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    Thread: "Pond"ering

    1. #1
      matherfish's Avatar
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      "Pond"ering

      The forum has been a little slow of late, so I thought I would start a thread asking everyone to add to it. It is called "Pond"ering as I will be posting my thoughts about ponds, and all things concerning them. Sound like fun? I hope so. What are your thoughts, musings, or ponderings?
      To start this thread off, I have been thinking about how things have changed over the last 10-15 years. My wife and I closed our garden center 15 years ago. We sold pond plants at our garden center and when we closed I continued growing and selling them, primarily on line.
      I was excited when I found pond forums on the www. I grew to "know" people that I had never met face to face, and ended up meeting some of them in person. I enjoyed "trading" plants with other "members" and was excited about getting new plants in trade, or finding new varieties that I could buy that were not found locally. I became a "pondaholic!"
      Now, fast forward.
      We have grown older. No denying that. Working in the ponds, getting pots in and out of the ponds, cleaning them, etc. are tasks that are not as easy as they once were. Some members of forums that have become friends have passed away. Others have moved and no longer have ponds, and others have had to shut down their pond and fill them in because they can't do the physical work anymore. But there are still those who continue on. The love of the pond continues to flow through their veins. The thrill of seeing the lily bloom for the first time of the season, is renewed with the second bloom and the third, etc. To sit and listen to the waterfall, or watch the fish swim lazily beneath the water relaxes the muscles, as though a "touchless" massage. And at the end of a busy day of stress and demands, to open the windows, or sit outside and simply listen to the music of the frogs, we hear a symphony that is both unique and soothing.
      There are also the newbies. We share our experiences and their excitement renews ours. When sharing our "ponds" in person or on the forum, we are young again. The "old" stuff becomes new again, and our imaginations are stirred. The forum is like a giant spoon that stirs our creativity and promotes our dreams.
      Ahh! just thinking, or "pondering."
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    2. #2
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      I am getting some help tomorrow too cleanup around my pond and to dig up the bamboo and cut down some of the miscanthus I cant get settlement tank clean or clean my pump basket out because of the grass has taken over. I am not able to do this work anymore. They are also going too move some of my pots over to the shade under my trees some of them are in the sun and its killing them. The sun killed the impatiens in the stream they just cant take the Oklahoma sun without the shade cloth. I did ride my bike today about a mile and half but I stopped once and had too use my inhaler. This getting old sucks.
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      Gary, no one is growing younger. But those who garden, water or otherwise, are reminded daily of that fact. Our expansive hobby is beautiful, as well as labor intensive.
      I am sitting here thinking about all of the things that I need to do today. Weed the flower beds, put chorine tablets in the pool dispenser, and then I start thinking of all of the things I would like to do in the ponds. Anymore, just thinking about these jobs, I am worn out. I am reminded of Dagwood, of Dagwood and Blondie's fame, and his job jar. I think my jar would be a five gallon bucket.
      I have a problem with ponding. when it comes to pond plants, I am almost a hoarder. I just hate to get rid of any plants and continue to accumulate more. I am supposed to be downsizing to make it easier on me, less work, but I almost go back one step and take two steps forward. In other words, I get rid of one plant, and buy two more. I add more tubs and search for more! I try to squeeze in as much into limited space, because I "love" that new plant. The results are addicting! The beautiful blooms enhance and reward my expectations. It is like looking through the candy section while in the grocery line. You know you do not need it, but somehow that Snickers bar ends in your cart. When you tear open the wrapper, and sink your teeth into it, you then know why you bought it. Ponds are the chocolate bars of life.
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      I am "pondering" a new pond. I moved to a new house and miss having a pond terribly. The old one was a hot mess built by someone who didn't know what they were doing so I am looking forward to designing something much more efficient this time. I'm spending a lot of time looking through my pond design books and trying to decide what I want.

      I may do something natural and then also do a masonry raised fountain type design in another part of the yard too. It's kind of exciting starting from scratch!

