Fertilizing Your Water Lilies...

Unfortunately, sunlight is not enough.

Your water lilies will grow, thrive, and bloom much better if you get in the habit of fertilizing them regularly.

The good news is -- It''s Easy!

you can either remove your water lily from the pond to fertilize them, your sometimes you can even do it with the plants still in the pond...

I prefer to remove them so I can inspect to see if they are becoming overgrown, and possibly need dividing. This is really the best way, and a good time to kill two birds with one stone.

So, first - remove the pot from the pond. Then drain out any excess water, so you can see the surface of the soil and Rhiozome..

Next, here''s a trick I use to fertilize my lilies quickly and easily...

Have a fairly wide tipped flathead screwdriver nearby, and then use it to punch a clear path into the soil and through the existing roots. Then give it a good twisting to hollow our your hole.

You''d be surprised how hard it can be to push a fertilizer tab down into a dense root pack - so try this next time and tell me if it isn''t 100% easier.

Now that you have your ''holes'' dug - take 3-4 water lily fertilizer tabs out (we like the Tetra Pond fertilizer tabs), and push them down into the holes with your index finger..

That''s it -- you''re done!

Then just cover up the holes and top off the plant with some fresh dirt, as we discussed in our last article - and you''re ready to move onto the next one.

Once you''ve fertilized all your lilies, just slowly lower them back into the pond..

Here''s another trick I use - Don''t just drop the pot back into the pond, as trapped air bubbles can sometimes uproot the lily or some soil..

This is espcecially true new pottings, as the soil has not been properly ''set''. Here''s what I do:

Lower the pot into the water, just enough to fill it with water, then raise back up out of the water until you see all the air bubbles disappear.

Do this a few more times, until you think you''re removed all the air bubbles from the pot - then slowly lower it down into the pond.

There''s nothing more frustrating than having a newly potted lily (or any plant) suddenly lift up out of the pot, dumping dirt all over the pond, and having to be repotted.. I''ts happened to me more than once..

So that''s it for now, in our next article, we''ll talk about trimming and pruning water lilies...

**************************************************
Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several
other pond-related websites including MacArthurWatergardens.com
and Pond-Filters-Online.com. He also publishes a free monthly
newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over
9,000. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive our FREE
''New Pond Owners Guide'' visit MacArthur Water Gardens today!
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Protecting your Garden Pond from Pesky Predators

Notice any fish disappearing lately? While herons are present year-round, water gardeners notice the challenges they bring to the pond in spring and early summer when herons feed their young.

An adult heron needs about 13 ounces of food daily, which is equivalent to three 6" koi. If herons find an easy source of food (i.e. colorful fish in a shallow pond), they''ll return on several consecutive days. They can quickly decimate your fish population.

They''re generally shy birds who typically visit early in the morning or in the evening, when everything is quiet.

Prevent herons from attacking your fish with these simple precautions. If you do lose some fish, don''t resort to harming or killing the herons; they are a protected species.

? Netting: The most effective deterrent for herons is to suspend a net 6"-12" above the pond surface. Make sure the net is taut and cannot fall into the pond if the heron tried to land on it and spear the fish through it.

? Heron Scarers: Some work on a "trip-wire" basis, producing a loud noise while others use a sound inaudible to the human ear. Others sense the presence of heron using infrared detection, and scare them away by spraying a high-pressure jet of water.

? Plastic Herons: Based on the principle that herons are territorial and don''t feed close to one another, artificial plastic herons are popular. Unfortunately, they aren''t effective year-round. In late winter and early spring, herons'' search for a mate may actually attract more herons to your pond.

? Pond Design: Dense growths of tall marginal plants or shrubs around the pond will limit the herons'' access to the water. Ensuring the pond side is steep and the water is 8"-12" below the edge of the pond also helps since the heron will not be able to reach the fish.

**************************************************
Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several
other pond-related websites including MacArthurWatergardens.com
and Pond-Filters-Online.com. He also publishes a free monthly
newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over
9,000. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive our FREE
''New Pond Owners Guide'' visit MacArthur Water Gardens today!
**************************************************', 170, 'Protecting your Garden Pond from Pesky Predators, Landscaping-Gardening, Landscaping-Gardening articles, Landscaping-Gardening information, about Landscaping-Gardening, what is Landscaping-Gardening, Landscaping & Gardening Information', 'Protecting your Garden Pond from Pesky Predators plus articles and information on Landscaping-Gardening

How to Choose Between Goldfish and KOI

Many people have asked us over the years "Should I add goldfish or KOI (or both) to my pond? The answer is "it depends."

