Wisconsin Pond Build

[herzausstahl]

Tmann,
Thanks, I think I'll try that along with sissy's idea of the pea gravel, and probably through JW's kitty litter in the mix to see what works best. What did you use to tie yours?

Jennywren,
Thanks! How is life down under? Never been there myself but an old boss of mine would go every year for a few months in winter and my brother has been there a couple of times. He also lived with the Kiwi's for a year and half. It all looked like an awesome place.

 

[sissy]

I had kitty litter in the bottom of mine but of course the koi dug until they got to it and then what a mess ,koi are destroyers .I tried oyster shells also and the bottom of my pond is covered in oyster shells .I don't mind that because it keeps the water stable .I put some oyster shells in my plants out side the pond and they got bigger this year than ever before .I also spilled some of the ground up oyster shells on my lawn and just racked them into the lawn and the grass grew like crazy in the spot because of the calcium .

 

[addy1]

I like the kitty litter for lilies and lotus, my bog is all pea gravel. Don't think I would soil in the pond unless you are sure it won't float, and what is in it.

 

[j.w]

Ha ha addy in your last sentence.........................I was tempted to say "poop floats" but won't............oh wait just did.........couldn't help myself,lol!

 

[sissy]

poop floats LMAO jw shame on you I would never say that .I had no luck with kitty litter koi just made a mess ,but don't understand once I put the oyster shells and then the pea gravel then the lava rock on top aggie and bert left them go .

 

[addy1]

Ha ha addy in your last sentence.........................I was tempted to say "poop floats" but won't............oh wait just did.........couldn't help myself,lol!

Well yeah jw it does..............don't think the fish would like it.

poop floats LMAO jw shame on you I would never say that .I had no luck with kitty litter koi just made a mess ,but don't understand once I put the oyster shells and then the pea gravel then the lava rock on top aggie and bert left them go .

my fish leave the kitty litter alone, but no koi

 

[sissy]

gosh when they got in my pots with kitty litter my water was whitish grey for a week .At least with the oyster shells and pea gravel they have left them alone .I'm not sure if it is because of the lava rock on top or what .

 

[taherrmann4]

Tmann,
Thanks, I think I'll try that along with sissy's idea of the pea gravel, and probably through JW's kitty litter in the mix to see what works best. What did you use to tie yours?

I think the stuff I have is called jute (sort of like twine), next year I will try this stuff called parachute cord it is the stuff that they use on parachutes and I have some where i take it backpacking with me it is very strong. The jute will eventually rot but I take it out every spring and replace it.

Addy and Sissy when I was trying to grow my lotus seeds I used clay kitty litter and had it in the pond for a few months now and it looks like it has just disappeared into the water, do you gals have this same issue?

 

[sissy]

I had to take my pots out with clay litter my koi just rooted it out and made a mess I changed to oyster shells and pea gravel .Oyster shells on the bottom and then pea gravel on top and then some larger pieces of lava rock on top and after that they did not touch them

 

[herzausstahl]

Thank you ladies! I was planning on using pea gravel or cat litter. My only issue with cat litter comes from that it is all clay (some called Diatomaceous Earth), but some is fired and some is not. The fired stuff should hold up better when exposed to water than the other stuff. This I learned when trying to make Bonsai soil. A lot of people use cat litter/oil dry to take the place of akadema that is traditionally used in Japan where it is readily available but costly here. The idea is they are looking for a material that holds moisture well while maintaining its shape so that excess water can drain freely through it bringing oxygen to the roots as it goes. The biggest thing they look for is if it can maintain its shape through time and freeze cycles. Some guys will put some in a bowl of water and let it sit for awhile to see if it maintains its shape. The bad stuff will turn to mush, which isn't bad for bonsai where they look for the thin fibrous roots, but would potentially choke the roots of a water plant (I would think). JW, has yours turned to mush at all since you've used it or do you repot them every year? I like the idea of cat litter as the plant baskets would be lighter with it, just need to find one that won't go to mush on me. I have thought about oil dri as I know it can be used with plants (I have some in my soil mix for my beginner Bonsai but am still a huge novice in the art), but can't remember if their are chemicals in it or not, I think the only human warnings are for breathing in the tiny bit of Silica dust that is in, but I could always rinse it before using it. The nice thing about Oil Dri is that it's Diatomacous Earth and fired so it should hold its shape for the most part. I also only have goldfish so I should be ok.

Tmann,
I think my above explanation might explain your issue with the cat litter. Thanks for the Jute, if I can't find it I'm sure my mother (who has been gardening around her for years) will know where to get it.

 

[taherrmann4]

Herz,
Yes that does thanks...

How long have you been doing Bonsai. I might have to ask you some newbe questions about this hobby as I have been giving it some thought.

 

[sissy]

interesting info on oil dri herz .

 

[herzausstahl]

Tmann,
I got interested about 3 years ago, got a bunch of books, and the first trees I styled like they showed in the books, and they all died shortly after. Lesson learned, the books have a lot of info on styles, but they show all the steps at once, which over stresses the trees and they die. So I turned to the net and found a lot of good info. So this past year I finally had trees survive the winter. Will try to post some pics in the next couple days. Did kinda slack on them this summer with the pond though. No big deal, I will concentrate on them more next spring and catch up on pruning and styling. It is an interesting hobby, but takes time getting used to. The hardest part is patience!
Here is a good website I used in the past: http://www.evergreengardenworks.com/articles.htm There is a lot of good free info there. Soil is the fun part! I probably overthought it a lot, lol, but have something that works. But it is different for everywhere. Here is another site from a guy in the UK: http://www.bonsai4me.com/ These two have a lot for beginners. Good luck!

Thanks sissy! I will let you know how it works in the pond next spring since I have it for my Bonsai soil mix. Another product I left out is Turface, its used in sports fields to aid in drainage, and a lot of Bonsai enthusiests swear by it. I haven't used it yet because I haven't felt like driving the half hour for the place around here that sells it.

 

[sissy]

There is a place that sells bonsai here called Dana's garden center about 30 minutes from my house ,I will have to check her out when I go to Danville .The place is in Blairs just outside Danville .I will try to remember to take my camera

 

[herzausstahl]

Sissy,
There is a Bonsai club here in town, but I have never gotten around to checking them out. A guy on the garden walk here practiced the hobby and had some nice looking ones. Nothing that was really far along for the pros but nice for an amateur. The hardest part is watering, luckily I don't live in an area where the soil could dry out real easy so that helps and my soil mix is set up to help that too. Been lucky so far, only lost a couple this summer cus I went against the rules I've learned and tried to repot them kinda late. But live and learn. I use garden stock for mine since that is what I am limited too and usually try to get them on sale or clearance.

Here is my set up so far, just put this together this summer. Its to the right of the deck by the pond.


Here is a grow area I left to plant some in the ground so they can grow/thicken faster.



Here are two that I wired last year and should have trimmed back this year but will do it next year. They are done in the Fukinagashi (Windswept) Style. They would be considered almost to big for Shohin (miniature) Bonsaii, but not large enough for regular Bonsai (proportions aren't big enough yet).