    5. #5
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      The thoughts of a new pond bring back memories of previous pond builds. There is so much more information available today versus 10 years ago, but the principles have remained the same. I wonder how many ponders ended up with the pond they had in mind when they started their project?
      These thoughts remind me of my Dad. He never built a pond, but when Dad would take on a project, he drew out his plans and put them on paper most of the time. It had the details such as size, and materials diagramed on it. Me, I just get the idea and vision in my head and start into it. We both arrive at our goals, but his more often remained the same whereas mine often changed as the process of construction continued. When I built my last pond, we made several changes as to the design and size. There have been times that I have said to myself that I wish I had done something differently, but I have been very happy with the results. Don't we all have moments in life where we wish we had done something different?
      Okay, enough reminiscing for the moment. Time to get busy on the work demand in the present. Keep on "pond"ering.
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      I think it is good to be flexible. One you really get started things can become clearer and you can have revelations that greatly improve your design.

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      Corsetière, flexibility works best for me, also. I have been self employed for most of my life and I have always had a flexible schedule. Some people have to have a rigid routine. I have worked on commissions most of that time, and that would drive many people crazy without "consistent' paycheck. So building a pond without a designated plan was no problem. You are right. It allows for changes and improvements as it is being constructed.
      Today I was planting the second bag of n. Minuta seeds I received from a friend, and as I planted them, I started pondering. He had sent me some seeds earlier but they had been dried and none of them sprouted. This time he sent two bags with seeds from two different day's seeds. I planted the first bag over two days about a week ago. I waited until today to plant the second bag. Both bags of seeds were kept wet.
      I had checked on the last weeks plantings yesterday, and I saw one seed had sprouted. In the same pot, today, there were now about 20 seeds sprouted. I am excited! Now my musings.
      When the friend sent me the seeds, he also sent me a Minuta plant. In fact, he sent another one about a week after he had sent the first one. Neither plant survived, though arriving here in good shape. In discussing my inability to keep the plants alive with others, I was told that Minuta does not ship well. in fact, it had been their experience that the plants rarely survive when shipped. Now, I ship lots of lilies, and I know 100% do not survive for one reason or another, but usually the reason is because they got too hot during the shipping, or they were not planted quick enough. I have been thinking about what it could be about the Minuta that would cause them to have difficulty being transplanted when a mature plant. It is a reminder that when we are dealing in nature's element, we are ever learning that their can be differences beyond just the obvious.
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      Quote Originally Posted by matherfish View Post
      Corsetière, flexibility works best for me, also. I have been self employed for most of my life and I have always had a flexible schedule. Some people have to have a rigid routine. I have worked on commissions most of that time, and that would drive many people crazy without "consistent' paycheck. So building a pond without a designated plan was no problem. You are right. It allows for changes and improvements as it is being constructed.
      Today I was planting the second bag of n. Minuta seeds I received from a friend, and as I planted them, I started pondering. He had sent me some seeds earlier but they had been dried and none of them sprouted. This time he sent two bags with seeds from two different day's seeds. I planted the first bag over two days about a week ago. I waited until today to plant the second bag. Both bags of seeds were kept wet.
      I had checked on the last weeks plantings yesterday, and I saw one seed had sprouted. In the same pot, today, there were now about 20 seeds sprouted. I am excited! Now my musings.
      When the friend sent me the seeds, he also sent me a Minuta plant. In fact, he sent another one about a week after he had sent the first one. Neither plant survived, though arriving here in good shape. In discussing my inability to keep the plants alive with others, I was told that Minuta does not ship well. in fact, it had been their experience that the plants rarely survive when shipped. Now, I ship lots of lilies, and I know 100% do not survive for one reason or another, but usually the reason is because they got too hot during the shipping, or they were not planted quick enough. I have been thinking about what it could be about the Minuta that would cause them to have difficulty being transplanted when a mature plant. It is a reminder that when we are dealing in nature's element, we are ever learning that their can be differences beyond just the obvious.
      @ Frank
      The "momma plant" I started with was an absolute monster that I got sent originally. Perhaps young adult plants are touchy. They don't seem to like being "stepped up" in pot size as much as other lilies.

      Really awesome that more and more are sprouting every day.

