We have had a long, HOT Summer and have enjoyed feeding our ‘Finned Friends’ every day But now we are going into the cooler months of the year and one of the most asked questions I get is – “When do I STOP feeding my Koi in the Fall?”
A very important tool to have in your pond is a simple pond thermometer. When temps drop below 60 I start feeding “Low Temp. Fish Food” & some fresh fruits and veggies like peas, oranges, grapefruit & carrots. | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN
It’s very important to take your fish into the colder months as healthy & happy as possible! They are cold blooded and their metabolism will soon slow to a crawl! So feeding the right foods now will really help them for their long journey through Fall & Winter.
When the water temperature hits 60 degrees I discontinue regular Koi Food and start feeding Cool Season Koi Food. I also start giving them some daily treats like fresh or frozen veggies and fruits like (peas, carrots, grapefruit, oranges & melon). These food are a good source of vitamins & minerals and help to ready them for the Winter.
Get your Pond Supplies, Cold Water Bacteria & Cool Temp Koi Food at Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN
After the water temp drops to 55 degrees I slow my feeding down to 1 time per day with just cool temp Koi food. Then after the water has reached 50 degree’s F. (sustained around 10 days time) STOP all feeding until Spring!
This is tough on me… BUT, I know it’s something that I have to do for their overall health. Feeding them when their metabolism is in Winter mode can/will kill them! So even on a warm day when they are literally begging for food – DON’T DO IT!
And don’t forget – keep the skimmer free of leaves & other debris. I even drape a leaf net over my Pond. It keeps maintenance down to a minimum.
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 be sure to – 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”
Be ready for the Fall & Winter months ahead of time! Come to our Free workshop and learn more.
We will host a Water Garden Maintenance Class to teach you about Fall & Winter Koi Pond/Water Garden care! The class will start at 9am.! Come in, take part and learn how to make your Pond even more low maintenance in the cooler season.
THIS IS A FREE EVENT!
WHAT: The 24th. Annual Fall Workshop WHEN: SATURDAY, October 1st. – 9 am. to 12 pm. WHERE: Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio 2846 Old Medina Rd. Jackson, Tn. 38305
We will have:
– Seasonal Maintenance Class – Treats for the you & the kids – A sale on water gardening products! – A Sale on Fish and Aquatic Plants! – Water Gardening experts on hand to answer all of your questions.
I try to post good seasonal info to help you with your Ponds and Water Gardens. Water Temps impact feeding times for our Koi, which makes it a very important thing to keep up with! Sure enough, the days are getting longer and it’s almost that time again!
It’s almost time to start feeding our Koi “Cool Temp. Fish Food” & even some fresh fruits and veggies like peas, oranges, grapefruit & softened carrots again! YES!!! Just remember to read the thermometer & follow the “Rule of 50”! Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN
“I’ve been keeping a close eye 👁 my Pond Thermometer 🌡 these last few weeks! The temperature of the water has been steadily rising as the days slowly get longer… Today my water temp is 45 degrees F. What is yours?
Start your Koi of right by feeding a quality Cold/Cool Temp Food. They are cold blooded and it’s really important to get them off to a proper start. We stock High Quality Cool Temp Koi Food at Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN
I will start the feeding season with Cool Temp Koi Food when the water temp has stabilized at over 50 + degrees for several days. The “rule of 50” I like to call it 😊
So, lets wrap this little Pond Tip up…
The Rule of 50 = Let the water temp stabilize for a week or so at 50+ degrees Fahrenheit before you start to feed your koi this Spring. AND, when you do start back to feeding, use a quality, Cool Season Koi Food!
Fall is in full season! In fact we are only a couple of weeks from Peak Viewing time for Fall foliage in TN! Then you will again realize where ”Fall” gets its name… 🍁 🍁🍁
Fall will bring many changes to our Gardens and Ponds, its important to stay ahead of the game!
I always try to post proactive things you can do to keep your Water Garden clean and your Koi healthy over the Fall & Winter. Things like – Cutting your aquatic plants back, using pond netting, watching your skimmer more closely, feeding Cool Temp Koi Food, etc. –
We stock a complete line of Water Treatment Products and supplies for your Pond and Water Garden. Including Cold Temp Beneficial Bacteria, Leaf Nets and Cool Season Fish Food | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN
We stock bulk Leaf 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.
