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Nelson Water Gardens
1502 Katy Fort Bend Co. Rd.
Katy, Texas 77493
Office: (281) 391-4769
Fax: (281) 391-8626
HOURS:
Sunday Hours: 10:00am - 4:00pm
Monday-Saturday: 9:00am - 6:00pm |
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The Plant Lady |
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Check List; Early Spring
Posted on: Wednesday, November 01, 2006
- As pond temperatures warm into the upper 50's, start feeding the fish with high carbohydrate/low protein food. As the water warms, gradually work up to the higher protein foods with color enhancers.
- Any pots that have overwintered on the bottom of the pond can be raised up on blocks to warmer surface water.
- Early spring is the time to remove pond waste and leaves, if this task was not accomplished last fall. As the pond temperatures begin to rise, the pond detritus starts decomposing rapidly, releasing nutrients into the water and robbing the pond of oxygen, setting up conditions for more algae growth.
- Watch for fish ready to spawn. Add a spawning mat or lots of submerged grasses.
- Check pumps, tubing, and filters to make sure they are in good working order.
- Use Bacteria Activators, like Water Garden Starter to "jumpstart" your pond.
- Watch for toad eggs. If you have a smaller pond (150 gallons, and under), consider thinning their numbers, because too many can rob the pond of oxygen. However, toads are extremely benificial animals, they love to eat mosquitoes! So, consider letting these extremely useful critters share your pond with you.
- Algae may be a problem early in the spring before your aquatic plants have started growing vigorously.
- Remove filamentous algae by hand or using a notched stick. If green water persists (unicellular algae), consider adding an ultraviolet clarifier or adding more scavengers and submerged plants.
- Begin fertilizing hardy lilies and other aquatic plants after they have started to grow. Divide and repot if it has been a year or more since this was last done.
- Look for flowers one month after leaves have appeared.
- When plants are growing vigorously, begin fertilizing once a month until termperatures reach the eighties. Then fertilize twice a month.
- Repot your overwintered tropical waterlilies in mid-April - May.
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