      I started these a couple weeks ago. Like literally some may be of the batch I sent you. Look how fast they grow on dry land (moist actually).
      Name:  IMG_9000.jpg
Views: 690
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      The cup you see sits inside this box under the clear top. The cups sit in water but the water line is about 1 cm below the soil line. The clear lid trappes the humidity so the plants can tolerate being in nearly full sun/ air exposure.
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      Its my "Reverse Hydroponics"

    9. #9
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      I was pondering in the last two days, that I have been ponding for 20 years this summer. Which means I am 20 years older now. Covering the pond in the winter and uncovering in the Spring has become more tiring. During the season it is still easy to maintain for me.
      The gardening is what is tiring me out. I have to much to water and no covered outside area at all. Everyday I throw shade cloth over some of my plants. This works well as long as I am home. Watering, fertilizing and pruning takes a long time. Plus dealing with Mother Nature isn't fun either. Two days ago we had a huge storm, high winds & hail. It took me & my DH 5 hours each to clean the yard & wooded area up. I can't see us still being able to do this 10 years from now. Or even wanting to do this. My problem is that I love tropical plants. So I have to store them in my garage and pull them in & out on pretty days through the winter. I have four long plant caddies on wheels that I use. That makes it easy to do.
      I plan to carry on as long as I can because I love gardening. I just don't see it going on past 10 years from now.
      Nancy



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      Little Mikey, I did not know if I should mention your name as to who I got the seeds from. I appreciate the seeds, and your guidance on planting them. The other half of the bag has sprouted also, so there are lots of seedlings to watch. I just planted the second bag so it will be a few days before they sprout. It was a little late when I looked at the seeds, so I did not see if there were amazonum sprouts or not. I plan on looking tomorrow morning. Your seedlings look great! I think yours were planted about 7 days before I planted their mates. It took 4 days to get here on Friday, and I did not get them planted until Tuesday. I hope mine look that good in a week.
      Nancy, I am sure that many of us have thought similar thoughts. 10 years is a long time in a way, but it gets here before we realize it. I look around and think sometimes about how much things have changed here at my house in the last 20 years. Trees that were small are now huge, the landscaping has gotten more detailed and new beds have been made. The laws of natural progression says that the trees and shrubs will get bigger in 10 more years, and the laws of aging says my body will slow down in 10 years. Looks like things are heading in opposite directions. Instead of annuals, we are now planting more perennials to help make the future gardening easier. We are not replacing some shrubs that died from a blight. The water plants continue to multiply, and so does the work, but eventually I know I will have to cut back some. Reality can be depressing until I remember that I only have to worry about taking one day at a time, and look at all of the beauty I find in the gardens and ponds on that day! Just thinking!
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      Looking at the seeds today that I planted about 10 days ago, I was surprised at how fast they had gone from seeds to seedlings, almost over night. The amazonum seeds that had only one teeny sprout yesterday woke up today! And the minuta seeds are looking good as well. Interesting to learn that it takes over a year from seed to blooming for the minuta. I guess it is not in as much f a hurry as I am.
      Enjoying Wiscdude's posts about his new hybrids made me think about my high school days when I was on the track team. I remember the coach telling us that for years no one could run the mile in less than four minutes. It was believed that it was impossible for anyone to run that fast. Then someone did it and suddenly lots of runners were doing it
      For many years it was believed that it was impossible to cross a hardy and a tropical water lily. Because of this belief, many did not even try. Then Pairat Songpanich of Thailand created Siam Purple 1, and the pond lily world took note. It was determined that the right lily combinations would cross, and suddenly several hybridizers were able to produce the intersubgenetic (ISG) hybrids more commonly known as HXTs. Although there are few on the market due to the time it takes to produce enough of a variety to make it available, in just a matter of a few more years they will be. What a great time to be alive and ponding to see this great scientific breakthrough!
      So as I ponder the future, I am aware that much of the near future is not even in my dreams yet. So we just "pond" on!
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      Quote Originally Posted by matherfish View Post
      Little Mikey, I did not know if I should mention your name as to who I got the seeds from. I appreciate the seeds, and your guidance on planting them. The other half of the bag has sprouted also, so there are lots of seedlings to watch. I just planted the second bag so it will be a few days before they sprout. It was a little late when I looked at the seeds, so I did not see if there were amazonum sprouts or not. I plan on looking tomorrow morning. Your seedlings look great! I think yours were planted about 7 days before I planted their mates. It took 4 days to get here on Friday, and I did not get them planted until Tuesday. I hope mine look that good in a week.
      Nancy, I am sure that many of us have thought similar thoughts. 10 years is a long time in a way, but it gets here before we realize it. I look around and think sometimes about how much things have changed here at my house in the last 20 years. Trees that were small are now huge, the landscaping has gotten more detailed and new beds have been made. The laws of natural progression says that the trees and shrubs will get bigger in 10 more years, and the laws of aging says my body will slow down in 10 years. Looks like things are heading in opposite directions. Instead of annuals, we are now planting more perennials to help make the future gardening easier. We are not replacing some shrubs that died from a blight. The water plants continue to multiply, and so does the work, but eventually I know I will have to cut back some. Reality can be depressing until I remember that I only have to worry about taking one day at a time, and look at all of the beauty I find in the gardens and ponds on that day! Just thinking!
      I started planting more perennials over the last few years. I also have not been over thinking about the future. Taking life one day at a time now. I enjoy my pond, fish & flowers everyday. But at the same time I realize that the caring of it all takes me a little longer and leaves me a little more tired. But for now I still find it worth it all.
      Nancy



