Genesee Valley

Pond & Koi Club Newsletter

 Volume 5 Issue 4                                                                                                             April 2001

Ponds of the Genesee Valley

This month features the pond of Brian and Noelle, and Ben N.

Inspiration for Pond: Noelle had installed a small (60 gallon) preformed pond in 1996, in the back yard of their previous house with a small Pump, a water lily and three goldfish. They all appreciated the sound of splashing water, the color of the water lily, and watching the fish. Brian spent his childhood mucking in every stream and wetland he could find, They moved in 1997, and Noelle wanted Brian to build a little bigger pond in their new yard, big enough for more fish, more plants and a waterfall. Brian wanted to muck in the water again.

Plant of the Month

Pontederia cordata

Common Name: Pickeral Rush

Comments: A great "blue" flower for the pond's edge. Propagate by division in the spring. A tropical variety is available which is 36 to 40 inches tall!

Salutations from Larry

The March meeting proved to be quite interesting and proved a unique insight into the behind the scene activities of preparing a show garden display. If the questions and personal discussions after the presentation were any indication, everyone was enthusiastic about David Slayton's plans for "Gardenscape" and the techniques that he used for creating his cement sculptures and the dragon animation. For those members fortunate enough to see the actual display at the garden show, the finished product came together nicely and completed the concept that was presented to us.

I would like to thank Norman James, Yvonne Wheeler and Larry Nau for their input and work on the revised flyers and membership forms. We were able to have the revised materials available in time for the show. Thanks also to Bergen Water Gardens and Nursery and nature's Accents Inc. for providing exposure for these materials in their display areas. We will also have a display of photos of some member ponds as well as the flyers and memberships forms at the spring symposium on March 3 1'. Through these efforts we are hoping to recruit new members so that the club can continue to grow and to provide an expanded base from which we can continue to share ideas and leaning experiences.

Now is the time for you to consider sharing your ideas and experiences by offering your pond as one of the stops for this year's pond tour on July 21st. you have ample time to prepare your pond and a tour stop is a relatively easy thing to do. We usually spend about 15-20 minutes per stop so that everyone can view your pond and have their questions answered. The tour is scheduled so that hosts can also participate in the tour. Ideally we like to have a variety of styles and sizes to represent a range of fish, pond life, and water features. For more information, reassurance, or to volunteer, contact Brian Nagel or myself (Larry Hursh).

Please remember as announced at the last meeting that the April presentation will be on fiber optic lighting. A.J. Hetzke of Unitrac will be our guest speaker. The pond filtration discussion will be rescheduled.

Larry H.

Bugged??

By Larry N.

Every water gardener sooner or later comes out to see his or her favorite water lily leaf, lotus leaf or taro coated with a slow moving black mass! Traditionally references point out that this is an infestation of aphids. The common remedy has been to rinse off the affected area with a spray of water and let the hungry fish gobble up the intruders! This certainly reduces the number of undesirables but usually in a few days they are back again.

Aphids are among the most devastating insects to attack aquatic plants. They have the ability to kill leaves and deform flowers. Aphids feed on the aquatic plants by piercing the leaves, stems and buds and sucking out the plant fluids. Once the tissue has been pieced the surrounding cells begin to die. The actual hole permits further invasion by additional bacteria. The net result is a dead leaf or bud.

This year there is a new approach to controlling aphids thanks to Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. This manufacturer has introduced a product call Herbal Aphid Control for 2001. Herbal Aphid Control is a mixture of spearmint, peppermint and thyme oils. This product kills aphids on contact, generally within five minutes.

Herbal Aphid Control is a contact insecticide. It may be first applied as soon as the first aphids are seen. It can be applied whenever aphids are discovered, even daily. Once five minutes have elapsed rinse off the dead aphids along with any extra spray. If this is not done, some leaf curling will occur on foliage plants such as taros.

