Before
After
To me there is something nostalgic about cattails, childhood memories of gathering a bouquet of cattails, waiting for them to burst then blowing their feathery seeds through the air.
Perhaps it was this nostalgia that drew my sister beyond reason to add cattails to her little pond. My husband told her not to do it. Yet, she could not resist their allure. I finally conceded that if she would thin them each year, she would probably be safe.
The first year after installing the pond, I returned to California to help her with the thinning. After only one year, it was a huge job. Still she refused to remove them completely from her pond. I admit they were beautiful.
I then did not go back to California for three years (or has it been four?). She had not thinned the cattails as promised; after all remember it was a huge job for the two of us. She had merely pruned them. This pruning did nothing to slow the growth of the root ball. This root ball had completely consumed her entire pond.
I had timed my trip this year to catch another sister in her final week in California. She is not the outdoor gardening type. So, as my sister and I struggled with the pond, she enjoyed some quiet time alone in the house. At least that’s what she thought she would do.
I discovered that if I wedged the handle of the shovel under this huge root ball, it could be lifted in its entirety. Maybe if we just had one more back and one more set of hands we could get that thing out of the pond.
Now I ask you, picture if you will one 50 plus and two 60 plus, big reared, old women battling a big ball of roots that must have weighed no less than 400 pounds. Are you smiling yet? Had you been a fly on the fence, you would have been rolling with laughter.
We fought with that root ball for hours. Even when we got it outside the pond, it caused one of my sisters to fall and injure her finger. It popped so loudly, I thought she had bumped into a pair of rocks and caused them to make that sound. Fearing the finger was broken, we got her ring off immediately. Though it was obvious by the next morning that her finger wasn’t broken, we would have had to make a trip to the emergency room to have the ring cut off had we not gotten it off when we did.
In just three or four years, one little stand of cattails can completely cover a 5x5 pond. The moral of this story is, don’t put cattails in your pond unless you don’t want to have a pond anymore.
Once the monster was removed from the pond, it was no surprise to find there were no fish left in the pond. We made a trip to OSH for a few supplies; pots for new plants, de-chlorinator, that sort of thing. After three days, we went to the pet store for some conditioning fish. We bought a dozen minnows and 13 goldfish. Until last week’s heat wave hit she had lost only one goldfish. She informed me last week that she lost four of the minnows to the heat.
I had hoped to add a new water feature to her yard on this trip. I had visions of sand and surf, combining a new water garden with a surrounding floral garden. Time and energy would not allow for that. However, we did add a new fountain to her patio and bought all new patio furniture and accessories. The prints on her new cushions are very reminiscent of the ‘60s. Cushions, a much safer place to put your nostalgia.
Now for the water loss update I promised. I spent an entire week checking different areas in my ponds to zero in on the problem. As I told you before, I was losing water at the mouth of the river. That was simply caused by settling (and probably a bit of the “short-cutting” across that area). The bigger and more elusive problem, turned out to be a split in a joint in the liner in the waterfall. I replaced that area of liner with new liner and the problem was quickly resolved. When you have an issue with water loss, nine out of ten times, that issue is going to be in the waterfall.
I found the leak on Friday and refilled my pond for the last time Friday evening. It was just in the nick of time. The water had all day Saturday to warm and the fish began spawning on Sunday. More on spawning next time!
Perhaps it was this nostalgia that drew my sister beyond reason to add cattails to her little pond. My husband told her not to do it. Yet, she could not resist their allure. I finally conceded that if she would thin them each year, she would probably be safe.
The first year after installing the pond, I returned to California to help her with the thinning. After only one year, it was a huge job. Still she refused to remove them completely from her pond. I admit they were beautiful.
I then did not go back to California for three years (or has it been four?). She had not thinned the cattails as promised; after all remember it was a huge job for the two of us. She had merely pruned them. This pruning did nothing to slow the growth of the root ball. This root ball had completely consumed her entire pond.
I had timed my trip this year to catch another sister in her final week in California. She is not the outdoor gardening type. So, as my sister and I struggled with the pond, she enjoyed some quiet time alone in the house. At least that’s what she thought she would do.
I discovered that if I wedged the handle of the shovel under this huge root ball, it could be lifted in its entirety. Maybe if we just had one more back and one more set of hands we could get that thing out of the pond.
Now I ask you, picture if you will one 50 plus and two 60 plus, big reared, old women battling a big ball of roots that must have weighed no less than 400 pounds. Are you smiling yet? Had you been a fly on the fence, you would have been rolling with laughter.
We fought with that root ball for hours. Even when we got it outside the pond, it caused one of my sisters to fall and injure her finger. It popped so loudly, I thought she had bumped into a pair of rocks and caused them to make that sound. Fearing the finger was broken, we got her ring off immediately. Though it was obvious by the next morning that her finger wasn’t broken, we would have had to make a trip to the emergency room to have the ring cut off had we not gotten it off when we did.
In just three or four years, one little stand of cattails can completely cover a 5x5 pond. The moral of this story is, don’t put cattails in your pond unless you don’t want to have a pond anymore.
Once the monster was removed from the pond, it was no surprise to find there were no fish left in the pond. We made a trip to OSH for a few supplies; pots for new plants, de-chlorinator, that sort of thing. After three days, we went to the pet store for some conditioning fish. We bought a dozen minnows and 13 goldfish. Until last week’s heat wave hit she had lost only one goldfish. She informed me last week that she lost four of the minnows to the heat.
I had hoped to add a new water feature to her yard on this trip. I had visions of sand and surf, combining a new water garden with a surrounding floral garden. Time and energy would not allow for that. However, we did add a new fountain to her patio and bought all new patio furniture and accessories. The prints on her new cushions are very reminiscent of the ‘60s. Cushions, a much safer place to put your nostalgia.
Now for the water loss update I promised. I spent an entire week checking different areas in my ponds to zero in on the problem. As I told you before, I was losing water at the mouth of the river. That was simply caused by settling (and probably a bit of the “short-cutting” across that area). The bigger and more elusive problem, turned out to be a split in a joint in the liner in the waterfall. I replaced that area of liner with new liner and the problem was quickly resolved. When you have an issue with water loss, nine out of ten times, that issue is going to be in the waterfall.
I found the leak on Friday and refilled my pond for the last time Friday evening. It was just in the nick of time. The water had all day Saturday to warm and the fish began spawning on Sunday. More on spawning next time!
3 comments:
This was a great post! I enjoyed the humor and the was informed at the same time.
I have three ponds in my backyard and we have cattails and they are beautiful. You are right though, they will take over in a matter of a few years. I honestly think the roots do not stop growing in the winter. I have learned that you can put them in pots and I also have learned that it is best to not put them around rocks or stones. Put them directly on the rubber lining of the pond so the roots have nothing to grab on to. At the end of every spring and at the beginning of every fall if you drain your pond just below the roots so as to expose them then you can see to trim them properly. To trim them you can take a shovel and cut off everything you do not want. This is what I have learned so far. I think the best thing to do would be in the making of the pond literally make concrete sections - like built-in pots - to put them in so they don't take over. They are beautiful in that they give a great aesthetic backdrop.
Dazzling post, I like it all that much it was great to see and trust so you will keep sharing. Pond Sealant helped me to keep up a pond so I am having a goldfish pond in my yard.
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