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      As I was meandering through the plants today, I was taking a few pictures. I enjoy taking the pics for future reference and my own enjoyment. I also enjoy sharing the pics with others to let them see the different varieties of lilies. There is a wide diversity of plants that many people have not seen and going on the net often shows one variety at a time. Seeing pics of people's ponds also shows the variety of designs and sizes. I think I am like most people. I think a good picture is nice, but it does not have to be suitable for a coffee table book for me to enjoy it.
      Some people want to be professional photographers, some take up photography as a hobby. Both are serious about their pictures. I enjoy the pics, but I am not avid about taking pristine pictures. I have talked to those who take their photography very seriously. It is sort of like playing golf. I go to have fun. I do the best I can, and try to learn to play decent, but I do not play very often either.
      To criticize people because they do not take excellent pictures and say that they do not do a good job with their ponds, plants or fish based on the expertise of photography is unreasonable and unfair. I have lousy handwriting (I say I took pre-med in third grade when we learned cursive writing ) but that does not mean I do not care about the content of my writings. They are two different things.
      So as I ponder these things, I want to remind everyone, we want to see pics of your ponds, etc., not to grade you critically on your photography, but to share the joy we find in ponds and ponding! (And yes, I know ponding is not a "real" word, but it should be! ) Post more pics!
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      Today is one of those "what if" days. It is also a day of remorse and regrets. Yesterday, my pump in my big pond quit working and I did not know it until late in the day, almost dark. Our weather has been so hot that I have tried to avoid working outside in the heat, with temps hitting 103* f and the heat index going up to 108.* The results were that I found several of my large koi had died. Not enough oxygen in the water. It was too late, almost dark, to swap the pump out then, but I thought with cooler night temps that everything would be okay until today after church. Here comes the regrets. All of the koi in both ponds were dead when I went out to replace the pump. I wanted to clean the ponds and put in another pump for the last two weeks. It was just so hot that I kept putting it off. Now I have the "what ifs." Would it have made a difference if I had cleaned the ponds and put in another pump two weeks ago? I do not know. I am sure it would have helped. What if I had gone ahead and replaced the pump last night, using lights to see? It may have been too late by then anyway. It is too late because I cannot change what I did in the past.
      In ponding we have to recognize there are often trials and errors. We learn from mistakes, and some of them are major. We must accept that if we are to get into ponding. Not every fish will live, and not every plant will survive and thrive. We learn from the past and make better decisions in the future. My bad decisions and procrastinations caused me to lose the koi that I very much enjoyed. Nothing I can do to bring them back, but I learned a great lesson, and I expect to not repeat my mistakes n the future.
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      So sorry to hear this news Frank. Sorry you lost your Koi.
      Nancy



