The pond dig has begun!

[bettasngoldfish]

Looks good @CountryEscape

I find it helps me to understand something better when I have to explain it to someone else.

I see you have a hand pump on the side of your pond. Is that used as a spitter?

 

[CountryEscape]

Yes, JW, I believe it's fine algae, although some of it is maybe 4" long ... it just billows out from the sides and everything. It's covering the lily pots, but those are growing now, and emerging from the algae, so it will all take time to balance out.
Yes, that's a hand pump, Betta, and I WANT to make it a small spitter/waterfall, but so far have not gotten that done. LOL With the wind I get here, I'd have to be very careful to use it on the edge, as the winds can easily blow the water right back out of the pond.
I did hook up my waterfall tonight. I scooped up about 2 gallons of "dirt" from inside the skippy filter, all nice and dry and looked like topsoil! Just kind of banged the bags of scrubbies and tubing on a wall to get most of the stuff off of them, and tossed them back into the filter. The water coming up through it was crystal clear. The low part of the waterfall is a "pool", and water stood in that all winter with no movement, and was a little stagnant ... duh! So, I turned on my aerator for a while to add some oxygen to the water as that water gets freshened up.
The koi were extremely happy with the warm temps this morning and sunshine. Me, too!!! That is a hippo that I got for Christmas, and it's floating right where I normally feed the koi. They were picking at it, and I told them to keep it clean. LOL

 

[addy1]

Great looking fish, mine are still hiding

 

[Lisak1]

Our fish are up sunning themselves near the top, but zoom back to the bottom if we approach the pond. Although yesterday our big girl started tracking me around the pond - she's the one the rest follow and take their cues from. So I think all the fond memories are coming back!

 

[CountryEscape]

My goldfish have been swimming around everytime the ice left the pond, but the koi never came to the top until it got really warm about 3 weeks ago. When the temps went down, so did the koi. They are low again this evening, because temps are going down to 34 tonight, darn it. But, back up to upper 60's by Sunday. Yes, Lisa, seems once you have one friendly fish, the others follow. I fed the koi, they were happy, fed the goldfish, they were thrilled! I think the goldfish have been much more active, and probably hungrier. Only gave each pond about 1/4 what I normally feed when I'm feeding in full swing, and I'm feeding cold weather food. In time they will get the good stuff again.
Put some Pond Perfect in koi pond, as lots of green fluffy algae on the walls and bottom. Just wanted to clean up some of it, and man the skimmer needs to be cleaned out twice a day for the green goo. I don't see any of it floating, but it must be loosening and moving in the water column, to be sucked in by the skimmer.

 

[addy1]

Post where you get it form in case someone wants to buy some, CE local or shipped?

 

[CountryEscape]

I got it on-line, from Empire Aquatics. It doesn't hurt plants or fish, is a natural bacteria, helps boost the good stuff early in the season, and that's the only time I use it. Here is the website: http://www.empireaquatics.com/Pond-Perfect-p/tlcpondp1gal.htm It's on sale for $49.95. I was off slightly on the price. Pretty sure it was $80+ at the local pet shop, where I first purchased it.

 

[CountryEscape]

Had a great time with my landscaping guru girlfriend today at Prairie Gardens in Champaign. I spent too much money, but that's what tax refunds are for, to do something nice for ourselves, right? Anyhow, got several fun items, including a Variegated white and green Japanese Water Iris. It looks like it is going to have a purple/blue flower, which I already have. I'm hoping, however, that it has a different style of iris flower than my other irises. I saw a Japanese Iris at the Missouri Botanical gardens two years ago in spring, and have been trying to find those ever since. Very different type of flower, much more beautiful, IMO.

Also got a white pine that grows very slow, and the new growth is yellow. And was a sucker to try again to grow the beautiful Pieris Japonica. The one next to the white pine has the deep pink new leaves, and it also has small white fragrant flowers in the spring. I got two others that have green/white leaves, and the white flowers, too.

And a "Color Guard" yellow and green yucca plant. I chose well, as there are I think 3 plants in this pot, so got 3 for the price of one!

Forgot to take a pic, but got a Variegated Sweet Iris (yellow/green, wider blades than the Japanese Water Iris) that says "fragrant" on the label. Wondering if it might be a Sweet Flag ... Colleen? I'll take a pic of the tag and plant and let you decide.

 

[haver79]

Nice assortment of plants CE..
Pretty Koi too. I sure would like to add a small bog this year but not sure where to put it.

 

[j.w]

Nice plants CE. I have the variegated Yucca. Make sure you put it somewhere where you don't care if it makes more babies cuz it will!

 

[CountryEscape]

OK, here it is. Variegated Sweet Iris. Colleen, does your Sweet Flag look like this, or different? I'm guessing it can go in the bog, but since there are about 12 plants, I'll be trying several in different way

s in the ponds.

 

[CountryEscape]

And guess what??? I went downstairs to bring up the elephant ear plants I started about a month ago, and noticed that the Christmas Cactus that someone on here gave me starts of, is getting ready to bloom! Evidently it is an Easter cactus. Now, if I could only remember who sent me the starts! Here are a couple of pics, one of 3 buds on a branch of the Easter Cactus (there is actually a Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter cactus, each is a little different) and the other type she gave me which is more of a zig-zag type. I hope she is maybe following this thread, and will remember sending them to me. I sent her some pond plants, and she wanted to reciprocate.

 

[addy1]

Mine bloom in november and all popping out flowers right now. They seem to do it when they feel like it.

 

[CountryEscape]

I think someone on the gardeners site said to put them in a cool place for a month or so before you want it to bloom. Mine has been in my basement for about 3 months. LOL I just was bringing some of the plants upstairs when I noticed the buds.

 

[sissy]

The yucca I have and here in the winter it turns pink and coral but in 6 years it has not grown at all .I think I may have to move it .I don't think it likes where it is at .I have iris and have had to divide it every year and it takes over every spot .I moved most of it to the drainage ditch in front of my house .Not sure which iris I have any more because they were given to me .But they choked out my cannas and my elephant ears