Genesee Valley

Pond & Koi Club Newsletter

 Volume 5 Issue 1                                                                                                             January 2001

Ponds of the Genesee Valley

This month features the pond of Norm and JoAnne J. of Rush, New York.

Date Constructed: fall of 1998 - spring 1999

By Whom: Norm J.

Inspiration for Pond: When Spring of 1998 arrived, Norm didn't have time to remove the winter cover from our in-gound swimming pool.  Within a short period of time a natural pond with crystal clear water, frogs, polliwogs and aquatic insects established itself on top of the cover.  We enjoyed it so much it seemed like a good idea to try something new.

Dimensions: 16' x 32' x 2' to 4'

Number of gallons: Approximately 8,000

Pond Type: Kidney shaped gunite with gravel in the bottom to reduce water volume

Filtration:    The existing pool sand filter with two fountain heads, a venturi and a small waterfalls for aeration have kept the water crystal clear for the two years we've had the pond.

Fish: 10 koi (or more if babies survive the winter!) and 3 Orfes

WaterPlants: Hardylilies (Attraction, Virginia, Chromatella, Gladstone,Comanche, Red Spider and PinkHeaven), water hyacinths, Lobelia cardinalis "Charlie Brown", White Rush, Lizard's Tail, Lime green Iris, Min. blue Iris, Taro, Umbrella Plant

Comments: To naturalize the pond, Norm painted the sides a muddy color, filled the bottom with gravel and replaced the pool coping with a flat stone edging

Plant of the Month

Equisetum hyemale

Comman Name: Horsetail Rush

Zone: 3 to I I

Native: Eurasia and western North America

Blooms: There are no flowers except for a brownish pollen cone which appear in late summer and fall.

Size: Hollow, leafless stems can grow up to 4 feet.

Color: Stems are green and stay that way even during winter

Pond Size: A recommended marginal plant for any size pond.  It can grow in moist soil to a depth of 8 inches in water.

Comments: Horsetail Rush is a vigorous grower and must be confined to a container.  If not, it may quickly overtake an area of a pond, especially a natural bottom pond.

Nau Hear This!

The other night I was working on the first page of the GVPAKC newsletter for 2001. As I typed in the new volume number I realized that Sherry and I have put together 47 newsletters for our club.  The 48h, we regret, just could not come together.  We apologize for this, but there are times when family will come first.  We are grateful for the final days and hours we spent with Sherry's 98 year old grandmother.  We would like to acknowledge and thank everyone for the cards and the expressions of sympathy presented by the club and its members.  Granny was a tremendous gardener.  She grew most of her annuals from seed.  Her geraniums were spectacular and among the finest available.  Water gardening though was foreign to Granny.  Yet she was amazed at our pond and of course our fish!  The sight of our lilies and lotus in bloom always provided her with much enjoyment and marvel.  Like everyone else, Granny found the best time was spent sitting, listening and "pondering" the beauty of our creation.  Sherry and I are both honored to have had the pleasure of sharing it with her.

The end of November and beginning of December was also a difficult time for at least 5 other members of our club.  All were hospitalized and released and to the best of my knowledge all are recovering satisfactorily.  Certainly, on behalf of myself and the rest of GVPAKC, we extend our sincerest wishes for continued recovery in 200 1. We certainly hope to see everyone again, in good health, at a meeting, auction or our famous Pond Tour!

Certainly our recent weather has reminded us how brutal winter can be in Western New York.  The burst of cold has stayed with us for many weeks.  I know of several people, including ourselves, whose pond was not fully prepared for winter. 

Unfortunately, we will pay the price this spring with broken valves and ruptured water pipes!  Many call this an "old fashioned winter".  My adjectives to describe it are not suitable for this newsletter.  On the bright side, it will finally force me to modify our filter system and make some needed improvements. 

Thank you to Larry and Kathy Hursh for developing a Pond Jeopardy game in our absence.  We understand that everyone had a great time at the Holiday Party.  Thanks too to Yvonne Wheeler who helped to organize the event along with Kathy. 

I would like to officially thank Matt Johnson for speaking at our November meeting on his recent tip to the Amazon.  Matt provided us with an abundance of slides showing the beauty of Brazil's flora and fauna.  Of course GVPAKC members were enthralled with his pictures and information on the giant Victoria lilies.  If you missed it, you may have a second chance this upcoming summer.  The club is planning a field trip to see Matts' Victorias in the Johnson's natural pond.  Stay tuned and renew your memberships for more details! 

