There’s nothing like the first evening in late Winter or Early Spring when you hear the peepers waking up. Their sound fills the air and you know Spring is almost here. Once “Spring has Sprung” that nighttime sound only gets deeper and more intense… Especially when you have a Pond in your Landscape. I literally fell asleep last night sitting by my Pond 😴 So I made a short video recording of the “Sound of the Season” in my yard. Take a listen 🎧
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!
Switching to a Cool Temperature Koi Food is very important for the health of your Koi!
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
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
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”… 😉
My Pond Tip for today is – Stay ahead of the coming leaf 🍂 fall with a POND NET!
– Pond Netting is your friend! The main reason to net your Water Feature in the Fall is to help with leaf and debris control. All the Ponds that I personally design and install have a skimmer system (mechanical Filter) that already removes an incredible amount of leaf debris. You simply empty that skimmer basket from time to time and have little to no leaf or debris problems. BUT, if you have a lot of trees in your Landscape as well, a Fall Leaf 🍁 Net may be in order. Depending on your leaf debris load, a skimmer might still need the help of a simple leaf net to keep up during peak leaf fall…
Pond Netting is a great tool to help keep the maintenance of your Water Garden or Koi Pond down to a minimum over the fall and winter. | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, Tennessee
Pond netting is inexpensive and we cut it to fit!
We stock bulk pond netting at Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio in Jackson, TN | It will keep debris out of your pond & help protect your fish from predators during the cold, bare months.
HOW do you install Pond Netting?
You simply pull the net over the Pond’s surface and secure it along the edges. Some ponds will allow for a tight stretched net over the surface but some times we install risers to make a “Tent” effect of the net. This helps shed the leaf debris to the edges to make it easier to dispose of them.
You can use risers and bows fashioned from PVC pipe to make a frame for your Pond Netting that will stand up to the elements. Easy to erect and easy to tear down too. | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, Tennessee
Keeping the leaves and other fall debris out of your Pond is a good thing! Leaf debris is unsightly, it also quickly starts to decompose releasing many compounds that are bad for your fish. In turn algae is fed by the decomposing leaf matter and oxygen is depleted. ALL of these things combined can be catastrophic for the health of your finned friends, in heavy leaf fall areas, it can even kill them.
ALSO – in the Fall and Winter most of the aquatic plants are asleep, leaving very little cover for your Koi… Pond Predators, like Blue Herons strike most often in the Fall and Winter… BUT, Blue Herons can’t get your treasured Koi through the Pond Netting! So that’s another big plus for having a Pond Net!
A Blue Heron is major Predator of our Koi and pond fish! BUT, we can stop them from harming our ‘finned friends’! Simple pTools like a Fall leaf net can help with more than 1 task 😊
So to wrap this up – IF you have a LOT of trees in your landscape that shed leaves in the Fall, a Leaf Net might be for YOU! AND – if you have Koi that you love and want to protect from predators, leaf netting could help you too.
FYI: You can get leaf netting for your pond at Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio! We always keep 10′ and 20′ widths in stock, we cut to order and it’s very inexpensive. Questions? Call me at 731-424-2206
One of the things about running your own business is that things get, VERY busy! The old saying “If you want something done right, do it yourself” rings true daily… LOTS of hats 🧢 to wear… The daily grind can get overwhelming & you loose that line between your personal time/life and your business.
Don’t let your business run YOU! Take time to stay organized & to train your employees and yourself 🤔
I am switching my focus for the next couple of days to ‘organizing and training in my Business. As a business owner you find yourself constantly Performing! Work work work, perform, perform, perform! DON’T forget to train some as well! That is most of our (small business owners) biggest downfalls…
I made a commitment long ago to stay on top of Technology and of advances in my field. I also try to invest in my Team so that we ALL stay on top of our game! | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, Tennessee
I’ve got to go to my next “Zoom Room” meeting now, so I want to wish everyone a good day!
PS: I will be sharing a few things I’m learning now with you soon.
Good Morning! 🌞 It’s late Summer and everything about our Ponds is flourishing. But September comes next week, and with it cooler temps and Fall… That leads me to my Late Summer Pond/Koi Health Tip for the week –
Your Koi, LOVE to eat! And it’s important that they go into Fall and Winter “Fat and Sassy”! That stored fat will last them till next Spring when the water warms back up to feed again. | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio
Feed twice a day if you can now. Feed the growth formula Koi food and feed some fruits 🍉 and veggies that are higher in carbs. It will help them put on some much needed Fat for the coming cooler seasons.
Koi LOVE snacks 😊 So make sure they start loading up now. It’s great insurance for the colder months to come! | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, Tennessee
Well folks there you have it. A great excuse to get out by the Pond even more 😎 Take a little snack for yourself as well…
A good spring cleaning of most any Water Garden is a must. I finally got to mine 😊 Here is a short video of the Waterfalls coming back to life! In only takes a minute to watch, and it’s worth every second!
There is nothing more relaxing than sitting down by your own Waterfall! The splash, the sound, so Zen!
Draining and cleaning your eco-system Pond yearly is important! It sets you up for a great year of successful Pondering 😊 | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio
Saturday night was a perfect, warm summer night – in May! 😊 The moon was so bright that everything cast a dark shadow & the water was crystal clear. Such a beautiful night. I got a wild hair to get out and feed the fish again after midnight in the 🌙 light … & I made this video.
My Water Garden never grows old! In fact, It calls me outside 😊 This feeling of connection & peace, I ❤️ My Water Garden! I hope this short video brings you a feeling of Zen as well. Have a great Monday!
If there is one thing I love the most about having a Water Garden, it’s feeding my Koi! It’s a daily ritual that I just can’t do without 😊 So I thought I would share this moment with you today. A little Hump Day Koi Fix!
Carter's Water Garden 