Carter&#8217;s Garden Blog

Last Monday Morning Moment Of Zen Of 2019 | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, Tennessee

Well this is the last Monday morning of the year. I have been debating what to post for the Moment of Zen. After much thought, I decided to post a “Top 3” of 2019. This isn’t scientific, just 3 nice, short videos of peaceful, Zen inspiring Waterfalls for ya’.

I hope this brings a little Zen into your day!

Who wouldn’t enjoy a ‘Moment of Zen’ here by this pond 😊

PS: Happy New Year!

Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com

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Hump Day Koi Fix | Koi Myths Made Right | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, Tennessee

December 4, 2019, 9:18 am
Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pondless Waterfalls, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Aquatic Plants, Deep Thoughts, Ecosystem Pond, Erroneous Information, Feeding Koi, Koi Health, Koi info, Koi Myths, Leaf Netting, Pond Ecology, Pond info, Pond Netting, Pond Predators, Predator Control, Water Garden info

Here’s a very relevant ‘repost’ from 1 year ago. There’s so much bad info out there about Koi Pond and Water Gardens, we need to dispel and Correct it! Happy Hump Day!

“It’s Wednesday, aka “Hump Day” and as usual the subject is Koi 😊 We were discussing erroneous information & myths about Koi keeping that are out there, so I thought why not make a blog post about it… Here’s a quick “Top 5”…

#1 – You Can’t Be A Koi Keeper & A Water Gardener.

Not true! You can raise healthy koi In your beautiful water garden! The koi can grow up to be just as beautiful and healthy as they are in traditional koi ponds. Proper design is key! You will LOVE how they compliment each other 😊 I have installed Hundreds of beautiful Water Gardens with healthy happy Koi.

Koi and Water Gardens go together like peas and carrots 😊 | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, Tennessee

#2 – Predators Will Eat All Your Fish.

Again, Proper Design is key! Raccoons generally won’t swim. That’s not to say they never swim, or couldn’t stand on the side of your pond and take a paw swipe or two at your fish… Fortunately, most fish will swim to a deeper, more protected part of the pond when a predator is threatening them. The one predator with legitimate credentials is the blue heron. Plenty of lily pads give them some protection and will work to minimize attracting a heron in the first place. Other protection measures include a motion activated water sprayer called a “Scarecrow” or even better a “Koi-cave” structure that can be built in during the pond’s construction. IF you already have a pond, they can be added with minimum remodeling during a clean out service.

A Blue Heron is a major Predator of our Koi and pond fish! BUT, we can stop them from harming our ‘finned friends’! Tools like a “Scarecrow”, or a fish cave really help! In the Fall a leaf net helps with more than 1 task 😊

#3 – Your Pond Must Be (3) Three Feet Deep to Keep Koi.

There are literally tens of thousands of two-foot deep ponds all around this country, full of happy and healthy koi. The water in a two-foot deep pond will generally only freeze eight inches down in the coldest of climates, because of the insulating qualities of the earth that surrounds the pond – Here in West Tennessee usually not at all. Another Plus – a properly designed 2’ deep pond is easy to get in and out of 😉

#4 – Koi Can’t Be Kept With Plants.

In a naturally balanced ecosystem, koi and plants complement and need one another. In nature, fish feed on plants. As a result, the fish produce waste, which is broken down by aerobic bacteria on the bottom of your pond, which, in turn, is used as fertilizer by the plants to grow and produce more natural fish food. One tip I have learned from experience- start with small Koi, they will grow up with the plants and won’t bother them at all – like in nature.

This is one of my Display Water Gardens at Carters Nursery Pond & Patio – The Aquatic Plants & Koi have been doing great here for almost 30 years!

#5 – If You Forget To Feed Your Koi They Will All Die.

Totally False! In a properly designed & stocked pond, the ecological balance will amaze you! Crystal clear water, thriving aquatic plants & a healthy eco-system are your reward! We all Love to feed our babies, but if you miss a few days they will get busy doing some “pond keeping” of their own! 😊 They will ‘Thrive’, not simply survive! The key is to “Stay in Balance”!

Happy Pondering! & Merry Christmas 🎄 🎅🏻

Mark Carter

Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio

Ph.# 731-424-2206

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Hump Day Koi Fix | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, Tennessee

October 23, 2019, 6:36 am
Filed under: Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, water garden | Tags: Cold Blooded, Cold Water, Cold Water Beneficial Bacteria, Cool Season Koi Food, Cool Temp Koi Food, Fall, Feeding Koi, Fish Feeding, Fish Health, Hand Feeding Koi, Healthy Koi, Hump Day, Hump Day Koi Fix, Hump Day Koi Story, I ❤️ Koi, Koi Feeding, Koi Fix, Koi Health, Pond Fish

Knowing that your beloved ’Finned Friends’ are healthy and happy, is having peace of mind.