We had to postpone the clubs' elections in November.  We would like to conduct them in January if enough members are present.  We are in need for someone to help with the treasurer's position in 200 1. If you can write 16 checks a year and help to keep our membership roster in order we could use your help!  Call Larry Hursh (473-6276) for more details.  Larry and I hope to have a board meeting in early January to work on the upcoming year.  If you have some ideas or would like to attend the meeting again, give Larry a ring! 

We are currently working on several new projects for 200 1. Some of these ideas are presented in this newsletter.  The success or failure of these ventures will depend on you, the membership of GVPAKC.  If our club is to grow and thrive it must demonstrate it is viable and is active. 

Hopefully the events of 2001 with clearly show this to the Rochester Gardening community.

Enclosed in this newsletter is a membership renewal form for 200 1. This will be the only official notification you will receive this year.  Please take a minute and complete the form and return it.  We hope to see al I of you again in 2001.

Finally I would also like to thank Norm James for providing me with photos of his pond and other ponds on the pond tour in 2000.  These will help tremendously as we work on the upcoming first pages!  We can always use some written stories about members' successes and difficulties.  All of us have stories to tell about pond construction, equipment experiences or pond visitors.  Please consider sharing some of these experiences with your fellow pond keepers.  We all can learn if you are willing to share!  After putting together 48 of these newsletters, I can tell you that it is at times fun and a challenge.  Some issues of this newsletter we are very proud of, others reflect the reality of how we too are pressed for time.  Consider contributing a thought, a story or an idea to YOUR newsletter!

Join us on Friday January 5th at the Castle for our next meeting.  I will put together a program on Fish Health and Disease.  Unfortunately all of us at some time will have difficulty with our fish in our pond.  Hopefully I can give you some guidance on how to prevent, identify and treat problems with your fish.  Please do listen to WHAM II 80 or call Larry Hursh or myself if our fine Rochester weather should turn nasty.  I do not believe we have ever cancelled a meeting but this winter seems especially volatile.  We will make a decision by 3:00 as to the status of the meeting.  So we hope to see you at the next meeting to share some memories of pond seasons past or just some warm friendship and laughs.  Everyone have a Safe and Happy New Year's celebration!

HOLIDAY PARTY REVIEW

By Larry Hursh

The annual Holiday Party was a grand success.  I would like to thank Yvonne Wheeler and Kathy Hursh for organizing the party and all the members who attended and brought their favorite food to share.  There was plenty of food, fun and friendship to start the holiday season on the right note.  We played The Pond Jeopardy game as individuals rather teams, and it seemed that everyone was able to be involved.  The major responders were Time Stevenson (270 points for 5 ans.), Cheryl Saccone (140 points for 6 ans.) and Charles Oesterly (110 points for 3 ans.). During the social periods there were many pond-related discussions on completing winterizing for this season as well as plans for additions and improvements for next year.  Hopefully this enthusiasm will carry over through the winter month meetings.

Editors Note: I would like to thank Larry, Kathy and Y. for organizing the party.  I was greatly relieved to be able to concentrate on my family.

Save the Date:

March 31, 2001

from 9:00 - 4:00

for a day of inspirational  speakers and gardening fun.

"Garden Elements"

is presented by Rochester Civic Garden Center & 

Bruce Zaretsky Landscaping, Inc. 

to be held at the

Rochester Museum & Science Center.

Featured speaker is

Helen Nash whose topic will be "Water in the  Garden".

Garden Elements

As noted in the announcement above there will be a presentation of interest to members of GVPAKC.  This will be the featured program by Helen Nash.  Helen has authored numerous water gardening books.  She is also the publisher of Pond & Garden Magazine.  We suggest that you take this opportunity to hear and perhaps meet one of the leading personalities in water gardening today!

There may also be an opportunity for GVPAKC members to work an informational booth at this gardening day.  If you are interested in helping out please see us at the meeting.  More details will follow in next month's newsletter.

Dinosaurs in the Pond? 