Goldfish are better suited to smaller water gardens and ponds, in the 50 - 500 gallon range. Goldfish are extremely hardy and easy to care for, which makes them the perfect choice for the new pond owner or water gardener.

KOI Feeding

KOI, on the other hand, require a little more knowledge and better water quality in most cases, than goldfish and are better suited to the more experienced pond keeper. KOI generally thrive best in ponds over 500 gallons (the bigger - the better.)

This is becuase KOI can grow quite large and therefore require more water in the pond for proper biological breakdown of waste. KOI are also more expensive (and harder to replace) than goldfish, so this should also be taken into account before filling your new pond full of KOI fish. More considerations...

Goldfish are an excellent choice for the average water garden that is usually also full of a variety of potted plants. Lilies, Lotus, Iris, and submerged annuals - these all do well in a water garden pond with goldfish. Goldfish will not disturb the plants, and will enjoy playing around under the lily pads without disturbing the plants.

Pond Goldfish

Japanese KOI on the other hand, and especially the larger ones, will often create a huge mess out of submerged potted plants. They seem to enjoy ''digging'' in the soil of the plants and sometimes even knocking them over. This all leads to added mess in the pond, and can create a real problem for the pond owner.

Generally, it''s best to not have submerged plants in large pots, when also keeping KOI. The ideal KOI pond is much deeper than the average water garden, so the necessity for plants to help with water quality and shade is reduced.

However, if you still do want to keep potted plants in your KOI pond, we recommend wrapping netting over the tops of the pots, to keep the fish from digging in the pots. Another thing you can do is to top the pots with 1" of pea gravel, and then larger river stones or similar over that. The KOI will not be able to get past the larger rocks.

As far as mixing Goldfish with KOI, this is fine and very common, we''ve just tried to highlight the most important differences between the two and between the average water garden and KOI pond. Feel free to experiment with both, and then decide which fish is more to your liking.

**************************************************
Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several
other pond-related websites including MacArthurWatergardens.com
and Pond-Filters-Online.com. He also publishes a free monthly
newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over
9,000. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive our FREE
''New Pond Owners Guide'' visit MacArthur Water Gardens today!
**************************************************', 170, 'How to Choose Between Goldfish and KOI, Landscaping-Gardening, Landscaping-Gardening articles, Landscaping-Gardening information, about Landscaping-Gardening, what is Landscaping-Gardening, Landscaping & Gardening Information', 'How to Choose Between Goldfish and KOI plus articles and information on Landscaping-Gardening

Fish Health in Hot Summer Heat

Summer is over, but for many of us - the heat remains. Here a couple of things to do to keep your fish healthy and your pond clear going into winter. First, remember to keep your pond well aerated. This is very important to your fish because the pond water actually holds less oxygen at higher pond temperatures. So if it''s still hot in your part of the country, keep those waterfalls and fountains running! This will keep your pond water full of oxygen, and reduce stress on your fish.

If you see your goldfish or KOI gasping at the surface, it''s a good sign that you don''t have enough dissolved oxygen in the water, and this can be dangerous. Especially if you have a lot of green water algae in the pond. This algae can absorb much of the oxygen in the pond water at night and cause very low dissolved oxygen levels during the day - which can be deadly to fish!

One thing we recommend this time of year, is to do a partial water change. Drain off 10 - 25% of your total pond volume, and replace it with fresh, new dechlorinated water. If possible, vacuum or drain decaying organic matter and debris off the bottom to reduce the ponds bio-load.

Your fish will usually be vibrant and playful after a water change. It''s like giving them a ''breath of fresh air'' and invigorates them. Again, we only recommend a 10 - 25% water change right now - but feel free to experiment with whatever works best for your pond.

Remember to re-add your pond salt whenever you drain and add new water. Having a salt water test kit is also helpful, or a digital salinity meter, to determine optimum salt levels.

**************************************************
Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several
other pond-related websites including MacArthurWatergardens.com
and Pond-Filters-Online.com. He also publishes a free monthly
newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over
9,000. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive our FREE
''New Pond Owners Guide'' visit MacArthur Water Gardens today!
**************************************************', 170, 'Fish Health in Hot Summer Heat, Landscaping-Gardening, Landscaping-Gardening articles, Landscaping-Gardening information, about Landscaping-Gardening, what is Landscaping-Gardening, Landscaping & Gardening Information', 'Fish Health in Hot Summer Heat plus articles and information on Landscaping-Gardening