A Gardeners Forum
Posted By: afgreyparrot more questions.... - August 14th, 2005 at 08:58 AM
Yeah...it's ME again! laugh shocked

O.K...Gardencrazy Donna sent me a bag of something to cover my pond to shade my fishies. The fish ate almost all of it the first few days...but then it started multiplying like crazy...and has now covered my pond! kissies
I thank you...and my fishies thank you!


Cindy
Posted By: MaryReboakly Re: more questions.... - August 14th, 2005 at 08:59 AM
wow - that's cool stuff - what's it called?
Posted By: afgreyparrot Re: more questions.... - August 14th, 2005 at 09:23 AM
It's salvinia.

I swear...I can't believe how fast that stuff multiplies!
It is AWESOME! thumbup

Before Gardencrazy Donna sent it to me, I was moving a big umbrella around all day to shade my pond.
She literally saved my fish from boiling.

Cindy
Posted By: plants 'n pots Re: more questions.... - August 14th, 2005 at 09:32 AM
WOW, WOW, WOW CINDY!!! clp

How long did it take for yours to take off like that? I see little leaves starting to form on the plants you sent me, but they haven't expanded like that yet.

Mary, I seem to remember Cindy telling me that it was salvinia.
Posted By: afgreyparrot Re: more questions.... - August 14th, 2005 at 09:41 AM
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How long did it take for yours to take off like that? I see little leaves starting to form on the plants you sent me, but they haven't expanded like that yet.
Once it starts taking off...and it sounds like it has...it's FAST!
Donna sent me those in the middle of June...and the fish ate almost all of it the first few days. So, from mid-June until now...it has covered my entire pond. thumbup
Posted By: MaryReboakly Re: more questions.... - August 14th, 2005 at 09:49 AM
wow that's awesome - I'm writing it down - for my future pond. It looks beautiful, and helps shade the fishies - what more could ya ask for. In my field we call that 'functional decor' laugh

Been trying to find a reference online to 'too much shade' in a pond, and haven't turned anything up yet, so I'm thinking that's a good sign.
Posted By: Karrie Re: more questions.... - August 14th, 2005 at 10:04 AM
I gotta find some of that its beautiful. All the nurseries around here have such crappy looking pond areas I am afraid to bring home crap from them and put it in my pond. For fear of bringing home some disease to my fishies. Maybe an online search will help!
Posted By: Karrie Re: more questions.... - August 14th, 2005 at 10:11 AM
http://aquaplant.tamu.edu/database/floating_plants/common_salvinia.htm

Not to alarm ya but this sight here says that can kill your fish if it gets overgrown too much might want to read it.
Posted By: afgreyparrot Re: more questions.... - August 14th, 2005 at 10:11 AM
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I gotta find some of that its beautiful.
Uhhhhhh...I believe I have enough to hook you up with some!

PM your address and it's on it's way!
Gardencrazy was nice enough to give it to me...so I'm passing it along...

Cindy
Posted By: afgreyparrot Re: more questions.... - August 14th, 2005 at 10:16 AM
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Not to alarm ya but this sight here says that can kill your fish if it gets overgrown too much might want to read it.
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Dense salvinia colonies provide habitat for micro invertebrates but if salvinia completely covers the surface of a pond it will cause dissolved oxygen depletions and fish kills.
Oh! I guess I need to get rid of some. Duh
Just take some out and throw it away???

I wonder what Donna does...?
Posted By: MaryReboakly Re: more questions.... - August 14th, 2005 at 10:16 AM
geesh - is it just me or is just about everything invasive? :p

Glad you found that Karrie - I sure missed it shocked
Posted By: Karrie Re: more questions.... - August 14th, 2005 at 11:03 AM
Invasive or not I still realy like the look of it and the beauty it adds. My pond is rather large 8ft by 11 1/2 feet and is so blah looking. I realy need to work on it next year told hubby we were gonna spruce it up. I would suggest just pulling it out by hand to a managable amount. Cant be that difficult to do since its a floater.
Posted By: Karrie Re: more questions.... - August 14th, 2005 at 11:05 AM
I just had a thought I got a big ol square pool sifter like thingy............I think you all know where I am going with this thought. LOL laugh muggs
Posted By: Gardencrazy Re: more questions.... - August 14th, 2005 at 11:59 AM
From my experience just about 99% of all aquatics can be invasive. Duh

Cindy~
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I wonder what Donna does...?
I compost it.

