zozo
Member
Here we go again!!. Time flies when you're having fun.. Almost spring time, early plants are already sprouting new growth. It's again exeptionaly good weather for the time of year, sunny, 10°C in the shades.. Last year it still was far bellow 0° at this time.. Anyway this season, time to clean it up and start it up again already.
The plywood filterbox/planted sump survived the winter realy well and is good to go.
all winter hardy plants ar slowly comming back, that's a good signal and says ready to take off. Imho that's the secret for any pond setup in the garden. Make sure you have abundand plants that like to grow as soon as and fast possible when the days slowly get longer. In this case already in februari.. Iris, Eriophorum, potentilla, Polygonum and Bog Fern are definitively on that list till now and this list is slowly extending by experience.
New idea for this year, inspired by the nasty Heron attack from previous year, is a platform at the other rounded end of the tub. It will be filled up with baskets and emersed growing plants.
It's a steel mesh coated with plastic and it just hangs in the tub half way down. Not only creating a new shallow but also under it lots of room for the fish to hide away safely. And have an entree and exit at both sides.. Actualy more hiding space than they ever had.
Still have the baskets with the somewhat frost sensitive plants indoors. Aand have to buy a bunch of new ones for the left hand shallow. But its still to early for that, tho yet didn't check the local pond shop.
Anyway next weeek it will be partialy up and running to slowly get a head start maturing the filter etc.
The plywood filterbox/planted sump survived the winter realy well and is good to go.
all winter hardy plants ar slowly comming back, that's a good signal and says ready to take off. Imho that's the secret for any pond setup in the garden. Make sure you have abundand plants that like to grow as soon as and fast possible when the days slowly get longer. In this case already in februari.. Iris, Eriophorum, potentilla, Polygonum and Bog Fern are definitively on that list till now and this list is slowly extending by experience.
New idea for this year, inspired by the nasty Heron attack from previous year, is a platform at the other rounded end of the tub. It will be filled up with baskets and emersed growing plants.
It's a steel mesh coated with plastic and it just hangs in the tub half way down. Not only creating a new shallow but also under it lots of room for the fish to hide away safely. And have an entree and exit at both sides.. Actualy more hiding space than they ever had.
Still have the baskets with the somewhat frost sensitive plants indoors. Aand have to buy a bunch of new ones for the left hand shallow. But its still to early for that, tho yet didn't check the local pond shop.
Anyway next weeek it will be partialy up and running to slowly get a head start maturing the filter etc.