We decided to redo our pond this year, again, as my husband would say.   It was a long weekend project but its complete now and with a few minor changes here and there will be so much better than the old one.  Mostly the problem I had with the other one was all the rocks in the pond which made it hard getting in and out.  Pretty slippery….so we decided to remove all the rocks and make the shelf larger and the bottom flat instead of sloped around the edges.  Much easier for getting in and out for the tasks of trimming plants and fertilizing them.  We changed our waterfall to enter from a different angle with a long stream bed flowing into the pond.  Much more tranquil and natural.  This will still give me a nice bog area to plant bog plants in.   Its been a couple weeks and the plants are finally starting to adjust.  Now just need to get the bacteria going to clear it up more. What a difference one month makes!

I started this blog a couple weeks ago and then things got busy so now I have updated pictures of the pond and wow did it perform.  Everything is growing well and I must say the plants and fish are happy. The water is crystal clear and the plants are looking so healthy.  I already see a lotus bud on the Mrs. Perry Slocum in just 4 weeks time. Check out my Albert Greenberg.

They contain beneficial microbes (bacteria and mold cultures), which eliminate excess problem-causing nutrients from your pond.  They also contain microbes, which provide the comprehensive removal of bottom sludge.  The microbes will not only degrade cellulose (one of the primary components of plants wastes), but will also eliminate pectin (fibrous materials also found in plants), xylanase (found in various parts of plants also), and most importantly lignin (the heartiest component in leaves and stems of plants).

Bio-Clean microbial pond clarifiers include two very specific cultures for removing excess, problem-causing ammonia, urea, nitrites and nitrates from the pond water.   Bio-Clean contains microbes for achieving odor control, by eliminating the dead and decaying organic wastes causing the odors.

Water Clarity – Bio-Clean also utilizes microbes to achieve water clarity.  Water clarity is accomplished when the microbes eliminate the dead and decaying organic wastes, which float in the water as suspended solids.  As these organic wastes are removed, water clarity drastically increases (from virtually no clarity, up to 6+ foot depth of clarity after only a few treatments.

Usage:  One 3 oz Bio-Clean tablet per 2500-3000 gallons of water or 20 per surface acre of water per month.  You apply around the edges of the pond.

With spring upon us its important to check on your fish.  Its a critical time for them when they start coming out of dormancy.  They are more likely to become vulnerable to illness unless proper steps are taken.   When coming out of dormancy their bodies are low on the important nutrients needed to help ward of diseases. 

First make sure you clean your pond out of all debris and sludge at the bottom.  Microbe-Lift makes a good product called Sludge Away which can help. You can at this time replace about 30% of your pond water.  If using tap water make sure you add a water conditioner to remove heavy metals, chlorine, and chloramines found in most tap water.  If using tap water that goes through a softener this adds salt and its not necessary to add a water conditioner.

Its important to maintain a healthly ecosystem throughout the pond season.  This will help maintain healthly fish and keep your pond clear and free of algae.  Add a good beneficial bacteria, such as Microbe-Lift PL to your pond water regularly.   Its amazing how this can help you keep your pond balanced.

Well its 2011 and we’re all getting excited about the New Year.  Making those new year resolutions and thinking about the changes we want to make this year.  I don’t think I’ve ever kept most of the resolutions I have made over the years.  I do really good starting out but then by about March I forget most of them.

I always look forward to January as I start to think about my favorite time of the year.  I’ve been busy but mostly knitting those last minute gifts for Christmas for family and friends.  Its about time to put down the needles and start thinking about the pond plants for the upcoming year. 

Its been cold in Ohio but the past few days we’ve have temps in the 50s giving the ponds enough warmth to start melting the ice.  I noticed this morning a few fish at the surface.  They better get back to the bottom as the temps are going to start falling again later today.  

This was a picture I took at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens earlier this year.  A giant dragonfly….I never miss an opportunity to get another picture of a dragonfly or another dragonfly period. I received some gifts again this Christmas from family and friends to add to my collection of dragonflies.  I still prefer to be standing by my pond capturing the live dragonflies.

