnial garden are something to think about! Annuals give you season long color, easy propogation, they're cost efficient, and provide first season interest.If you're just starting a perennial garden annuals are a great choice to fill in gaps. Water Conservation in the Garden - Use a Rain Barrel to Harvest Rainwater If you are a gardener you probably already do a bit composting to recycle yard and kitchen waste. This homemade "Black Gold" does wonders for your plants and soil. 7 Factors Needed for a Compost Pile Compost, made from decomposed grass clippings, leaves, twigs, and branches, becomes a dark, crumbly mixture of organic matter.Learn how composting works. The Importance of Garden Decor The Quest for SignificancePeople are looking for ways to add significance, peace of mind, a quality experience, and an escape from the "rat-race" in their lives. Stated differently, people want to add depth and meaning to their lives. Patios And Garden Pavers Is your concrete or asphalt driveway an eyesore? Do you need to create an attractive retaining wall? Although most people use garden pavers to create patios, driveways and other hardscaping elements are often created using garden pavers, as well.More and more homeowners are tearing up their cracked and stained concrete or asphalt driveways. Pest Control Tips for Maintaining Your Greenhouse Greenhouses provide a warm, humid atmosphere and are home to a variety of different plants and flowers which is why they are a perfect target for insects. There are numerous types of insects which will want to live in your greenhouse and feed off of the wonderful plants and flowers which you have put so much time and effort into maintaining. 9-11 Changed Everything for the Garden Tractor Business While traveling the US and occasionally taking the back highways one might have seen an interesting trend. That is the proliferation of the Lawn Garden tractors. With So Many Choices For Patio Furniture, Finding The Perfect Set To Complement Your Yard Is Easy There is nothing more relaxing than kicking back with a cold drink on a hot summer day. Or unwinding with a big backyard barbeque with all of your neighbors. Dill: Scandinavias Most Important Culinary Herb The ancient herb, Anethum graveolens or Fernleaf dill as it is commonly known, was mentioned some 5,000 years ago in early Egyptian writings. It is the most important culinary herb in Scandinavia, as popular as parsley is in other parts of the world. Introduction to Aquaponics Hydroponics and aquaponics are very similar in every way except hydroponics requires the addition of fertilizer and there's no fish in the nutrient solution.In aquaponics, plants and fish live a symbiotic life with the fish feeding the plants, and the plants cleaning and filtering the fish's environment. Pine Furniture Care Guide First, some background on PINE WOOD. Pine is a naturally soft wood which continues to "breathe", based upon changes in the local (home, office, store, etc. Backyard Landscaping When most people think of landscaping, they think of a beautifully decorated front yard. But what about the back? There are many reasons why you should consider backyard landscaping, if you have not already. Liner Ponds versus Folding Preformed Ponds IntroductionSo you've decided to build your very own backyard water garden. You are in the process of actively planning out your design, and you're visualizing the end-result. |
home | site map | contact us |