By Sherry Nau

Next time you are out in your pond chasing the Herons away to keep them from eating your fish, imagine the difficulty in keeping out a dinosaur!  Now, one might ask what interest a dinosaur would have in your pond?  It is not the precious koi that would attract them.  The dinosaurs would be following their stomachs, seeking out your horsetail rush.  Scientists estimate this plant has been around since the Paleozoic Era, about 350 million years ago.  At that time the plant was a bit more impressive than it is now.  It grew to be over I 00 feet tall, with stems more than two feet thick.  The largest known horsetail today is found in the American tropics.  It reaches about 12 feet tall, still pretty puny for dinosaur appetites.

This is a rather unusual plant as it has no leaves, no branches, and no flowers.  The top is crowned with a small, cone-like structure where spores for reproduction are produced.  The plant is very invasive; a quality which has most likely contributed to its survival over the last few million years.  The roots can go down 30 feet into the soil, and reappear up to 20 feet away.  For us pond owners this can be a frustrating and challenging plant to try to contain.

Another unique characteristic of this plant is the composition.  It contains a large amount of silica, up to 40% of the total weight of the plant.  Silica is commonly found in sand and makes the plant abrasive.  In Colonial days settlers used this plant to scour pots.

So, next time you are admiring the wildlife attracted to your pond, consider the interesting animals drawn to your plants and in particular your horsetail rush. Think of the time during the early days of our planet's history, the Age of the Great Reptiles.  Be grateful that the largest animal you will have to contend with strolling through your bog will be the neighbor hood cat!

Lily Fest 2001

At the Holiday Party discussion was held regarding a proposal to participate in Lily Fest 2001.  This event will be held at Bergen Water Gardens and Nursery on June 22, 23 and 24 in Churchville, New York.  The Genesee Valley Pond and Koi Club will present a Water Plant Exhibit as part of this event.  The water plants maybe a water lily, a lotus or marginal plant which any club member has grown.  These plants will be on display for the public to see.

As part of this event Kingfish Services will provide a trade exhibit of products from 11 different manufactures.  Some of these products are specifically for ponds, others are for aquariums. @ Sunday the 24'h all of these products will be auctioned off at 12:00.  The proceeds from this auction are generally close to $2,000!  All of this money will go to The Genesee Valley Pond and Koi Club.  Obviously this would be a tremendous boost to our treasury and provide resources for future speakers etc. at club meetings.

To make this event a success we need help form the GVPAKC membership.  First we need members to pick out their favorite plant and pamper it a bit!  Prune it, feed it make it grow its best during May and June.  Make sure it is in a portable container for easy transfer.  We will need someone to coordinate the plant selection.  It would be a dull exhibit if we had 15 Umbrella Plants on display.

Secondly we need people to "man the table" during those days.  Basically we need someone to answer questions about the club and the plants on display.  We could be busy especially on Saturday if the weather is good!  So please reserve a block of time that weekend to help.  Saturday night we may have an informal pizza party for the club members who are there.

Lastly, we need as many of our members as possible to come to the auction on Sunday.  In fact, bring your neighbors & your friends ... anyone who has an interest in water gardening or may have an aquarium.  There will be pond supplies, plants and fish available at the auction.  The auction will be under a tent in case of inclement weather.  The tent will also be the site for some programs on Saturday as part of the Lily Fest event.

Water Gardening continues to grow as a hobby in this area.  This event provides us with a chance to educate the public, recruit new members and just plain have fun with the pond friends.  It's success or failure is in the memberships' hands.  Please come to the meeting for more details or call Larry to see how you can help!

Fish Health and Disease

The speaker for the January 5th meeting will be Larry Nau.  He will present the most recent update on fish health.  He has numerous slides and handouts to assist members in learning more about their fish and understanding how to keep them healthy.  He will discuss the signs to look for in recognizing when your fish are becoming ill, and talk about the best medication to use.  This will be a great opportunity to pick up some pointers on how to keep your favorite wet pets alive and healthy.

The meeting will begin at 7:00 at the Rochester Civic Garden Center.

 Time to Renew Your Membership

Please take a minute and return the enclosed renewal form for 2001.  It will save us a lot of work if everyone can return their renewal as soon as possible.  It will also help us to plan events for 2001.  The year 2000 was a good year for GVPAKC as we picked up over 15 new family memberships.  Let's make 2001 an even greater success!

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