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      I'm so sorry Frank.
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      Thanks. It is a bummer, for sure. I will see in the morning when I get the excess hyacinths out if there is any alive, but I doubt it. I believe I will find the remaining ones floating, hidden by the hyacinths.
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      This morning we pulled out the hyacinths from the ponds, and found the remaining koi. All were lost.
      On a happier note, I have been moving the "overstock" tropical lilies from out of the greenhouse ponds to the tubs outside. They have taken off and are growing well, so I am trying to give them more room to "stretch out" their pads without entangling the stems as much. Still overcrowded somewhat, but at least the same varieties are in the tubs. In doing this, I started thinking about how often people ask how many lilies they can put in their pond. I think about how the stems reach out from the center and so the density of the pads on the surface changes the further way from the center of the plant. When you think of how many can be placed in the pond, do you think of the outer ends of the pads interlocking, or spacing them so the pads of different plants do not touch? Just as in other things, one persons idea of being full is someone else's "room for just one more."
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      Years ago I raised African Cichlids, which are aquarium fish. I stopped because my job caused me to travel a lot, and I could not do water changes regularly. A year or two after I had stopped raising them I saw some in a pet store, but the names on the labels on the tank were completely different from the names I knew them by. I asked the clerk about it and was told that I was right. The names I knew them by had been changed and the classifications had been changed as well. I was reminded of this over the past two days as I was reading some emails that I received from ponders.
      The email topic was concerning what to call the thing that attaches to the pad of a lily. Is it a tuber or a stem? There were several replies, but the most noticeable to me was the reply that technically the term is tuber, but most people call them stems because that is what they relate to. The reply also included a phrase that basically said that the terminology would be important to a botanist but most others would call it a stem.
      As I pondered this, I also thought about the fact that in many parts of the world lilies are called lotuses. They are in different families, and have different traits, but they call lotuses and lilies lotuses. Unless you see pics it is hard to know which one they are talking about.
      All of this pondering brought me to remember the phrase, "A rose by any other name smells just as sweet." Names are important in many ways, and for many reasons, but you do not have to be a botanist to enjoy the ponding hobby! Now, go out and play in the mud!
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    20. #20
      matherfish's Avatar
      matherfish is offline Senior Member
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      Join Date
      Jun 2006
      Location
      Nashville, TN
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      My thoughts today were on replacing the koi in the ponds. I am not going to get as many as I had, nor will I try to get the same size. I have some 4 or 5 inch goldfish in a pond, and a yellow butterfly koi that I had in a pond in my greenhouse that I will move out to the big pond while I look for more koi. I expect I will hear of someone locally who have some they need to rehome. I want to clean out my ponds first.
      To begin my search for replacement koi I looked through my emails to see if I could find our email exchange. I finally found the emails, and took the chance the address was still good. After all, it has been 5 years! I sent him an email, and to my surprise, a couple of hours later I had a reply. Unfortunately, he had sold the house. He said the new owners had filled in one of the two ponds, but he did not know about the second one. He is out of the state on business but offered to check with them this weekend and will see if they have any koi they would need to rehome. I appreciate his willingness to help me. As I read his email, I was struck with the thought that here is a guy I met briefly 5 years ago and have had no contact with him since, who is willing to go out of his way to help me. I pondered how that ponders are a type of friend that is bonded by our hobby and how considerate and helpful they are to other ponders. This trait goes on to other fields as well.
      A further search also included posting on our local pond clubs Facebook page seeking koi that needed to be rehomed. I had read a few weeks ago that someone had had a spawning earlier this year and needed to rehome the surviving fry. Those had been spoken for, but others had also posted concerning spawnings, and maybe some of them will need to be rehomed. Maybe I will find fish that way. I am not seeking show fish, just fish so I am not picky.
      And my final thoughts, maybe I need to drive to NY and visit Max during her culling next year or whenever. I would enjoy the visit, but I might get stuck with the under dwellers below her ponds.
      And so I ponder where I might find my next adoptees, and am thankful for kind people. Happy ponding!
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      Koiphen 2019 Koi Person of the Year!

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