Herbal Aphid Control may be used on plants inside a pond. Research shows that koi, goldfish and orfes are not effected. Additionally, herbal aphid control is not toxic to leopard frogs, bullfrogs and snails. This product does not leave any oily residue on the water's surface as well.

Herbal Aphid Control has been safely used on water lilies, canna, water hyacinth, taro, lotus, cattail, Parrot's feather and pennywort. This product may not be used on water lettuce, as it will cause leaf damage and disintegration.

Reviews from members of the International Water Garden Society, who have conducted field tests for Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, are promising. All report a substantial kill of aphids with this new product. Hopefully 2001 will provide us with a season of non-disfigured leaves and healthy flower production.

Lilyfest 2001

The 2001 growing season is off to a slow start. Persistent cold weather and snow has delayed the emergence of our hardy water plants. Remember though, we still need some nice plants for our Water Plant Display at LilyFest. Pamper a few of your favorites as we hope everyone will participate in this event. Let's spread the excitement of water gardening!

Nutrition - Features to Look for in a Koi Food.

Ben Helm B.Sc. - Nishikoi Information Centre

Koi and all other fish are just like us in that they have particular dietary, requirements. Naturally, koi will scavenge and root around a pond bottom as an aquatic pig eating worms, algae and debris, but where they are stocked in an artificial garden pond their diet and overall health is reliant on what they are fed artificially.

As a close relative of the carp (they even share the same name Cyprinus carpio) the nutritional requirements are almost identical to that of carp and similar to ourselves in that they are omnivores, eating both plant and animal material.

In fact, there is very little difference between the dietary requirements of koi and other pond fish such as goldfish, comets and shubunkins. Manufactured koi diets tend to be a little more refined than pond fish diets with a greater emphasis on protein content and color enhancement.

Artificial koi diets can contain a wide range of raw materials in their formulation as long as they provide an overall balanced diet. Just think of the vast range of foods we can eat and still remain healthy.

However, the blend of raw materials in a koi diet must satisfy specific criteria to provide sufficient of the following:

All reputable koi foods will satisfy the above, providing adequate balanced nutrition for your koi and pondfish however there is no industry standard that koi food must meet before it can be sold.

Carry out some detective work yourself before buying. Look at shop displays to spot which are the popular foods and ask friends and aq'uatic retailers which food they use or would recommend.

When choosing a food it is also wise to keep an eye out for the following. These may often set brands apart and may be reflected in the price.

1. Value for money. Check and compare weights. This may sound obvious but rival brands may produce pellets that are more 'blown' with air than others. This may give the impression of getting a larger pack for your money when in fact you may be paying for air!

2. Look on the ingredient list for a wide range of ingredients and for beneficial additives such as:

Color enhancers. Raw ingredients such as spirulina, krill, chrysanthemum meal and other synthetic compounds such a astaxanthin and canthaxanthin are included to enhance the skin coloration in fish. A food containing these will improve your fish's color but will also increase the price of the food.

Stabilized Vitamin C. Most of the natural Vitamin C is lost in the milling process. Stabilized Vitamin C is added to provide a boost of such an essential Vitamin ensuring your koi are kept in tip-top condition.

3. Packaging. Is the packaging robust and re-sealable enabling you to keep the food fresh for a reasonable period? If food is left open to the air then its quality will rapidly deteriorate.

4. Best before date. Make sure that you are buying this year's stock and that the 'Best Before' date will last until the end of the season. Vitamin content should be present up to 12 months after manufacture. The less time there is on the best before date the less fresh the food is.

You may find it useful to ask your koi dealer what they feed their fish. They will be very well informed as to what they want from a food and will only offer their own koi what they consider to be the best for them. Be careful not to be too influenced by price, as there are unbalanced 'budget' diets on the market. In the same way there are over-priced 'belt and braces' diets, which are not significantly better than mid-priced well balanced diets. Now that you know what to look for when choosing a suitable koi diet, best of luck!

