[MWG] Today's Pond Q&A
------------------------------- Today's Pond Q&A In this issue: - WATER CANNAS - CAN THEY LIVE WITHOUT SOIL? - OVERWINTERING GOLDFISH - LAST YEAR THEY WEREN'T SO LUCKY ----------------------------- Question> Do they have to be planted in soil or can they live in just water? My plants are so large that they have busted out their container and need a new one, I just wondered if they would grow in my pond in a container with no dirt. Thanks, - Mary _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ Visit our other websites: www.pond-filters-online.com http://www.4-pond-pumps.com _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ Answer> They will do well in either a soilless mixture or pebbles, but not with nothing to anchor them. They don't need soil. My bog consists of sand with an overlay of medium sized smooth stones. They loved it. I had a very difficult time removing them. They were crowding out the lotus. But they need something to anchor them or they will blow over, no? - Carolyn == Question> Last year I left my goldfish in my pond which is 36" deep thru the winter. The water never froze completely - they made it through the winter fine, but when it started to get warm the fish got a milky white cover over their bodies and then died. I have no place to put them if I take them from the pond because of their size - any ideas on what happened to the ones last year so I may make every effort to keep it from happening to my fish this year? Thanks, - Mary == Answer> Sounds like the parasites woke up first. It is impossible to tell for sure without doing a scraping of a live fish, before it dies, but my guess is Ick. It can wreak havoc in a spring pond. Or, you fed your fish on a sunny day not realizing it takes 4 days for the fish to digest the food. Any undigested food will putrefy in their system and kill them when they wake up. In the case of parasites or disease, the fish will respond with an increased slime coat to protect themselves. This too can appear as a "film" on the fish. You already said you had plants in the water and they were in dirt. This is fertile ground (no pun intended) for overwintering parasites and bacteria. As I mentioned in my response to your question about the water cannas, removing any soil will help your fish. Soil borne pathogens are difficult to deal with in a man-made pond. This year, by having the pond very clean before the winter and maintaining cleanliness throughout the winter will be the most important thing you can do for the fish. Cover the pond to keep out leaves. Remove any dead vegetation in and around the water. Overwinter any potted plants elsewhere. (I.e.- Dig a 2' deep hole next to the pond and drop them in there, pots and all, cover them with leaves or mulch and repot them in the spring in a soilless mixture before putting them back into the water.) Try to put some kind of wind protection over the pond. [I installed a partial cover, consisting of corrugated plastic supported by 2x4's stretched across the pond. The plastic was heavy duty and clear so it made a greenhouse environment in the north side of the pond, keeping not only the wind off the pond but increasing the heat from the sun. Worked great. The pond I have now is almost 7' deep and this is no longer necessary.] Sometimes all it takes is a wooden wind barrier beside the pond. You want the sun on and the wind off the pond. If you are able, use a de-icer on top of the pond for assurance the water doesn't freeze entirely. We never know what kind of winter we are in for. And don't feed at all after the water temperature reaches 50F. No feeding again until the water temperature is stable above 50F in the spring (probably April or May.) - Carolyn == Happy Pondkeeping! Brett Fogle MacArthur Water Gardens www.macarthurwatergardens.com © MacArthur Water Gardens 1698 SW 16th ST Boca Raton, FL 33486 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=- This email is never sent without permission. You (or someone using your email address) bought something from MacArthur Water Gardens, or signed up for our newsletter, affiliate program, mini-course or requested a fr^e report.. The information we have on file is Your name: Friend Your email: If you wish to be removed from this list, simply click once on the link below.
Message Added: September 22nd, 2005 at 1:00 pm
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