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#207992 - 05/11/08 08:19 AM Continuing my pond experience!
plants 'n pots plants 'n pots Purl One Garden Helper Registered: 11/12/03 Posts: 24083 Loc: Rockland County, NY	The other thread went a tiny bit over so I'm starting a new one. Yesterday, I went to a "new to me" perennial nursery which I'll write about later in Gardener's Chat, but I just had to mention here that I got one of the plants that Carol had suggested! I'm not sure I'll put it by the pond though, because I only got one smallish pot since they were $10 each! It's the blue eyed grass! I was so excited to see that they actually had something that had been recommended here and that I liked - of COURSE I had to get one since it does flower blue! But... according to what Carol copied for me... Quote: Sisyrinchium Angustifolium--(blue-eyed grass) 16 inches high--blue green narrowe leaves appear to be a grass--but is not a true grass. has clusters of blue flowers with yellow eyes--needs to be in a group for best effect.--blooms late spring.--sun It's a shame that I couldn't buy a "group" at that price though... So it might have to go into my "blue" garden instead. (which for now is being taken over by all the new orange annuals I've planted there already - gazanias and zinnias for a start. But blue and orange are on opposite sides of the color wheel so it should work out just fine!) Thanks for letting me know about this plant, Carol! _________________________ ..... .........
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#208118 - 05/11/08 08:09 PM Re: Continuing my pond experience! [Re: plants 'n pots]
plants 'n pots plants 'n pots Purl One Garden Helper Registered: 11/12/03 Posts: 24083 Loc: Rockland County, NY	Welllllllll there's good news and bad news to report tonight... First the bad... The past 2 days or so, I've been seeing one of the new baby koi that I bought last Monday hanging out about 5 inches from the left side of the waterfall. Initially I thought he was dead and floating, so when I went to feed the fish 2 mornings ago I took the net with me. As soon as I got near, he swam down into the water. But he remained in this spot for about 2 days. Sometimes the other baby koi hung out with him there - weird! But... yesterday morning Don told me that there was a dead fish in the skimmer part of the waterfall pump. How did he get in there??? Don said he must have gone through the bottom drain! I didn't have time to look until this morning, as we had a very busy day yesterday. There were then TWO dead koi in the skimmer! I can't believe they went down the very small slit of the drain edge - it's just too strange! And... I haven't seen any of the 3 medium sized feeder goldfish that I put in the pond last Sunday, since the day I put them in. I turned over the pot shelter this morning but there was no site of them. So where could they be if not with the other dead ones? Late this afternoon, Don checked the regular skimmer for me, and there were all 3 of them swimming around and thankfully all healthy! He threw them back into the pond and they went directly under the pot. BUT... and here's the best of the good part... He also noticed a toad in the skimmer just sitting there as happy as could be! I ran in to get my camera and he was still sitting perfectly still. Here are the best of the pictures - he would not leave the skimmer as Don put it back together after cleaning it out - I hope he comes out on his own one of these days so we can enjoy him in plain site! What should I name him??? _________________________ ..... .........
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#208123 - 05/11/08 08:19 PM Re: Continuing my pond experience! [Re: plants 'n pots]
JunieGirl JunieGirl Frogger Garden Helper Registered: 10/13/06 Posts: 12807 Loc: Worden, Illinois	great pictures of your toad--Lynne--thanks for sharing. Name Him--"Tommy" the Toad??? ---or---Harold ???? (I seem to want to name every 'creature' I see 'Harold') PS--don't tell my friend--her DH's name is Harold. so sorry about the skimmer death---can Don repair the drain?? or place rocks or something around the edge of it so they cannot get thru??/- _________________________ Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain!! Still Praying for Cindy and now Praying for Bill
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#208124 - 05/11/08 08:20 PM Re: Continuing my pond experience! [Re: plants 'n pots]
Jiffymouse Jiffymouse Momma Mouse Garden Helper Registered: 08/29/02 Posts: 25396 Loc: Effingham County, GA USA Z 8b	oscar? noah? those are wonderful pictures, at first i thought you had a new pond statue _________________________ "Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
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#208125 - 05/11/08 08:22 PM Re: Continuing my pond experience! [Re: JunieGirl]
plants 'n pots plants 'n pots Purl One Garden Helper Registered: 11/12/03 Posts: 24083 Loc: Rockland County, NY	Carol - my dad's name is Harold!!! Too funny! Don cannot do anything about the bottom drain, but he did turn down a bit both the skimmer and the waterfall, so hopefully the other fish won't end up in there again! Did you see my first post here Carol - what I wrote to you? _________________________ ..... .........