Floating Alligator here

With spring here and hardly any coverage on our ponds it gives those predators a clear picture of our fish swimming about.  Until we can get some coverage to at least help in protecting our fish these items help.

Check out the gator!

When cleaning your filter pads, lava rock or bio blox, care should be taken as to not kill the beneficial bacteria living there. Never use chlorinated water to clean filter pads, or if it is necessary to do so, try to stagger cleaning different pads at different intervals. Rinsing the filter media  in a bucket of pond water will allow some of the bacteria to remain alive. We recommend adding beneficial bacteria after cleaning, and monthly to keep a thriving colony of bacteria in your filtration media. Bacteria is available in either liquid or dry.

Microbe-Lift  makes a bacteria for each season. Each is formulated to work in the water temperatures of spring, summer and fall/winter.  Microbe-Lift Spring/Summer Cleaner is a seasonal approach to the proper organic balance in your pond. It contains cool weather bacteria that will help to jump start your pond to a healthier environmentin the spring. Once the water temperatures have reached above 55 degrees, Microbe-Lift P/L (liquid bacteria cultures) or Microbe-Lift Tac (dry bacteria cultures) can be added. Both are specially formulated for water gardens to promote clean, clear pond water. Adding bacteria to your pond this season will significantly improve water quality and appearance. 

Check your pond to make sure there are no tears or leaks in your pond liner.  Check around the edges of your pond to make certain the ground has not settled, and your pond is not leaking around the perimeter.  Check out all your tubing, connections, pond pumps and filters to make sure they are all secure and working properly.  If you have left your pump run throughout the winter make sure it is working properly.  And for those who have turned off their pumps, you should check and clean them thoroughly. Turn your pump back on once the water temperatures are consistently above freezing which is around 40-45 degrees.

Remove any debris that has accumulated in your pond during the fall and winter. For those of you that have a pond vac, now is the best time to use those to rid your pond of small unwanted particles.  You can begin putting MicrobeLift Spring and Summer in your pond to help with the cleanup.  MicrobeLift Spring and Summer contains cold weather bacteria cultures that will work in the cooler water temperatures of spring. This will start establishing  good bacteria and help accelerate the break down of debris.  The spring rains help to flush your ponds, so if possible drain some of the water out of your pond and let the rain rinse and fill it up. 

Once everything has been checked out you can begin thinking about feeding your fish, if you have them, and dividing some of the pond plants that have out grown their planting containers.  We will discuss this in our next addition to Here Comes Spring.

Don’t be fooled by Mother Nature.  We need to make sure it is warm enough outside, and make sure our pond water is warm enough for the plants to survive.  Knowing your pond temperature is crucial, so begin by checking your pond water temperature at different times of the day.  The pond water is cooler in the morning and warmer in the afternoon but will cool down again in the evening.  Knowing what the consistant temperature of your pond water is important before adding the pond plants. 

The first plants most of us want to put in are those that will help us keep the pond clear, such as floating plants like water hyacinths and water lettuce.  Cold water will kill both of these in a matter of days if the water temperature is still too cold.  We need to make sure the water temperature is consistent and reaches 65 degrees and stays there morning, afternoon and evening before we add floating  plants. 

There are other things we must do first that will keep us busy, such as adding beneficial bacteria to help keep our pond clear.  The good bacteria, such as MicrobeLift PL neutralizes ammonia and nitrites, and will start to work when the water temperature are 50-55 degrees.  If  you add  bacteria, it will stay in the pond and start working when the pond water is warm enough.  It acts on its own and will stay un-activated until it knows to start working.  For those of us who use barley, now is the right time to start adding it.  This will also help retard the growth of string algae in the Spring months.

The list goes on and on.  While all of us are anxious to add the pond plants there are still several things to do prior to this.  I will be posting articles in the next few days with spring tips for our ponds.

Stay tuned!