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Your Questions About Gardening « gardenerscardiff.co.uk
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gardenerscardiff.co.uk

For the Best Gardeners in the Cardiff Area

   Jul 06

Your Questions About Gardening

Thomas asks…

Could anyone help me work out the meaning of Chinese to English translation?

“但愿这儿将来也变成桃源”,现场有人意味深长地说。

I’m trying to decide whether this is negitive or positive, and I think the easiest way to do this would be to figure out who would be more likely to say this?

– A local who is being ‘sarcastic’.

(or)

A property developer who ‘really wants’ it to become like another ‘peach garden’ building?

I know 意味深长 can mean ‘full of meaning’ or ‘to be profound’ or even ‘meaningful’ – I’m just trying to find out whether it’s more of a positive or negative meaning.

GardenersCardiff answers:

I would suppose he/she meant it to be a bit sacastic (not all negative though, more like a “resigned” statement)…. Not the latter as the statement was made by one of the reporters there (not developer). As per the article. ^_^

And you are always welcome ^_^
will usually check in almost everyday, unless am outta town… :p
Certainly hope that i can be helpful.

Donald asks…

How do I care for a Koi fish?

Ive owned bettas before in a 10 gallon tank but I dont like how you can only own one at a time. Ive tried putting multiple females in a tank before and they got along but soon killed each other so I want to keep on owning a single betta in the tank because I love that breed of fish but I also want to begin keeping Koi fish. I know you cant keep koi in small tanks like that so I would like to get a pond in the yard for it but I want to know the basics on things. What size pond would I need to get? Do the preformed ones from garden stores work (the very large ones that are about 2 or 3 feet deep and about 6 to 9 feet around or do I need to dig out and form my own pond? What’s the best location, in the shade? how often do I clean it and how? Do I need any filtration systems or chemicals for the water? What do I feed them and how much? What do I do about winter when it gets super cold out and what depth of water should they be in for me to not worry? Basically Im a beginner and anything wi
and anything will help me so please give me advice and share your knowledge about keeping koi fish with me! Any advice or help will be greatly appreciated! <3

GardenersCardiff answers:

Ask a fish geek a question….

Koi are wonderful fish! Although I have successfully kept very small koi in an aquarium for limited amounts of time (like, less than two years), they really do need a pond, the bigger, the better. Most people who put in ponds NEVER wish they would’ve put in a smaller one, and in fact, most people wish they would have put in a larger one. We started with a small, 500-750 gallon one, and within a year expanded to a 3,000 gallon one, which is what we have had for the last 8 years.

I do not like the pre-formed ponds. That hard plastic does not weather well – the UV rays eventually break them down and they are subject to cracks and leaks. Also, if your area freezes, the freeze/thaw cycle can cause the pre-formed ponds to “heave” themselves out of the ground. Plus, your hole has to match them *exactly* as to size, depth, and shape – much easier said than done!

Instead, I think it is much easier just to make your own. Use a hose to lay out the shape you like (if you want a curvy one – otherwise, just layout the dimensions you want). Then, dig the hole. If you want to overwinter koi outside, and you’re in an area subject to freezes, your pond should be at least three feet deep at it’s deepest point. Otherwise, you can get away with it only being 18-24″ deep (our “big side” is 10′ in diameter and about 3′ deep, the smaller side is about 6′ in diameter and 18″ deep).

Fill the hole with a 2-3″ layer of sand, then lay down some carpet pad (it makes great “underlayment” to keep the roots, etc., from puncturing/growing through your liner). Then, put down your liner – get the thickest EPDM you can afford, at least 30 mil (changing a liner is brutal, though – we put down 45 mil). Let it sit out in the sun a bit to warm up and make for easier handling. Fill the pond with water, easing the liner into place as you go – you want as few folds as possible and no wrinkles!

