The capture and storage of rain water is becoming more critical as local water sources such as lakes, reservoirs and groundwater continue to decline despite regular rain events. Demand is becoming greater than the supply and the rains that do fall on our ground are lost. Rainwater is actually flowing away from the area it falls on due to development. Water cannot soak into asphalt, concrete or shingles. It flows very quickly off of these surfaces and in the process it carries a variety of pollutants from dust and dirt to oils, fertilizers and pesticides. This mixture flows quickly into storm sewers and in some cases, ponds and streams. Continue reading »
It is that time of year to think about putting your pond to sleep for the winter. When water temperatures reach 55 degrees you should stop feeding the fish until spring. Once you stop feeding your fish in the fall you should not give them any more food until the water temps reach above 55 degrees and that will not happen until spring.
Closing the pond down in the fall is an easy process. If you choose not to keep the water garden running all winter then you need to pull the pump out, add a supply of oxygen for the fish, clean out the biofalls and forget about it till spring.
Here at Chester Hollow we try to prolong it as long as possible. Watch the weather for extended days of freezing. Usually during the month of November is when we start shutting down our ponds.
The process consists of:
Pulling the pump from the skimmer (or pond)
Putting it in a 5 gallon bucket of water and storing it in your basement (or non freezing area) for the winter
Remove filter pads and/or debri net, clean and store for the winter
Remove any filter pads, filter media from the biofalls, clean and also store in a dry place for the winter months. That way all product will be ready for installation in the spring.
If you have fish you need to keep a hole open and supply them with oxygen. I usually do that with an aerator or pump sitting on your shelf bubbling the service of the water. A hole needs to be kept open on the surface of the pond in order for the toxic gasses to escape from the pond and supply the fish with oxygen for the winter. Even though the fish seem to be sleeping they are still producing waste that needs to escape from the pond. If you plan on going on vacation then you can add a heater to the pond in order to keep the hole open in the surface. Just remember, fish need oxygen and air exchange during the winter months.
Please contact us if you have any questions about closing your pond for the winter.
If you have kids in the house, you have probably heard the words, “Can we get a pet?” and felt a sense of dread; Cat hair, dog hair, cleaning-up after them, and wondering who will take care of your extended family while you are on a much needed vacation.
The young, old, and in between may find that fish are actually the perfect pet. No, I am not talking about the ones in an aquarium – I’m talking Koi! Here’s a little background on these watery favorite friends… Continue reading »
‘Paperwhites’ or Narcissus tazetta is easy to find right now just about anywhere. They are the easiest of the daffodils to force indoors because they don’t need as much of a cooling period as most of the Narcissus species or other bulbs. They can help brighten
your winter days and help you look forward to the time when you can take them outdoors to add to your landscape.
Once outdoors, a great place for them is near a deciduous tree or shrub as they do like a little sun light and then will be more obscured when buds start to emerge on their neighbors. Please don’t be tempted to cut off dying foliage! Let them soak up the sun as much as they can to help establish them and let them store energy for next year.
And when they do come up next year, they make great cut flowers!
Beautiful blues and reds are trademarks often found in one of the oldest varieties of Nishikigi (Koi) – Asagi. An Asagi Koi will have blue reticulated scales above the lateral line (on top) these blues can range from lighter shades to almost a deep navy. With a light or white outline, if the blue scales are lined up right they will form a beautiful net-like pattern. The underside will have red or deep orange color which may also be found on the fins, gill covers, and mouth.
For the more serious hobbyist, perfect reticulation of the scale pattern with balanced, sharp and uniform accent coloring, and an
unblemished head will make for a more desirable specimen.
Schedule your Pond Clean-out
While snow may be on the ground, and our fishy friends are still in their winter slumber, we are already gearing up to do Spring Clean-outs! We book up early and fast, so contact us now for details on how to make sure your pond is ready to look its best when the temperatures get warm.
When you are planning and building your garden pond, there is no magical depth of water in which fish will magically survive. A simple fact however is that a 6′ fish will pollute one cubic foot of water much faster than it can pollute two or three cubic feet of water. While waterlilies require surface area, your pond fish require total water volume. Continue reading »
March (or whenever the water becomes a liquid and seems likely to stay that way) is the time to invest in some of that “Spring Fever” in your pond. After checking the connections to your filter, turn on the pump and add the first dose of beneficial bacteria to the water. Continue reading »