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#208129 - 05/11/08 08:35 PM Re: Continuing my pond experience! [Re: plants 'n pots]
JunieGirl JunieGirl Frogger Garden Helper Registered: 10/13/06 Posts: 12807 Loc: Worden, Illinois	Originally Posted By: plants 'n pots The other thread went a tiny bit over so I'm starting a new one. Yesterday, I went to a "new to me" perennial nursery which I'll write about later in Gardener's Chat, but I just had to mention here that I got one of the plants that Carol had suggested! I'm not sure I'll put it by the pond though, because I only got one smallish pot since they were $10 each! It's the blue eyed grass! I was so excited to see that they actually had something that had been recommended here and that I liked - of COURSE I had to get one since it does flower blue! But... according to what Carol copied for me... Quote: Sisyrinchium Angustifolium--(blue-eyed grass) 16 inches high--blue green narrowe leaves appear to be a grass--but is not a true grass. has clusters of blue flowers with yellow eyes--needs to be in a group for best effect.--blooms late spring.--sun It's a shame that I couldn't buy a "group" at that price though... So it might have to go into my "blue" garden instead. (which for now is being taken over by all the new orange annuals I've planted there already - gazanias and zinnias for a start. But blue and orange are on opposite sides of the color wheel so it should work out just fine!) Thanks for letting me know about this plant, Carol! Your welcome, Lynne---and I cannot wait to see how it grows for you---I may buy some for my new flower bed as well--- _________________________ Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain!! Still Praying for Cindy and now Praying for Bill
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#208131 - 05/11/08 08:40 PM Re: Continuing my pond experience! [Re: plants 'n pots]
angelblossom angelblossom A Gnome's Best Friend Garden Helper Registered: 10/02/05 Posts: 18051 Loc: Grandprairie,Texas	Awwwwwwwwww I'm soo sorry for the loss of your two koi Can the skimmer be adjusted somehow so this doesn't happen again??? You're right,, Mr. Toad needs a name since he appears he may take up permanent residency! Einstein?? For being smart enough to found a great new place,and even smarter not to leave even while Don was working on the skimmer?? He knew he found paradise ~ a far cry from where he had come from I'm sure! _________________________
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#208159 - 05/12/08 04:37 AM Re: Continuing my pond experience! [Re: angelblossom]
plants 'n pots plants 'n pots Purl One Garden Helper Registered: 11/12/03 Posts: 24083 Loc: Rockland County, NY	Diane - you are too sweet! I'm not sure how much of a paradise it is, but if he sticks around, I actually have a container of frog food I can feed to him. I was thinking of naming him Walt? Came from thinking of warts - ya know... from frogs? Couldn't call him Wart, so Walt is close? _________________________ ..... .........
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#208248 - 05/12/08 08:16 AM Re: Continuing my pond experience! [Re: plants 'n pots]
loz loz Big Trouble Garden Helper Registered: 05/18/03 Posts: 42818 Loc: Beautiful Western Maryland...z...	Wow---I thought that was a statue too! Hi Walt! I'm sorry you lost 2 fish. I wonder how other people with your pond set up manage to not lose fish? I hope you can figure out a way around it all so it doesn't keep happening Lynne. I did read the other day that new koi fish added to a pond will be very skittish and hide for a good while until they get used to their pond environment. My goldfish were the same way at first. They hid forever. _________________________ Click my eggs.
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#208427 - 05/12/08 05:54 PM Re: Continuing my pond experience! [Re: loz]
plants 'n pots plants 'n pots Purl One Garden Helper Registered: 11/12/03 Posts: 24083 Loc: Rockland County, NY	Thanks loz! The 2 koi are gone, but the 3 goldfish are hopefully still in there. I haven't seen them all day, but Don checked both skimmers when he came home and I also checked the big one earlier - the were not there. I just hope they are getting some of the food before it gets into the skimmer since they don't ever seem to come out and eat it! _________________________ ..... .........