We are what we eat! Truer word were never spoken! Keep your Koi Healthy and Happy into the Fall by feeding Cold Temp Koi Food! Available at Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio😊

Have you switched to Cold Water Koi Food yet? If not, the time is NOW! Safely extend the feeding season while staying in touch with your Water Garden & Pets! Fall is one of the most beautiful times of the year, enjoy it with your Koi 😊

It’s time to switch to Cool Season Fish food! We stock it at Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN

Get out there and enjoy this beautiful weather! And get your daily ‘Koi Fix’ 😊

Enjoy your Koi!

Mark Carter

Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio

Ph.# 731-424-2206

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6dPkQiE04jcr385SOL0gkw

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Hump Day Koi Fix | It’s Fall. Remember The Rule Of 60! | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, Tennessee

Fall is in full swing! The sun is setting earlier every day & the temps are falling… And soon, Jack Frost 🥶 will be paying us a visit… The Koi have eaten well this year & have put on a good bit of fat to get them through the Cool Season ahead. Now is the time that many of my clients and fellow Koi enthusiasts start asking a very important question…

– When do I stop feeding regular food and start feeding Cool Season Koi Food?

– My Answer- Remember the rule of 60!

When the water temperature drops below 60 degrees Fahrenheit you should switch to a Lower Protein, Cool Season Koi Food. We like to call it the ‘Rule Of 60’… | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN

Switching to a Cool Temperature Koi Food is very important for the health of your Koi!

Every Pond should have a floating Pond thermometer. Our finned friends are cold blooded & water temperature is very important when it comes to seasonal feeding times. Pick one up at Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN

So to wrap it up, check your water temp (via a floating thermometer) & when your water temp drops to 60 degrees, you should transition to Cool Season Koi Food. That’s the “Rule of 60”… 😉

Viva La’ Fall!

Happy Pondering 🤔

Mark Carter

Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio

Ph.# 731-424-2206

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6dPkQiE04jcr385SOL0gkw

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Hump Day Koi Fix | Koi Snacks | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, Tennessee

May 22, 2019, 6:14 am
Filed under: Family time, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Feeding Koi, Hand Feeding Koi, Healthy Koi, Hump Day, Hump Day Koi Fix, Hump Day Koi Story, I ❤️ Koi, I Love Koi, Koi Fix, Koi Food, Koi Health, Koi History, Koi Snacks, Koi Treats

The Koi are eating warm season food again & we have also started ‘Koi Snacks’… What kind of snacks you ask? Well, fresh fruits and veggies of course 😊

It’s time to feed the fish 🙂 Try something different. Koi LOVE fresh fruit and veggies!

Try it yourselves. If you haven’t feed them like this before, it will take a few times for them to catch on. But once they do, look 👀 out!

Try –

Softened carrot pieces, lettuce, watermelon 🍉, cantaloupe 🍈, oranges 🍊, grapefruit & grapes 🍇 These are all great treats and give needed vitamins and minerals.

Ours LOVE watermelon 🍉! After we eat the heart of the melon, we turn each half upside down floating in the pond, and man do they go to work! When they get through, there is nothing left but the outer skin 👀

Koi Love to be hand fed! If yours aren’t eating from your hand yet, try some of these Koi Snacks and have patience, it takes a little while to win them over, but once you do, it will have been worth the effort 😊

Try it out over the Memorial Day weekend & see how they like a new treat.

Have a Great Hump Day!

Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com

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Hump Day Koi Fix | The Rule Of 60 | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio

April 17, 2019, 7:19 am
Filed under: General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: 50 Degree Rule, 60 degree Rule, Color Enhancing Koi Food, Feeding Koi, Fish Feeding, Hand Feeding Koi, Here’s to Spring!, High Protein Koi Food, I ❤️ Spring!, Koi Feeding, Koi Food, Koi Health, Koi Supplies, Maxi Growth Koi Food, Pond Thermometer, Rule of 60, The Rule of 50, The Rule of 60

Spring is in full swing! We are past our last frost date and the whole world is greening up, I LOVE it! So do my Koi! 😊 They have been tearing up the Cool Season Koi Food and the veggies I have been feeding them. In fact, many of my customers and fellow Koi enthusiasts have been feeding Cool Season Food & have asked me the all important question…

– When can I start feeding regular and Color Enhancing Koi Food?

– My Answer- Remember the rule of 60!

When the water temperature has stabilized above 60 degrees Fahrenheit you can switch to a Higher Protein or a Color Enhancing Koi Food. We like to call it the ‘Rule Of 60’… | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN

We have covered The Rule of 50 in previous Blogs, when coming out of Winter into Spring, you must let the water temp stabilize for at least a week at 50+ degrees Fahrenheit before you start to feed your koi. AND, when you do start back to feeding, you should use a quality, Cool Season Koi Food! And don’t over feed! Gradually reintroduce food to them in small amounts.

Now, at least for me (check your thermometer) it’s time to make the transition to a regular Koi Food. In fact, I will start to feed both high protein and color enhancing feed, alternating weekly between the two.

So to wrap it up, check your water temp & when your above 60 degrees for several days in a row and climbing, you can transition to warm season Koi Food. That’s the “Rule of 60”… 😉

Viva La’ Spring!

Happy Pondering 🤔

Mark Carter

Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio

Ph.# 731-424-2206