Donna flw
Posted By: afgreyparrot Re: more questions.... - August 14th, 2005 at 09:45 PM
Another stupid question.........

Last year a friend gave me 5 snails to put in my pond.

Now I have 5,000 snails... Duh
Posted By: Karrie Re: more questions.... - August 14th, 2005 at 10:49 PM
Do you think I could bring some of this in the house put it in a water container and hold it over for the winter months. I would hate to see it die. Maybe like an aquarium in my laundry room or possibly in my greenhouse if I get one. Or maybe one of those big square rubbermaid containers. That would probably help keep the greenhouse moisture level up too.
Posted By: afgreyparrot Re: more questions.... - August 14th, 2005 at 10:54 PM
That's what I was wondering...
I'm gonna try it...nothing to lose if it doesn't work! thumbup

Hey...you need any snails? laugh
Posted By: Karrie Re: more questions.... - August 14th, 2005 at 11:10 PM
Umm I plan on planting some hostas around my pond area..........So thanks but no thanks! Dont they get out and eat your plants? Or am I on the wrong kinda snail?
Posted By: MaryReboakly Re: more questions.... - August 14th, 2005 at 11:13 PM
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From my experience just about 99% of all aquatics can be invasive.
Yikes! sca
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I compost it.
Wahoo! I love compost laugh

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I have 5,000 snails
EEEEEEEEEK! In my twisted head (oh come on you know it's twisted) snails and slugs are in the same category of 'pests' in my garden - but that's probably because I don't have a pond, but do have hostas that they like to munch mad Why can't we all just get along? laugh
Posted By: afgreyparrot Re: more questions.... - August 15th, 2005 at 12:27 AM
laugh laugh laugh

Slugs SUCK! :p
My snails are very well-behaved creatures that live in my pond and eat algae. If they get out of the water by accident (like when Andy's grandson took a bunch of them out!) mad they will die. They have to stay in the water.

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In my twisted head (oh come on you know it's twisted)
lala
Posted By: afgreyparrot Re: more questions.... - August 15th, 2005 at 12:36 AM
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Water snails or scavengers do an important job in every water garden. Water snails will not leave the pond, and these varieties will not eat any decorative plants.
Check this out!
These things cost 20 bucks for 6 of them! grinnnn muggs

YIPPPEEEE!!!! laugh
Posted By: MaryReboakly Re: more questions.... - August 15th, 2005 at 01:23 AM
WOW! Hmm wonder how you'd ship em Duh Don't put it past me to find out! thumbup laugh
Posted By: Karrie Re: more questions.... - August 15th, 2005 at 01:29 AM
I want one my son would go nuts.......so they reproduce do they? hummmmm wonder how.......ok lets not go there. lol
Posted By: afgreyparrot Re: more questions.... - August 15th, 2005 at 01:44 AM
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I want one
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so they reproduce do they? hummmmm wonder how.......
Well...uhhhhh...if you just want ONE, I don't think I need to explain the reproduction thing. laugh p

I couldn't resist! laugh [Linked Image] laugh
Posted By: Karrie Re: more questions.... - August 15th, 2005 at 05:49 AM
ok ok send 2 make sure you send one of each male and female.........ummmmm you figure out how to tell the difference..... Ya think we can have that talk sometime this week, the husband would so appreciate it!
Posted By: afgreyparrot Re: more questions.... - August 15th, 2005 at 06:09 AM
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.........ummmmm you figure out how to tell the difference.....
shk

...how 'bout I send about 10 of them and, according to the law of averages, there will be a "mating pair" among them somewhere!
lala laugh
Posted By: Gardencrazy Re: more questions.... - August 15th, 2005 at 11:18 AM
I have tried to over winter several floaters and haven't had any success. They require so much light and it is hard to give them enough in a house even with grow lights. They just seem to rot. Duh

As for snails it really depends on what kind you get. Some will eat your plants and some won't. I don't know enough about them except they do lay eggs and reproduce quickly. sca shk
Posted By: Dixie Angel Re: more questions.... - August 15th, 2005 at 06:23 PM
I have looked for salvinia at the nurseries, but it seems that water plants are hard to find here. I saw some at Wal-mart in Summerville, but some dummy had emptied all the water out of the plants. Said that it was causing the skeeters to multiply. Now how smart is that? Empty the water out of water plants? Sheesh!