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#208446 - 05/12/08 06:35 PM Re: Continuing my pond experience! [Re: plants 'n pots]
loz loz Big Trouble Garden Helper Registered: 05/18/03 Posts: 42818 Loc: Beautiful Western Maryland...z...	Is your pond still nice and clear now? I have used 3 applications of the Algae Fix and my pond is still green. I'm wondering if my pond was just so bad that it will take longer to fix it? Tomorrow will be another application so we'll see how it goes. I hope your fish are getting the food too....when I first put my fish in the new pond it took them a long time before they'd actually come up to eat. I guess they just weren't used to it. _________________________ Click my eggs.
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#208457 - 05/12/08 07:00 PM Re: Continuing my pond experience! [Re: loz]
plants 'n pots plants 'n pots Purl One Garden Helper Registered: 11/12/03 Posts: 24083 Loc: Rockland County, NY	Actually, our pond has gotten green again since the sun was on it last week. I imagine it's going to take a while for the algae to be controlled while the pond heats up for summer. Don wants to try and vacuum it out again - there really is too much dirt in it, but none of the vacuums he's tried is working very well, and the real pond vacs are just too expensive. I wish they would rent them, like they rent carpet cleaners in supermarkets! _________________________ ..... .........
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#208472 - 05/12/08 07:39 PM Re: Continuing my pond experience! [Re: plants 'n pots]
loz loz Big Trouble Garden Helper Registered: 05/18/03 Posts: 42818 Loc: Beautiful Western Maryland...z...	Now that would be nice! I need to get myself a big brush with the plasticy type bristles on it and use it to clean the liner....it gets really green with algae. I might add a new goldfish or two to my pond soon. Give the ones in there now a few more friends. _________________________ Click my eggs.
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#208598 - 05/13/08 11:40 AM Re: Continuing my pond experience! [Re: loz]
plants 'n pots plants 'n pots Purl One Garden Helper Registered: 11/12/03 Posts: 24083 Loc: Rockland County, NY	WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! Another fish is dead in the waterfall skimmer - the first of the 3 nice sized goldfish to go... What is going on? I emailed Don hoping he can call the pond store and find out. I'm thinking that the drain is sucking them down, but I don't know anything at all about how it all works. Hopefully Don can get it fixed - there are only 2 more goldfish left in the pond now - at least I think they are still there! _________________________ ..... .........
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#208617 - 05/13/08 03:44 PM Re: Continuing my pond experience! [Re: plants 'n pots]
loz loz Big Trouble Garden Helper Registered: 05/18/03 Posts: 42818 Loc: Beautiful Western Maryland...z...	Lynne, if worst comes to worse could you seal the drain up and not use the skimmer????? And just have like a regular pond with a pump? I sure hope that the pond people can help you get it figured out though. That's so sad. _________________________ Click my eggs.
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#208621 - 05/13/08 04:17 PM Re: Continuing my pond experience! [Re: loz]
plants 'n pots plants 'n pots Purl One Garden Helper Registered: 11/12/03 Posts: 24083 Loc: Rockland County, NY	Don just got home and said it's the drain that runs to the waterfall - it's how the water is circulated around and up to the waterfall, so it has to run. He said he'd turn it down, and that I should try and get bigger fish so they don't fit into the slit of the drain, but I don't want to lose bigger MORE EXPENSIVE fish too, you know? _________________________ ..... .........
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#208622 - 05/13/08 04:21 PM Re: Continuing my pond experience! [Re: plants 'n pots]
Bestofour Bestofour Patriot Gardening Pro Registered: 08/10/03 Posts: 9228 Loc: Monroe, NC	Originally Posted By: plants 'n pots Diane - you are too sweet! I'm not sure how much of a paradise it is, but if he sticks around, I actually have a container of frog food I can feed to him. I was thinking of naming him Walt? Came from thinking of warts - ya know... from frogs? Couldn't call him Wart, so Walt is close? hope you didn't name him Walt because of warts. That makes me think of HPV. (guess cause I do pap smears all day long not because of the name Walt. I have a good friend named Walt and he doesn't look a bit like a wart) I like Einstein. He does look like a statue. Are toads good for the ponds? _________________________ http://www.picturetrail.com/bestofour
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#208624 - 05/13/08 04:45 PM Re: Continuing my pond experience! [Re: Bestofour]
loz loz Big Trouble Garden Helper Registered: 05/18/03 Posts: 42818 Loc: Beautiful Western Maryland...z...	Lynne, I just had an idea! Could you get a water plant basket---you know---the kind that is full of holes...or heck, even a colander--and then line it with mesh and then turn it upside down over the drain---and maybe put a small rock on it to weigh it down? That would stop fish being sucked into it. @ Sheri. _________________________ Click my eggs.
