Record high temperatures create a number of challenges for people, pets, plants, and yes, even your water garden. You’ll want to keep a close eye on your pond, especially when the water temperature reaches 80 degrees or higher.

Helping your fish

Warm water has a low capacity for holding oxygen, so you may start to see your fish gasping for air close to the water’s surface, or especially close to a fountain or waterfall. In addition, warm pond water leads to increased activity and that means your fish require more oxygen at a time when it’s least available.

As your fish struggle for oxygen, they’ll become increasingly stressed. And stressed fish are more likely to develop diseases … a scenario you want to avoid.

To optimize fish health during extreme heat, you’ll want to ensure your fish have the best pond environment possible. It all starts with a well-designed water feature. Depth, plant coverage, shade, and circulation should all be considered when building a pond. A minimum depth of two feet is suggested so the bottom can remain cooler.

Ensure you have enough plants

You’ll also want to stock your pond with a lot of plants to provide shade for the fish. A good rule of thumb is to provide plant coverage of approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of the pond’s surface area. Waterlily pads provide great coverage, but if your pond lacks the proper amount, you can easily add floating plants such as water lettuce until the waterlilies fill in.

Optimize circulation

Perhaps one of the most important parts of pond design is circulation. If possible, you’ll want to place your biological filter and mechanical filter across the pond from each other, so that all areas of the pond are skimmed and the water circulated.

And keep in mind that waterfalls, streams, and even fountains play a huge part in the oxygenation of the water in your pond. If you don’t already have a waterfall cascading into your pond, you might want to invest in a fountain that can be added without any construction to the pond.

During these hot, dog days of summer, try some of these tips to keep your pond performing optimally:

• Add oxygen to your pond by placing an aerator or AquaForce® pump in your pond. You can also install a fountain with a pump if your pond doesn’t have a waterfall or stream built in.
• If you feed your fish, feed them in the morning and be careful not to overfeed. Uneaten food decays faster in warmer water and can pollute the pond.
• Be sure to remove dying leaves and flowers before they have a chance to decay in the warmer water.

The bottom line is that you need to keep an eye on your pond and let your fish and plants do the talking. If you have a balanced ecosystem, you don’t need to be checking your pond out everyday, but you do need to check it out every once in a while to make sure your aquatic plants and fish are healthy.

This article originally published by Aquascape

Parade of Ponds 2012: Saturday, July 14 10am-4pm

Our annual Parade of Ponds event is returning this year. We’re thrilled to be bringing back this popular event for the 13th glorious year, highlighting the best in water feature designs from around the region.

You’ll enjoy a self-guided tour of 18 water features, 7 of them new ones. It’s a great way to be inspired by the latest and best in pond, waterfall and stream design! Come and enjoy this once-a-year event.

Tour maps and wrist bands are only $15, with 100% of proceeds donated to the KinVillage Community Centre. Available at KinVillage, Harris Nursery, Sunnyside Nursery, and the Waterscene store at 4946 Chisholm St in Ladner.

Call 604–952-7663 for more details.

Waterscene has made another humanitarian trip to Uganda

Steve Kovacs and Tim Muttoo of H2O4All celebrate as fresh clear water runs through the newly installed system

Existing wells, lakes and water reservoirs are becoming contaminated. The only hope for these communities is to provide new access to fresh water supplies. The team completed a system in the orphan village of Gulu, then traveled to Kiyindi, a small fishing village near the shores of Lake Victoria. Here, they set up a 20,000 gallon RainXchange™ system that will support a school of 950 children.

During the dry season, the school sometimes has no water at all and is forced to close down because there is no water to cook the nutritional meal that the students count on. Existing water supplies have become contaminated, and new wells are expensive to construct. Rainwater collection systems are effective and much less costly than building new wells. The team worked alongside locals to help build and install the system. Working with Aquascape contractors and International Network, we installed a reservoir made up of 650 Aquablox® that stabilized a large reservoir that can hold about 80,000 liters of rainwater. The contractors, experienced in working with these systems, raised their individual funds to be part of the trip. During construction, and with our consulting support, the community gained enough knowledge and expertise to maintain the system for long-term use.

Arriving in the heat of the area’s mid-summer season (January-February), we encountered some challenges getting supplies through customs but the officials complied quickly and we were underway. A project that would typically take 7 days to install was completed in just 4 days! When the project was completed and the water turned on, H2O4All’s ionization system delivered sparkling clean water. As the area had been going through a drought, it was highly rewarding to test the system and see the fresh water flowing from the pipe.
Team members also assisted by spending time in schools working with the children.