If you live in an area that is likely to be subject to predators such as herons, egrets, or raccoons, build the pond with sides that are straight up and down. You can put plants in on stands made of upside down milk crates, upside down buckets or tubs with holes drilled in them to let the water move through, or even on powder-coated metal stands. I’ve used all three, and find the black 3- and 5-gallon perrenial pots from the nursery to be perfect. If you are somewhere where predators are not an issue, you can go ahead and make “stepped” sides with planting shelves the way most of the books, etc., tell you to do.

Then, line your pond with whatever combination of rocks/materials you like and that look good to you. Don’t forget to put an edging of rocks on the outside of the pond (called “coping”) to keep your liner in place.

The set up I prefer is a bottom drain, attached by a hose to an external pump, which pulls pond water off the bottom of the pond and pumps it into a veggie filter, from where it trickles back into the pond. Do not skimp on a pump, either. It is better to have one too big, than too small. And be sure to get a pond pump, not a sump pump or some other type. Pond pumps are sealed, whereas other types can leak oil, etc., back into your pond (bad for your fish and plants – could even kill them).

We have had one pond where we housed our pump in a box lined with cedar that we dug into the ground, but the one we have now is in a cedar box on our nearby deck. The box looks like a bench, and can be used for seating, and is easier to access than the one in the ground. Both are great “disguises” for the ugly old pump, though.

Although many people use mechanical and UV filters to keep the water clean, I prefer a veggie filter. This is a box with baffles in it (if it is external) or a shallow, “boggy” area adjacent to the pond (if it is “internal”), designed to slow down the water flow, filled with gravel to catch sediment, and planted with a heavy feeder like water iris. We resisted going to a veggie filter until just last year, thinking that no way could something that “primitive” give the same water quality as all that technology of bead filters and UV lights, etc. However, keeping the water quality good was a constant struggle (90% of pond keeping is water keeping – take care of the water and the fish will take care of themselves!). Finally, we gave in, and put in a 500-gallon veggie filter for our 3,000 gallon pond. Our water quality has never been better! So much so, that this year we discontinued the UV and mechanical filters and are running solely off the veggie filter. Our fish have never been healthier or happier! Ideally, you should shoot to have about 15-20% of your pond volume in your veggie/bog filter.

If you choose to go with mechanical/UV filtration instead of a veggie/bog filter, get the biggest ones you can afford. Better to “over” filter, if there is such a thing. And, you will still need plants. Fish eat and create waste which combines with decayed leaves, etc., to produce ammonia, which is bad for the fish. Luckily, Mother Nature makes a bacteria that “eats” the ammonia, converting it to nitrites. Unfortunately, nitrites are also bad for fish. Mother Nature comes to the rescue again with another bacteria that converts the nitrites into nitrates, which the fish can handle OK in small quantities. Nitrates are essentially fertilizer which the plants just eat up, removing most of them from the water, leaving good, clean water for the fish to live in. A good rule of thumb is to have plants equal to about 50-60% of your water’s surface area. However, not all of these plants need to be surface plants – you should have a combination of oxygenating plants, such as anacharis (warning – larger koi will nibble at these), heavy feeders such as water iris and lillies, and surface plants that provide shade and hiding places for the fish, such as water hyacinth, water lettuce, and azolla (fairy fern).

The best location for your pond is in part shade, part sun, and away from trees. Otherwise, you will constantly be pulling/skimming leaves from it. If it is all in the sun, you may have a problem with excessive algae growth and water that is too warm for your fish. If it is all in the shade, you’ll have trouble finding plants that grow well and your fish may not grow as fast, either. If you have a little of both, the fish can regulate their own temperatures and you should get good growth of both the fish and the plants.

