A Series of Unfortunate Events

Problems arise on occasion beyond our control. Today, I want to cover a series of unfortunate events, what issues they cause and how to deal with it now.

The Problem: Toward the end of summer, a snapping turtle found his way into my pond. He/she proceeded to “snap” everything he/she could get his/her “teeth” into. The turtle snapped all the greenery floating in and on the pond. Checking with the local conservation department, I learned that snapping turtles love debris and waste. Apparently, he/she was snapping the plants so that the debris became a tasty treat after it rotted and fell to the bottom of the pond. All efforts to get the turtle out of the pond were in vain. Next, the debris began plugging up the pump and filter system. A fear of sharing the pond with the turtle, kept me from reaching into the now murky pond to retrieve the submerged pump. So, the only option left was to unplug the pump.

The next thing in this series to happen is we were called out of town in a hurry. The pond still had not been tended to. To make matters worse, we wound up being gone for several months. This trip took us through the remainder of summer, fall and into the winter months. Normally, the pond would be covered over in preparation for fall and winter. To protect it from leaves and debris that might blow into the pond. The plants should have been set to a greater depth to protect the roots from ice building up around the root system. All of this on top of the damage done by the turtle.

Now that we are home do you have suggestions for what steps I should take to get the pond ready for the next season?

The Solution: Lemony snickets you have a tough problem here! I am afraid I don’t have an easy solution. Your work is truly cut out for you.

First, you will have to wait for warmer weather. You’re going to have to go in there. As soon as the water warms enough that you think you can bear it, you need to pull the pump. Clean the pump to get all the debris out of it and make sure it still works. If the pump still functions, you can set it back into the pond and begin pumping the water out of your pond. You will want to save some of the water. The amount of water will depend on the size of your pond. For my 2000-gallon pond, I would fill three 55-gallon drums almost to the top. For my 200-gallon pond, I would fill two five-gallon buckets. Big difference.

If you have fish in your pond, as the pond empties it will be easier to catch them. Move them to part of the water you have saved. Be careful. Try not to traumatize them any more than you must. Save one container of water with no fish in it.

Once you have harvested the fish and the pond is as empty as possible, unplug the pump and wade on in. Some tools I would employ would be a bucket, an old soft bristle broom and a plastic scoop shovel. Warning! Be careful with that shovel! Keep your eyes open for any rogue fish that might have escaped your view hiding in the muck in the bottom of the pond.

If things go well, you will be able to use the scoop like a dustpan as you muck out the debris from the bottom of the pond. DON’T throw all of the muck away! It makes great compost starter for your gardens. All that fish waste is excellent.

Don’t remove every little bit of the “ingredients” in your pond. Your fish have worked hard to create that beneficial bacteria.

When you have your pond cleaned as much as you can start to refill it. When it is almost full you can add back the water you saved. The one with no fish. Check the water quality of your pond. If you are using a city water source, you will need to remove the chlorine from the water before you put your fish back in your pond. I would also allow as much time as possible for the water temperature to level out.

I think all we can do is hope for the best with your plants. Unless you had some extreme temperatures it is likely that they toughed it out and will survive the abuse. I would not get rid of them yet.

As soon as your fish are swimming happily back in the pond run a hot bath with Lavender Oil and Epson Salts, you’re going to need it.

If you have problems or questions about ponding or water gardens I would love to try and answer them.

A Warm Day by the Pond

I couldn’t resist it. We have had two 70-degree days in a row. I had to uncover the pond and have a peek.

I see a few leaves have managed to make their way into the pond despite the cover. Even though it is quite warm outside the wind is blowing hard and more leaves tumbled across the garden, jumped in for a swim then skated across the pond like tiny sailboats.

I know that while the pump is off for the winter, I should not feed the fish. But, my desire for them to come up to the edge and say hello was too strong. So I broke another rule. Just a single small handful and there they were.

Goliath my biggest koi never disappoints me in his mammoth size. Though I think at this point he may have only added a single inch to his last years 16 inches in length, his diameter is shocking. His large head pokes up out of the pond like a slow moving whale.

The babies from last year have grown more visibly than the larger fish. Most of them were simply dull brown in color last year. There is no sign of a brown or dull goldfish anywhere in the pond.

Another change I noticed was a Butterfly Koi that was steely black and yellow last year, has no sign of yellow and the steel black coloring has changed to a more metallic silver. What once was yellow is now white, giving him the look of highlights.

I see a tiny iris making an appearance on the far side of the water garden. It is the only plant showing visible signs of life. It is a prolific bloomer and will re-bloom from spring, right through summer.

I can see that even with the precautions, I will need to do a little bit of maintenance this year. In addition to the leaves that still managed to find their way into the pond that will have to be removed, some of the border rocks have been knocked loose by critters hoping to find water. It looks as though my filter barrel has settled some, and that will need to be re-leveled for the waterfall to function properly.

I see many oaks on my property are stubbornly hanging on to their leaves. I know those oaks. They will hard-headedly wait for spring to bring new leaves to push them out of the way. This little trick they pull makes raking a moot point for my garden. No matter how much I rake trying to keep the leaves out of the pond, there will still be more hiding, laying in wait for new leaves to force the dead ones to the ground and ultimately into the pond.

A fellow water gardener once told me, “If there is a leaf within 20 miles of the pond, it will find its way in there.”

Now if winter will just get out of the way and let spring move in, I am ready to get wet and dirty and get the pond and gardens ready for summer.