Water: a vital and threatened commodity

Villages in Africa face a daunting threat as water supplies are rapidly being contaminated with chemicals like cyanide and lead due to poor well design. In some cases, entire communities are forced to abandon their homes as the village water supply turns deadly. Lakes, too, have become heavily polluted. Rainwater harvesting systems provide a sustainable, solar-powered supply of fresh water. Humanitarian water projects like this one are important to help these communities.

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Waterscene is returning to Uganda for fifth humanitarian mission

Steve and Linda Kovacs with some of the children from the orphanage

The team from Waterscene is working with a team from H2O4ALL, and a team from the Aquascape Foundation. The first week, the team will be in the village of Gulu, installing a clean water system at the Watoto Orphanage. The second week, they will be installing a system near Entebee.

We will provide a detailed update of our trip after we return.

Water: threatened, precious commodity

Throughout Africa, water supplies are threatened. How these valuable efforts are making a difference. Villages in Africa face a tremendous threat as water supplies are rapidly become contaminated with chemicals such as cyanide and lead due to poor well design. In some cases, entire communities are forced to abandon their homes as the village water supply turns deadly. Rainwater harvesting systems provide a sustainable, solar-powered supply of fresh water.

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View/download about last year’s Uganda trip. Download now

Bursts of red, gold and orange in the trees signify an important event for pond owners… it’s time to do a little fall maintenance in your water garden. Preparing your pond for the winter greatly reduces the amount of work you need to do in the spring to get your pond in tip-top shape.

While the colorful spectrum of leaves are still clinging to the tree’s branches, now’s a good time to determine your strategy for keeping that beautiful foliage out of your pond. Sure, the lacy, colorful leaves look pretty floating on your pond’s surface, but eventually they’ll sink to the bottom where they’ll decay and wreak havoc with your water quality. As leaf matter decomposes, the balance of your water changes and can become toxic for your fish.

Netting your pond is an easy, obvious choice for addressing leaf control. It doesn’t take much time to set the net up over your water garden, and the hours of future work it saves you is priceless. You can purchase pond netting from your local garden center or an internet pond retailer.

If you choose not to net your pond, you’ll need to make sure that you’re checking the pond’s skimmer basket every couple of days to remove the pile-up of leaves. Luckily, this is an easy task and doesn’t take much time. Once you pull the leaves out of the basket, be sure to toss them in your compost pile.

Finally, if you failed to net your pond and all those colorful, floating leaves have found their way to the pond’s bottom, you’ll want to remove them before they decay into ugly sludge that has to be cleaned out in the spring. Grab a long-handled pond net and scoop the debris from the floor of your water garden. Or if you don’t mind getting your feet wet, wade on into the pond and fish them out by hand.

Whatever your strategy to combat the onslaught of beautiful fall foliage that floats into your pond, you can rest assured that your efforts to control it now, will be well rewarded come springtime.

Here’s a helpful video on getting your pond ready for winter:

This article originally published by Aquascape

Autumn officially begins this year on September 23rd. While you may hate bidding adieu to the long, sunny days of summer, you have to face the inevitable approach of cooler, shorter days. For pond owners across the country, what you do with your pond during this seasonal transition depends largely on where you live.

In most of Canada

What a wonderful feeling during the summer months to see your plants thrive to the point of producing flowering buds almost at will, or the constant activity of growing fish that crave attention and food. Hopefully you were able to spend ample time by your pond to enjoy its many nuances and pleasures.

And now, as we turn the corner into another season, fall pondering is really just beginning. What do you have planned for your water feature? If you’re like many other water feature enthusiasts, improvements and change are always at the forefront. Here’s a few things to consider, going into the fall months. Please keep in mind that these suggestions may vary based on the zone in which you live.

Aquatic Plants

Most aquatic plants are installed in the spring and early summer months however, don’t discount the beauty and maturity of the aquatic plants that may be supplied in late season by a dedicated grower. In most regions of Canada, water gardeners typically stop planting in September. As they say, “It’s never too late…” until the end of September.

If you’ve decided to plant this fall, keep in mind that most aquatic marginals prefer to be planted at 0 to 2 inches of depth. Reference the plant’s information tag for planting instructions specific to that plant.