I have basically described to you our set up, and we do one big cleaning in the spring, is all, where we drain it down to about half and clean out all but about 5-10% of the muck that has accumulated over the previous year. The influx of new water when we fill it back up usually stimulates spawning, too. Other than that, we do about a 20% water change monthly during the summer – that’s it. You don’t want to completely tear it apart and clean it because you’ll end up killing off your beneficial bacteria. Condition your water to remove chlorine, etc., which would otherwise burn your fishes’ gills, and do not use secondary or irrigation water – it is full of all kinds of critters like flukes that can be seriously detrimental to your fishes’ health. Also, around a 3% saline level is good for their overall health and does not seem to affect the plants too much. Use pond salt or Epsom salts – any salt with no iodine. DO NOT use table salt!

Feed your koi small meals, often, of a good-quality koi pellet. Koi are basically pigs and think they are starving most of the time, but too much food in the water at once will just decay and foul your water. You can offer treats like watermelon pieces, orange slices, cucumber slices, green peas, Cheerios, shrimp, etc., on a sparing basis. Different fish like different things – ours love little bits of pizza crust and bloodworms!

Your fish will also eat more when weather is warmer than when it is colder. Right now, we are in triple digit temperatures and I am feeding mine (we have 18, ranging in size from about 6″ up to about 24″) three times a day, as much as they will eat in about 5 minutes (about 1/2 cup of BB-sized pellets). If your water temperature is below 55 degrees, you should not feed them at all – their stomachs will not process the food and it will basically rot in their guts and kill them.

Make sure your fish are fat and sassy heading into the fall, so they have a lot of stored fat to live on all winter. They will go into a hibernation-like state, hanging out on the bottom of the pond and not moving much until the water warms up again. Keep a bubbler going just enough to break the surface of the water and keep the water circulating, and put a small livestock trough heater or pond heater in to keep at least a 12″ diameter part of the pond from freezing over so that gasses, etc., have a means of escape and oxygenation of the water can occur. The only winter in which we lost fish was the year our pond heater gave out and the pond froze over, trapping the gasses under the ice and preventing oxygen from getting in. That’s why we went to the horse trough heater – heavier duty!

I like to give my fish a “shotgun” approach cure-all before the weather cools too much, too, just to make sure that the most common parasites and bacteria are killed off before the fish go into their vulnerable hibernation phase, and they won’t be too vulnerable when stressed by the cold. I prefer a combination of Praziquantel (“Prazi”) and Pro-Form C – those two will take care of most “bugs” and do not harm plants, and are readily available over the internet from places like Petco and Doctors Foster and Smith. Make sure you apply them according to directions and watch your water temperature – some of them say not to apply if the water is colder than 70 degrees or so, so you have a specific window of opportunity in which to do this.

I am happy to share any information I have with you – feel free to e-mail me through my profile. Ponding is a great hobby and I wish you the best of luck. Hope this helps!

Mark asks…

How to build a rooftop garden?

I am clueless about it but i know i really want one, I live in LA, good weather.
I need to know what kind of materials i will need (this is whats holding me back)
I want to be able to plant without too many pots and containers.
How do I start… do I need to cover my roof with some kind of waterproof plastic!?

HELP!

GardenersCardiff answers:

Howdy Ng,
Coach Dave here and I work for The Home Depot. I think a real easy way to start would be to buy some rectangular boxes or make some of your own if you want to go larger. Another thought would be to use hanging containers.

The limits are virtually your own imagination. One thing to remember is that the excess water will need to go somewhere. If you do not meet this need you will have fungus on the roots. With this in mind I would recommend making sure your boxes/containers have about 2 inches or so of rocks on the bottom as well as plenty of drain holes. This method keeps roots from plugging up the drain holes.

What was not stated is if you have a slanted or flat roof. Also is this rooftop made of cement or roofing shingles? I would recommend you post some pictures on the link below.

Http://community.homedepot.com/t5/Do-it-Yourself-Repair/ct-p/DIY_Repair

If you include some pictures of your rooftop you’ll get answers from Home Depot experts as well as other “do it yourselfers” like yourself.

I hope this helps with your quest for a rooftop garden.

Yours Respectfully,
Coach Dave

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