Oh Weather??? Whatcha got going for us next? It hit high 80's here last week, but a cold front blew through yesterday and we are expected lows in the upper 30's tonight. Just crazy. But more crazy? Record breaking high winds in the Orlando five county area. Check out one local news report. Just for comparison sake, 85 MPH winds are hurricane strength winds. Really crazy.
Things are mostly OK around here. Tomato vines, broccoli plants, and bean trellis's blown over. Way too many oak leaves, twigs, pollen and branches laying around. And in the pond. It was a storm about like this one shortly after I started my pond (not that long ago) when Waterbug first clued me into KH and GH. As a (land) gardener, I know that oak leaves break down and are acidic. As a water gardener, I didn't know just how fast oak leaves, oak pollen and of course the rain that comes with a storm like this affects a pond. That very first time, I lost fish.
This time, fish safe, happy, eating and frolic'ing. The water frogs are spawning. The algae is growing. So are the hardy lilies. Tropical lilies? Who knows, I have such bad luck with them.
Anywho, here is something interesting. Outer strip is my pond, strip closest to the container is the rain barrel. I buffer the pond with concrete, limestone rock, dead coral, and crushed coral.
Dave54 is having apoplexy about now seeing those strips. I have a water garden, liquid test kits would go bad long before I got my moneys worth from them. Strips give me a ballpark, and if I have a problem I need to investigate more accurately, then liquid tests would be appropriate.
So today, I righted stuff in the veggie garden, netted oak leaves out of the pond, and started an extra filter.
Sorry, don't know how to rotate the photo. That is a crate from Tractor Supply filled with quilt batting on the bottom and wadded up bird netting on the top. With the output from the pump stuck into it. I'll stop tomorrow and get some more charcoal and put it in mesh bag in the urn. I've got some charcoal on the other side of the pond, but this side isn't clearing as well so I guess it needs its own.
Here's hoping the other Orlando area ponders faired OK.
Things are mostly OK around here. Tomato vines, broccoli plants, and bean trellis's blown over. Way too many oak leaves, twigs, pollen and branches laying around. And in the pond. It was a storm about like this one shortly after I started my pond (not that long ago) when Waterbug first clued me into KH and GH. As a (land) gardener, I know that oak leaves break down and are acidic. As a water gardener, I didn't know just how fast oak leaves, oak pollen and of course the rain that comes with a storm like this affects a pond. That very first time, I lost fish.
This time, fish safe, happy, eating and frolic'ing. The water frogs are spawning. The algae is growing. So are the hardy lilies. Tropical lilies? Who knows, I have such bad luck with them.
Anywho, here is something interesting. Outer strip is my pond, strip closest to the container is the rain barrel. I buffer the pond with concrete, limestone rock, dead coral, and crushed coral.
Dave54 is having apoplexy about now seeing those strips. I have a water garden, liquid test kits would go bad long before I got my moneys worth from them. Strips give me a ballpark, and if I have a problem I need to investigate more accurately, then liquid tests would be appropriate.
So today, I righted stuff in the veggie garden, netted oak leaves out of the pond, and started an extra filter.
Sorry, don't know how to rotate the photo. That is a crate from Tractor Supply filled with quilt batting on the bottom and wadded up bird netting on the top. With the output from the pump stuck into it. I'll stop tomorrow and get some more charcoal and put it in mesh bag in the urn. I've got some charcoal on the other side of the pond, but this side isn't clearing as well so I guess it needs its own.
Here's hoping the other Orlando area ponders faired OK.