Fish

In most Canadian climates, growing fish will begin to store massive amounts of energy. This survival process will carry them through dormancy during the approaching winter months. Furthermore, during these important months of energy consumption and storage, attention to the fish’s diet is critical. Where applicable, a low-temperature fish food should be considered. The formulation of this food will be easier for the fish to digest during these cooler days and nights. Aquascape Premium Cold Water Fish Food contains high quality protein and is specifically formulated for pond fish (including koi and goldfish) at colder water temperatures.

Water Feature Aesthetics

When was the last time you gave your water feature a face-lift? Now’s the time! A few simple improvements can have a dramatic impact on your water feature’s appearance. For example, hand select and install a few character boulders around the pond’s edge or stream. Pick up a bag or two of gravel and cover that annoying exposed liner. How about adding some extra lighting to the waterfall, pond, or stream? This is a great way to create additional nighttime interest. Aquascape’s Pond and Landscape LED Light Kit makes it easy to add lights to your water feature, and once you add lights, you extend the length of time you can enjoy your pond. This is especially important as the days grow shorter!

It’s Still Pond Season

Hopefully you’ve enjoyed your water feature as much as possible through the summer season. But remember, just because one season ends, doesn’t mean that the pond season has ended. Enjoy the changes in your pond as the seasons transition from one to the next. There’s always something new to discover in the wonderful world of water gardening.

In mild Vancouver

Unlike your neighbors in other parts of the country, fall rolls in without much fanfare. Here, you can still wear a tee-shirt some days in late fall and early winter. Even when there are cold snaps (and there are), water usually won’t freeze until late December or January.

Don’t Ignore Your Pond

In the mild Vancouver area, there’s no doubt things are still happening in your pond. Your aquatic plants, for example, should be looked at, because once the water temperature gets below 15°C, you should stop fertilizing them and continue to remove all the spent leaves from the waterlilies so they can keep producing more.

This is a good time to grab those tropical lilies and store them in a water-filled container somewhere inside so they don’t get hit by a winter frost. And don’t forget about your marginals; they could use a good pruning around this time too.

You’ll want to stop feeding your fish so they can go into hibernation. Don’t feed them too much before these temperatures hit. While feeding a healthy amount prior to the end of the season is great, overfeeding can be deadly to them. A nice low-temperature fish food, containing highly digestible food, is a good fit for fall.

If you’re not sure about your water temperature, invest in a small pond thermometer and keep checking it as the temps begin to drop. You don’t need to pack your fish up and bring them inside, as long as your pond is over two-feet deep. They’ll be just fine hanging out at the bottom of your pond. And don’t forget about how lazily your fish move around once the water starts to chill’. Unfortunately, their predators are still hungry and see fall as an opportune time to feast on fish as they slow down a bit. Make sure your decoys and motion detectors are ready to keep your fish safe.

Trees around your pond will drop leaves this time of year, so keep an eye out for them and be sure to clean out your debris baskets a few more times per week. You’ll want to keep the nutrient levels low for your fish when they decide to take a long winter’s nap.

Design Ideas

When you aren’t taking all your fall precautions, remember that fall is a great time to work on those design ideas. It’s not too hot to spend a few weekends by the pond, and it’s not too cold to chill you out. Make your pond bigger, add some more rocks, or even work on that waterfall you’ve always wanted. Now is a great time to put all those thoughts into action. Imagine beginning the spring season with a whole new pond. Now wouldn’t that be exciting?

Enjoy the Lifestyle

No matter where you live, these special considerations should be given to your pond as summer rolls into fall. No need to be melancholy over the shortening of days. Now’s a great time to pick up a fire pit on sale to warm your bones as you relax by the pond, or add some pond and landscape lighting for cozy, cooler evenings listening to your waterfalls. You still have plenty of time to enjoy the water garden lifestyle.

For information on where to buy fall maintenance pond products, visit www.aquascapeinc.com/shop-online.

This article originally published by Aquascape

CanWest Horticulture Show, Western Canada’s Premier Landscape and Nursery Trade Show, takes place under the Green Roof at the Vancuver Convention Center from September 28–29, 2011.
 
ALSO… the “POND GUY” Greg Wittsock will be in attendence at the show and will be available later that same day for one-to-discussion in the hospitaliaty suite at the Renaissance Vancouver Harbourside Hotel in the Port of Singapore Room on the 3rd floor from 6-10pm.  Come and meet him and chat!

It’s a rare opportunity to get firsthand information from the world leaders in pond design and rainwater harvesting systems.