Genesee Valley

Pond & Koi Club Newsletter

Volume 7 Issue 4 February 2003

Nau Hear This!

Well, the past month has really been great. The weather has broken and the snow seemed to disappear almost as quickly as it built up in the fall. The garden talks and flower shows have helped to announce that spring may be just around the corner and some of the early spring flowers are already blooming out in the garden.

From conversations with some of the members at Gardenscape, the ice is off of many of our ponds and despite the length and harshness of the winter, fish and pond survival rates have been very good.

Last month's presentation by Greg Young was very well received and his suggestions for finding leaks would be very helpful if they become necessary. At the same time, I hope that all of us will be fortunate enough that we won't have to use them right away.

For those of you who were unable to attend, his trick for doing the actual detective work was outstanding. His suggestion was to use milk as an indicator. The procedure is somewhat like this: once the water level has stabilized at or below the location of the leak, raise the water level about ½ inch. Add several drops of milk at a starting point in the water near the edge of the pond. If there is a leak near that spot, the milk will produce a flow line toward the leak. If there is no leak, it will stay as a small spot but spread somewhat like a ripple effect. Work your way around the pond by placing succeeding drops at the edge of the previous spot's edge. Cautionary notes: There may be more than one leak so always complete the process around the entire pond marking each one for repair. Also, if the perimeter of the pond is fairly large, make sure the water level remains above the original stable line.

Repair all leaks using a patch of sufficient size so that it would extend at least an inch beyond all sides of the leak(s). Then raise the level another 1/2 inch (1 inch above the original level) and repeat the test process again. You can keep repeating this procedure until you have tested back to your normal pond level. If time is a critical factor, you could bring the pond to its normal level after the first few test levels and check to see if a new leak level develops. If it does, then start again from that point.

The beauty of this procedure is that it is a visual test using a natural product that is safe and may have health benefits for the fish and the plants, is inexpensive and readily available.

Our guest speaker for the April meeting will be Carole Southby. She is well known in this area for her presentations on many varied plant materials and is especially interested in native plants. Her presentation will be on some of the native plants from our local boggy and swampy areas and will include scenes and possibly some of the wildlife of Bergen swamp and other local areas.

Time is getting short for selecting a topic for the May 2nd meeting. So far no one has responded to my request for a possible topic, so if you have any suggestions or a topic that you would like to be part of the presentation, please let me know by April 6th.

If there are no new suggestions for this meeting, the presentation will be on opening the pond, preparing it for the season and suggestions for pond and plant maintenance.

Jewels of the Pond

Lotuses are the most magnificent of aquatic plants

Summary of the article by Cathy Green appearing in Horticulture, June 2002, pp. 50 –55.

The Egyptians revered lotuses as symbols of immortality; Buddhists still view them as sacred. Many early cultures also depended on lotuses for food. For Native Americans, lotus seeds were among a class of edibles. Today, lotus rhizomes, stamens, and leaves are still eaten in many East Asian countries.

Lotuses are emergents - plants that grow in submersed soil but whose leaves, stems, and flowers rise above the water surface.

Standard lotuses reach a height of five to six feet, though dwarf varieties reach only two or three feet and tea-cup lotuses, which are the smallest, reach only 18 inches. Lotuses produce both floating leaves and aerial leaves. Though leaf size may vary from species to species. all are blue green and shaped like dinner plates. One distinctive characteristic of lotus leaves is that they repel water, causing it to bead up like drops of mercury.

The flowers can reach 12 inches across with between 16 and 86 petals. Flower hues range from white to yellow, and from rose pink to red, though some hybrids change color over time. The blooms open early in the morning, partially close in mid-afternoon, and last about three days. The flowers give way to distinctive showerhead-shaped pods that make excellent additions to dried flower arrangements.

HOW TO GROW LOTUSES IN COOLER CLIMATES

	In USDA Zone 6 and cooler, start lotus tubers indoors for maximum bloom.
	Outside position lotuses in shallow water to take advantage of full sun and maximum warmth. They will need at least three months of air temperatures at 75°-85°F and water temperatures of 70°F to bloom. (However, consecutive days above 90°F will inhibit blooming.)
	To over winter plants in ponds submerge them well below the level where ice will form.
	If you are keeping lotuses as container plants, don't leave them where they will freeze solid. Instead submerge the plants and put them in a garage or basement, remembering that they will need to be given fresh water occasionally.
	Lotuses grow from tubers about the size of sweet potatoes. Given free reign in a mud-bottomed pond, they will grow as far under the soil as they can, where they can be very hard to eradicate. A preferred way of growing them is in round pots that do not have drainage holes - 12- gallon pots for large varieties, 5- gallon pots for smaller sized plants, and 1-gallon pots for Chinese-bowl lotuses.
	To ensure bloom the first season, plant tubers with at least two growth points.
	The growth points must be protected. If they are broken during planting, the entire tuber may die.
	Plant shallowly in a heavy sandy loam mix (two parts heavy clay soil to one part sand).
	Submerge under just two to four inches of water. After the first season, they can be safely lowered to two feet.
	Because lotuses are heavy feeders, fertilization will greatly improve their blooming performance. Start with one 10-gram tablet of 10-26-10 fertilizer for every one to two gallons of soil, replenishing as often as twice a month.

PROPAGATION

	One tuber will often yield eight new ones by the next spring. Separate the tubers in early spring, before the floating leaves have begun to grow. Do not attempt to divide once the aerial leaves appear.
	If propagating from seed, first nick the seeds and then soak for a month before planting. Alter germination, pot the seedlings into increasingly larger containers as they grow. Plants can take up to two years to mature.

I would like to thank JoAnne James for her contribution of the above summary to this month's newsletter. It is very timely in that shortly we will all be thinking of opening our ponds, adding new plants and dividing old ones and getting everything ready for a beautiful water gardening season.

When you divide, thin or have extra water or marginal plants, please consider donating them for the club's plant auction on June 6th. Also please consider the possibility of adding your pond as one of the stops for this year’s pond tour.

Spring can be a critical time for your pond and especially for your fish. The cold-water temperatures have helped to keep bacteria, viruses and parasites somewhat in check. Unfortunately, as the water temperature rises, these bad "actors" become more active and at a faster rate than the fishes immune system improves. The fish's immune system is now at its weakest point The additional stress of frequently changing water temperatures can also make them more susceptible to attack by the diseases and parasites Therefore, water quality and filtration are essential in helping them through the spring changeover. You can also remove some of the accumulated debris of the winter to further improve their living conditions by removing the potential breeding places for diseases and pests. Please be careful though when cleaning the pond so that you do not unduly stress the fish and further weaken the immune system.

If you normally use salt as an aid to fish health, check the salt level with a test kit and make any changes that it may indicate. There are also materials that you can add to stimulate the slime coat production by the fish to enhance that defense mechanism. When the water temperature rises and holds above 55 degrees, there are two additional things that you can do to help their health and survival rate. You can start adding beneficial bacteria to break down the organic debris, wastes and dusts that have built up over the winter. You can also start feeding your fish with one of the cold weather foods. This should supply them with additional nutrients to help them respond to the critical problems of spring

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