Garden Elements

A Review

By Larrv Nau

Eight members of GVPAKC attended Garden Elements presented by the Rochester Civic Garden Center and Bruce Zaretsky landscaping, inc. on Saturday March 3 1'. We were enlightened about soil by Joann Gruttadaurio. Her enthusiasm for soil and compost provided for a lively talk. Barry Glick entertained us with a selection of perennials for the garden. It was refreshing to see some of the older primary hybrids dating back to the 1800's and earlier. The afternoon speaker was Helen Nash. Her focus was Waterfalls, Fountains, Pools and Streams...."The Sequel".

Helen Nash's program focused on pond construction and tips for a successful pond. I'm sure if you cornered one of the GVPAKC attendees they would be more than happy to share some of Helens' points. Certainly Helen was not shy about her suggestions and opinions.

Here are a few highlights from Helen's talk:

1. "Before you dig that first shovel of dirt ask yourself-. How much time do you have or do you want to spend maintaining the feature? Secondly-What type of feature do you want (and again, what's involved in taking care of it)?

2. "Whatever design you choose, build it to last."

3. "You want your water feature to fitnaturally or be anchored into the landscape. One way to do this is to extend the edging rocks out into the surrounding landscape."

4. "Create planting pockets around your rocks. Use scrambling, trailing or spreading plants to soften the harsh rock edges."

5. "Naturalize the rocks themselves with mosses."

6. "If you keep a white fish in your pond, you may notice the first signs of stress-blushing in the fish's fins and tail"

7. "Water Gardening and pondkeeping are HOT. We water gardeners are fruit ripe for picking. The marketplace is full of bells and whistles to make our pond efforts successful (and lucrative for the sellers). Too often we are told a product or an idea is necessary for success. Too many lawnmowerpushers are willing to promise a pond in a day. Before you spend any money on your pond efforts, read as much as you can, talk to as many water gardeners as you can and compare what you learn with what YOU can do, or with what you want to do. No two ponds are exactly alike. And no one way is the only way to do it. The real key to successful pondkeeping is to do what makes sense for you in both financial and time investments."

Helen Nash took a good amount of time to discuss the potential dangers of adding gravel to the bottom of your pond. She sited her own experiences with pea gravel and the ultimate "death of her pond" due to a hydrogen sulfide buildup. She also notes how - water clover took over the pond as it anchored itself in the gravel. Clearly addition of gravel was not a favorable idea in Helen's view.

The member's of GVPAKC were honored to have Helen Nash sit at our table during lunch. She was quick to share how she missed her turn onto 90 outside of Cleveland and continued into Pennsylvania on Interstate 80. Unfortunately those errors added about 3 hours plus on to her travel time. She did not arrive into Rochester until 1:00 AM on Saturday morning! Due to her rigid production schedule for Pond and Garden she could not stay in Rochester Saturday night. She immediately departed for Indiana at the conclusion of the event. Indeed, she is an amazing woman!

Helen Nash made a sincere "pitch" to all the GVPAKC members present at lunch about an article for Pond and Garden. Helen would like a "pond tour" article showing the ponds of the Genesee Valley for the magazine. She actually teased us with the prospect of one of the ponds being the cover picture for the magazine. Certainly this would be great publicity for the club but would involve a bit of work! If anyone is interested in helping to contribute to this effort contact Larry H. for details.

The club included a flyer and membership application in each attendee's folder. Certainly GVPAKC's attendance was greatly appreciated by the Civic Garden Center. We had a number of sincere inquiries, which may produce new members. All of us present certainly had an enjoyable experience and were thrilled to meet one of water gardenings greatest advocates!

Books for Sale

Tetra's Encyclopedia of Koi retails for $35 at Border's Bookstore. One of GVPAKC's members has 2 copies of this classic koi book available. They are selling for only $15 a copy. Contact Maureen at 394-8201 for details.