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
Switch to Cold Water Bacteria NOW! –
Our Cold Water Beneficial Bacteria works and keeps on working when the plants and fish aren’t active and really helps the quality of your Pond Water! It is extremely effective at reducing sludge, dead and decaying leaves and plants, built up fish waste & excess nutrients like ammonia, nitrates & phosphates. These things make for poor water quality, reduced water clarity and can have catastrophic effects on your fishes health.
Keep an Eye 👁 on Your Skimmer –
Your Pond skimmer is a workhorse this time of year! Its catching and capturing all that debris that would otherwise end up on the bottom of your Pond! BUT, you have to empty it often in the Fall 🍁
Or, you end up with this 👇🏻
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.
This is standard equipment in every Koi Pond and Water Garden.
My final Pond Tip for today is this – Switch to Cool Season Koi Food NOW…
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!
Well, there you have it, a little reminder to help keep the Maintenance to a minimum and to maximize the enjoyment of our wonderful hobby!
This popped up as a Facebook Memory today and it’s very timely in more ways than one!
It’s pepper picking time! It’s also pepper pickling time if you have a bumper crop!
My friend and fellow guitar 🎸 picker Willi X Evans posted this on Facebook 7 years ago and it popped up as a memory this morning! Perfect timing in more ways than 1! Not only is it pickling season, it’s Moonlight Pond Tour 🌝 season as well! And Willi has played the music at more Pond Tours than any other band or musician! 💥 Come see Willi X – Live! at Carters Nursery Saturday, September 18th. For our Annual
Moonlight Pond Tour!
Here’s the Video 👇🏻
By the way, here’s Willi’s recipe for the Pickled Peppers 🌶
So here goes – INGREDIENTS
Makes 4 — 8 ounce jars
4 8 ounce mason or ball jars with lids and seals
Approximately15 jalapeno peppers sliced
Approximately 8 Cayenne peppers sliced
2 Cups white vinegar
1 Cup water
1 tsp pickling or Kosher salt
4 Cloves of garlic
INSTRUCTIONS
Sterlize jars and lids by placing them carefully in a pot of boiling water for at least 15 minutes Use tongs to remove jars and lids and place on a clean towel to dry Prepare peppers by slicing them or piercing them Make the brine by combining the vinegar, water and salt to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes Meanwhile place the peppers in each of the 4 jars filling them up and place one clove of garlic in each Pour brine over peppers in each jar (should be about 1/2 cup per jar) Secure lids tightly on each jar Bring water to boil in sterilizing pot again and submerge the 4 jars in pot — covering jars about 1/2 way Let boil for about 30 minutes Carefully remove jars from water with tongs and set to cool As jars cool, listen for the lids to snap indicating a secure seal — if jar doesn’t seal, store in refrigerator Wait a least a week before opening properly sealed jar and refrigerate after opening”
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
I 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.
Our finned friends are cold blooded & water temperature is very important when it comes to seasonal feeding times. After the water temp is above 60 degrees Fahrenheit you can start feeding High Protein and Color Enhancing Koi Food again. Pick some up at Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN
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”… 😉
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”… 😉
It’s officially September! That means Summer is winding down, and soon… Fall will be here 🍁 This weeks Pond Tip – Be Ready!
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
Cooler temps = Cool Temp Koi Food, Cool Temp Bacteria & other Cool Temp Water Treatments! Protect the health of your ‘Finned Friends’ AND Keep your Water clean and healthy! Stay ahead of the season and stock up now!
Cool Season Water Treatments are important! Keep using your Cool Season Beneficial Bacteria throughout the Fall and Winter for a cleaner, healthier pond. | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio
Also, Fall leaves 🍁 will be coming down soon enough… So be ahead of the game! Get a leaf net for your Pond! AND, have a Dip Net handy! It will help tremendously during the Fall and Winter months.
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.
And, don’t get wet! Grab the dip/debris net!
A small Pond Net with an extendable handle is a must have if your a Pond Owner in my opinion! Especially going into Fall! Get yours at Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | 2846 Old Medina Rd. Jackson, Tennessee
So, my Pond Tip is – Stay ahead of the upcoming Fall season and as always, ‘Be Prepared’!
Carter's Water Garden 