Dianna
Posted By: afgreyparrot Re: more questions.... - August 15th, 2005 at 07:02 PM
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As for snails it really depends on what kind you get. Some will eat your plants and some won't.
Mine are not plant eaters. They just eat algae off everything. That was the first thing I had in my pond. Andy had told a friend about my "pond adventure", and that it was starting to turn a little "green". His wife went out to their pond and got the snails to send home with him. They do a very good job. They just hang out on the rocks, sides of pots, etc. and suck down algae all day...like miniature wet/dry vacs! thumbup

I took 3 full buckets of salvinia out of the pond, and still have quite a bit in the pond. Now I can see my fishies again! grinnnn
I swear, it's hard to believe that Gardencrazy sent me a little bit of salvinia in a ziplock bag, and it has turned into buckets now! laugh And all the other plants she sent are beautiful, and all growing so big!

Even though I've been so ignorant about the pond, I must be doing O.K. at this point, because everything is still alive!

How big do goldfish get? sca
Mine are getting so big it's kind of freaking me out. The original ones are about 6-7 inches long, and real fat. The babies are getting huge...some already about 3-4 inches long. I'm going to have to build a much bigger pond at Rachel's than the one I have here.

Cindy
Posted By: Gardencrazy Re: more questions.... - August 17th, 2005 at 01:06 AM
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How big do goldfish get?
If I am not mistaken goldfish will grow to the size of their environment. So if they are cramped they will be smaller. It also has to do with their genetics. Some will only ever get 7" and some will get 12".

Overcrowding can also cause health problems as well as water quality problems.
Posted By: Garden Wisher Re: more questions.... - October 24th, 2005 at 12:04 PM
Nice pond. Great fishies. I never had time to get any though. One thing, I don't have a pond. I'm thinking of redesigning my garden.
Posted By: ceceharpo Re: more questions.... - October 27th, 2005 at 07:39 AM
ANYONE!!!! If you have extra pond plants or extra pond life (snails, fish) I would be more than happy and willing to pay the postage and handling to have it shipped to me. I can even send you the containers to send them in. I just really need some stuff for my outdoor ponds and my indoor aquariums. PLEASE, let me know if you are willing. Cece In Canada.
Posted By: Anonymous Re: more questions.... - October 28th, 2005 at 10:01 AM
cece, i deleted your email. anyone on the forum who wants to reach you can pm you, and by deleting your email, it prevents spammers from getting it. they have "spambots" that scan websites looking for the email address that folks post in forums.
Posted By: ceceharpo Re: more questions.... - October 30th, 2005 at 01:12 PM
Thankyou for deleating my email addy. Please anyone, with answers or comments to my posts, just pm me or post in the forum.
Posted By: langford Re: more questions.... - April 25th, 2006 at 09:46 AM
Ok, i have a few questions on this subject here..i have one pond plant..the pond i have now, is only around 100 gallons ( i have way to many fish in it, but i'm waiting for hubby to put in the other preformed pond..and start digging the next...anyhow..so i have 1 plant..ummmm would it be bad if i went down the road..and dug up some cattails from along side the road?? what other plants can be put around the pond..not in it..but around..to give it that look..i'm clueless on these types of plants..as this is my 2nd year with this thing..and already going to have 3 ponds..the new one will be about 30 x 5 x 3...i think...with a tree in the middle..hehe..can't wait for hubby to start digging..although i did say i would help..i'm sure i can not be feeling well that day..hehe..so if someone could just help me out with these plants..i'd appreciate it..and just like karrie said ..about the plants at the stores look ugh...they do too here..i don't get it how you all have beautiful plants..and these here look dead and icky..like they will infest my pond with something
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