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#208628 - 05/13/08 05:17 PM Re: Continuing my pond experience! [Re: loz]
plants 'n pots plants 'n pots Purl One Garden Helper Registered: 11/12/03 Posts: 24083 Loc: Rockland County, NY	LOZ - that is a BRILLIANT idea!!! Now to find a basket that will fit over the drain and have just the right sized holes... not too big for the fish to go through, but big enough for the water to flow smoothly through! A strainer would not have large enough holes. And I don't really want to have to spend on a water plant basket because the only place around here that might even have one is the expensive pond store. HMMMMMMM...Any suggestions? Yes, Sheri - I did name him Walt instead of Wart. Sorry about your connections to that. I heard a loud, long song a little while ago and am thinking it was him, or another frog. I didn't see him yesterday when I looked in the skimmer, but he's probably around somewhere. _________________________ ..... .........
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#208630 - 05/13/08 05:34 PM Re: Continuing my pond experience! [Re: plants 'n pots]
jonni13 jonni13 Webkinz Queen Garden Helper Registered: 11/12/05 Posts: 16904 Loc: So. Cal.	Strainers come with different sized holes, Lynne. Check a dollar store near you. _________________________ ~Tina It is only your very best friends who see who you really are and love you anyway.
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#208636 - 05/13/08 05:43 PM Re: Continuing my pond experience! [Re: jonni13]
loz loz Big Trouble Garden Helper Registered: 05/18/03 Posts: 42818 Loc: Beautiful Western Maryland...z...	You can even get mesh strainers.... I have a brilliant idea about 3 times a year , glad I could help and that I had one for you Lynne. I hope it works out. I'm not sure what your drain looks like on the bottom, is it round? I'm just trying to picture it in my head. But it would be an inexpensive fix. I NEED a froggy! Last year my neighbor caught me a few at her daughters pool. But she moved, the daughter, so if it comes down to it maybe I'll see if Mark can catch me one at the river. _________________________ Click my eggs.
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#208662 - 05/13/08 06:40 PM Re: Continuing my pond experience! [Re: loz]
plants 'n pots plants 'n pots Purl One Garden Helper Registered: 11/12/03 Posts: 24083 Loc: Rockland County, NY	Don said that the mesh strainers would not be good because it wouldn't allow the water to flow as much as it needs to. He also said it's about 12 inches in diameter and the basket can't have a thick top to it because it would block the space where the water flows into when it's inverted. This is going to be an interesting expedition to find just the right thing! _________________________ ..... .........
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#208666 - 05/13/08 06:48 PM Re: Continuing my pond experience! [Re: plants 'n pots]
loz loz Big Trouble Garden Helper Registered: 05/18/03 Posts: 42818 Loc: Beautiful Western Maryland...z...	Could you just try it out? I mean it wouldn't hurt to try and see right? I don't know what else to tell you---this is a stumper. _________________________ Click my eggs.
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#208697 - 05/13/08 08:48 PM Re: Continuing my pond experience! [Re: loz]
Jiffymouse Jiffymouse Momma Mouse Garden Helper Registered: 08/29/02 Posts: 25396 Loc: Effingham County, GA USA Z 8b	i have a colander with square holes that is about 12" in diameter. water just flows through it. the holes are about 1/8 inch or maybe larger, too small for a fish, but large enough it doesn't hold water at all. not even a little bit. spaghetti flows through it (i had to buy a different colander for spaghetti). it came from a dollar store. i think it was $1.88. being on the lookout for one of those sounds perfect. _________________________ "Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
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#208752 - 05/14/08 07:06 AM Re: Continuing my pond experience! [Re: Jiffymouse]
plants 'n pots plants 'n pots Purl One Garden Helper Registered: 11/12/03 Posts: 24083 Loc: Rockland County, NY	That was my thought too, Jiffy. Unfortunately there are only 2 dollar stores anywhere near here anymore, but I will hit them just as I get rid of this awful cold. I have no idea where this came from, but boy oh boy did it hit me over the head yesterday and is worse today... _________________________ ..... .........
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