Carter's Water Garden


Important Pond Tip | Ice and SNOW are Coming! Be Ready!

Pete and Repeat… Yes, Another ICE Warning for your Ponds… There is some Bad Weather Coming. Below 0 wind chills and Several chances for BIG snow accumulations next week, and more ice to boot! Be Ready!

Brrrrr! 🥶 Baby, it’s COLD outside! I think the Pond is frozen… What do I do? As my nephew, Nick, the Eagle Scout says, “Always Be Prepared”! AND, Don’t worry, it’s not hard to be ready!

Don’t break the ice! It will harm your Koi! The powerful shock waves created by a blow to the ice can break their bones and rupture organs!

The #1 Rule if your pond ever Ices over – NEVER, NEVER, NEVER break the ice by banging on it! It can cause your fish great harm – it can even KILL them! To allow the escape/exchange of gasses in a frozen over pond, keep a hole open in the ice. This is IMPORTANT!!! It will keep the gases from building up under the ice and allow for oxygen exchange and keep your fish from suffocating. This will also allow the pump to get water if the surface is frozen. If you have a skimmer, this will be MUCH easier on you! The water movement will help keep the ice from forming. You may need to keep the hole open by adding water from a water hose, bucket or pan of water. (This is why I always say “keep a dry hose” or a 5 gallon bucket for this purpose! If & when you use your water hose be sure to drain it when finished-to keep it from freezing and bursting, or just keep it in your garage). You can also use a floating pond heater or a small pump in a shallow area to “flash up’ and break the water surface. Just do it! 

Be ready before snow and ice cause a problem!

We don’t get too many Ice Days’ here in West Tennessee, but when we do, it’s Never at a convenient moment… In other words, if your not prepared, it can be an emergency  

Simple Winter Pond Tool Kit  
1 – 5 gallon bucket 🪣 (use to add water as needed. Hot tap water from your faucet will melt a hole in ice if needed)

2 – Clean, dry Water-hose  (store in garage or shed so it will be ready to go when needed) 

3 – Floating Pond Heater (A floating heater will maintain a opening 🕳 in an ice covered pond. This will allow for oxygen exchange and will keep your Koi alive). 

That my Pond Tip today – Be Prepared! Next week, you might thank me…

And don’t worry! Spring is Coming! 

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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Pond Tip Tuesday | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, Tennessee

It’s getting HOT folks! Saturday was a scorcher – 102 F. Heat factor… Whew 😅 Can you say “Dog Days” are coming… What do you do when it’s too Hot to breathe? A/C!!! 

A better question: What can you do in the Hot months to help your Koi survive & thrive? 

As the temperatures rise, the Dissolved Oxygen in the water goes Down… How can you increase the D.O. In the warmer months? | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, Tennessee

Waterfalls and streams help to increase the Dissolved Oxygen (D.O.) in your Pond.

In the Spring, Fall & Winter D.O. Is usually ample when you have a waterfall and aquatic plants, But, as the water temperature increases in the late Spring and as we enter Summer, the D.O. goes way down! That can cause serious problems for your Koi! Even death 💀! What can you do to fix this? 

Many of my clients have an aeration system in their Pond. This helps to increase the D.O. (Dissolved Oxygen) In the water! It’s also a great safety for your fish as well, it’s very unlikely that the waterfall pump and the aeration system would fail at the same time, leaving your finned friends vulnerable. I recommend powering your aerator on a separate circuit as well, in case of GFCI interruptions. | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, Tennessee

A good aeration system really increases the Dissolved Oxygen in your pond water! This means a healthy pond, clean water & healthy vigorous Koi! 

As you see here, the air column pushes up from the bottom, really moving and oxygenating the water.

A good aeration system is fairly inexpensive & simple to install as well. 

This is my Pond Tip for the week and I hope it helps 😊

 

Happy Pondering! 

 

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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