spring flowers

[HARO]

Country; the plants are water lettuce, and will grow to about 8" or so across. As far as feeding your fish for the weekend, I've found that it is much better just to let them find their own for a few days, as opposed to returning to find your pond covered with soggy food by well-meaning neighbours. John

 

[j.w]

I was told by garden guy on radio that Japanese Maples don't need extra water during our summers once established. You are much hotter tho so don't know how much water they need there. You could be over watering them tho, not sure. They can suffer from root rot w/ too much water. Now those tiny plants that you have there look like my water lettuce plants that I purchased. I think their is a dwarf variety of them so maybe that is what you have. Check out this site: http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Decor Dwarf Water Lettuce.htm

 

[CountryEscape]

Well, I'll be darn! Haro, I would have said that they were not water lettuce, but I must admit that when I looked at the picture on here it sure did look like lettuce, and that was before I asked! JW, you're right, and so is Haro! They are the dwarf variety, I guess! They have the exact same root system, and they did super when put out in the sun. I will take them in and put them under a high intensity light for the winter. I'm so excited, as the one and only water lettuce (regular variety) died within 2 weeks in my pond; however, I'm sure the koi were feeding on the roots, thus killing it, or so I would guess, knowing what I now know about that! These will feed my fish next year, but I will first reproduce as many as I can through the winter, and then put some back in the bog to reproduce in the spring, and the rest in the pond for the fish! I'm soooo excited! Thanks both of you for identifying them!!!
And, JW, I had a very nice wet spring, but here we had very little rain since July 15 or so, and hot conditions (90's) so that is why I was watering. I had it in the original pot until only about 3 weeks ago, so that is why I was daily watering it. It started suffering in the pot, I must say though, so maybe I was overwatering it. I was also fertilizing with a very diluted solution of Miracle Grow (1 tbl per 3.5 gal of water), so maybe that hurt it, too. I am hopeful it will come back in the spring, though, since the branches are all very subtle and none are dried and brittle.

 

[j.w]

Hoping you don't lose it Country cuz they are such beauties! You can scratch the bark on the limb or the trunk just a tiny bit with a sharp knife or your fingernail and if it's green underneath then the wood is still alive. Sometimes it takes awhile to turn brown or grey underneath it's skin if it's dead or dying but hopefully it will stay green underneath.

 

[CountryEscape]

No worries, JW, it's very green, and there are new buds on all the branches. I think it just got stressed, but now since I'm only watering really good once a week, it's coming around. Not sure if that was it, but I will be careful not to overwater it. I know since my ground is somewhat heavy, my watering it so often may have been held under there and not draining away. There is a new leaf on the most bottom branch, too, but not positive if it was there, and not fallen off yet, or a new leaf. I'll be watching for more new leaves! I think it will make it. Probably the very hot temps and dry conditions did not help it either. I think it is stressed from many things and simply dropped it leaves, as it needed the energy to work on the root system. We shall see!
JW, what is the temp that you stop feeding your fish in the fall? Is it 60 or 50?
Haro, when I have someone else feed my fish, I tell them specifically how much to feed, and NO MORE! They are really good about it. I have them feed less than I normally do each feeding, and they feed once a day and I feed twice.

 

[HARO]

Good idea, Country, but they really won't starve in 2 or 3 days! John

 

[CountryEscape]

True, Haro, and if it gets as chilly as they are predicting, I won't have them feed them at all, but I will be gone 5 days, although I know they won't starve in that amount of time either. It's getting cooler these days, and I saw 40's for the week that I am gone, so I will likely not have them feed at all, just to be safe. Better to have all food eaten and none on the bottom coming up on cooler temps.

 

[j.w]

I stop feeding my goldfish at 55F and don't start again in Spring til temps are above a consistent 55F for several days. I didn't feed them at all for the first several yrs that I had them and they did fine.