Filed under: Family time, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Herbs, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Best Local Nursery and Garden Center, Carters Nursery Pond and Patio, Changing Seasons, Cover Plants, Crazy Weather, Feeding the Soul, Frosty Morning, Gardening, If You Don’t Like The Weather, Life is Good, Love, Love and Meaning, Moment of Zen, Morning Zen, outdoor lifestyles, Outdoor Living, Place of Zen, Predicting Weather, Quality Of Life, Robert Frost, Seasonal changes, Seasonal Interest, Seasonal Water Garden, Spring, Spring Gardening, Tennessee Weather, Weather Signs, Zen, Zen state of mind, Zen Waterfall
If you are like many Gardeners and live by the ”Last Frost Date” given in the Almanac or in your local paper, you may be very disappointed this morning… I’m getting ready to go out and uncover the hundreds of plants that I have under blankets, sheets and in a big cold frame greenhouse.

Why does it ’sneak up’ on us so often?
With me its all about staying in tune with the particular season. Spring here in West TN fluctuates from sweaty 80’s weather to 60 mile an hour winds with frost and snow ❄️ BUT, that relationship you form with the seasons and the changes is where the Zen lies…
But, its tough to wait! As soon as the forsythia and the daffodil 🌼 blooms I’m already setting up my planters and pots 🪴 And, I try to be ready for people coming in to my Nursery early, which means we spend a month or more moving plants in and out of the greenhouse… 😊

Finding balance and Zen within ourselves is found within our own Gardens…
PS: The good news is, I think we are past Frost now for real!
“The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month.”
~ Henry Van Dyke
Have a great Tuesday!
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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Filed under: Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: 50 Degree Rule, 60 degree Rule, Color Enhancing Koi Food, Cool Season Koi Food, Cool Temp Koi Food, Fall Pond Tips, Feed Me, Feeding Koi, Feeding the Soul, Feeding Time, Fish Feeding, Fish Food, Fish Health, Food, Hand Feeding Koi, Healthy Koi, High Protein Koi Food, Koi Feeding, Koi Feeding Schedule, Koi Fix, Koi Food, Koi Health, Koi Health Tip, Koi Health Tips, Koi Pond, Koi Ponds, Koi Shack, Koi Supplies, Koi Whisperer, Maintenance Tips, Maxi Growth Koi Food, Pond Maintenance Tips, Pond Supplies, Pond Tip, Pond Tip Tuesday, Pond Tips, Rule of 60, Seasonal changes, Seasonal Feeding Times, Seasonal Interest, Seasonal Koi Feeding Temperatures, Seasonal Koi Feeding Times, Seasonal Water Garden, Spring Feeding, Spring Pond Tips, Summer Pond Tips, The Rule of 50, The Rule of 60, Tips, Water garden supplies, Weekly Pond Tip, Winter Pond Tips
Spring is in full swing! We are approaching 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 their Koi Cool Season Food & have started asking me the all important question…
– When can I start feeding regular Koi Food and Color Enhancing Koi Food?
– My Answer- Remember the rule of 60!

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, lets 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
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
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Filed under: Boutique, Butterfly House, Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Herbs, Hummingbirds, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, Pondless Waterfalls, Sunrises, Sunsets, Videos, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: 101.5 FM, 731-423-8101, Art, Art in the Garden, Art Show, Artistic Waterfalls, bucket list 101, Carter Country Boutique & Gifts, Carters Nursery, Carters Nursery Pond and Patio, Chuck Walker, Everybody Talks, Friday blog, Friday Radio Report, Friday Report, Friday’s, Friends and Family, gardening 101, Gardening answers, gardening questions, It’s Finally Friday, Mark Carter, Matt Brown, Questions, Seabass, Seasonal Water Garden, Talk Radio, Thank God It’s Friday, Water Gardening Answers, Water Gardening Questions
I am walking into the studios of WNWS 101.5 FM, in downtown Jackson to go LIVE from 9-11 am with the “Hardest Working Hosts in Show Business” – Seabass and Chuck Walker! Join us NOW on “Everybody Talks”!

Spring is upon us! So we will be talking Outdoor Living, Koi Ponds, Gardening, trimming, mulching, landscaping, AND, Just about anything else that YOU want to talk about! Ask a question, send in a picture, share a story (but please, NO politics!) It’s Friday! Call in and join us – 731-423-8101

Tomorrow we will be hosting our annual Spring Waterfall Workshop and Customer Appreciation Day! We will have a Pond Maintenance Workshop where we will clean a Koi Pond, divide and pot up aquatic plants & more. We will discuss Pond and Waterfall Design and we will have a full supply of Water Treatments and products for the Spring and Summer season!
Local Artist Matt Brown is setting up a Gallery within the Nursery and Gardens at Carters Nursery Tomorrow.

AND, we will be bringing in Pizzas for Lunch along with Snacks & refreshments for all that attend. Come out and help us kick off SPRING! (Saturday March 19th. From 9am. till 2pm.) This is a FREE event.

You can listen, and you can call in and talk, the # is the same that it has been for over 20 years – 731-423-8101. But, did you know you can text your comments and questions? 731-277-5155

Carters Nursery is open to serve you today until 4pm. Drop by and say Hi

We have Everything for your Pond and Water Garden at Carters Nursery Pond & Patio. From Seasonal Food and Water Treatments to Filters and Supplies, we have you covered!

I always look forward to Fridays on the radio! Its always so much fun! Give us a call 731-423-8101.
TGIF! See ya’ on the air…
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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Filed under: Boutique, Family time, Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Herbs, Hummingbirds, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, Pondless Waterfalls, Videos, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: 101.5 FM, 731-277-5155, 731-423-8101, 731-424-2206, Americans, Boutique, bucket list 101, Call in, Call of the wild, Call Us, Calling it in, Carter Country Boutique & Gifts, Carters Nursery, Carters Nursery Pond & Patio, Carters Nursery Pond and Patio, Chuck Walker, Everybody Talks, Friday blog, Friday From The Road, Friday Off, Friday Radio Report, Friday Report, Friday’s, Friends and Family, gardening 101, Gardening answers, gardening questions, It’s Finally Friday, On call, Questions, Seabass, Seasonal Koi Feeding Temperatures, Seasonal Water Garden, Service Call, Spring, Spring Bulbs, Spring Cleaning, Spring Expo, Spring Fest., Spring Flowering Bulbs, Spring Gardening, Spring is Almost Here!, Spring is Coming, Spring is Here!, Spring News, Spring Pond Maintenance, Talk Radio, Thank God It’s Fishy Friday, Thank God It’s Friday, Unique Gifts, Unique Plants, Unique Waterfall, Water Gardening Answers, Water Gardening Questions, WNWS FM
I am walking into the studios of WNWS 101.5 FM, in downtown Jackson to go LIVE from 9-11 am with the “Hardest Working Hosts in Show Business” – Seabass and Chuck Walker! Join us NOW on “Everybody Talks”!

Spring is upon us! So we will be talking Outdoor Living, Koi Ponds, Gardening, trimming, mulching, landscaping, AND, Just about anything else that YOU want to talk about! Ask a question, send in a picture, share a story (but please, NO politics!) It’s Friday! Call in and join us – 731-423-8101

You can listen, and you can call in and talk, the # is the same that it has been for over 20 years – 731-423-8101. But, did you know you can text your comments and questions? 731-277-5155

Carters Nursery is open to serve you today until 4pm. Drop by and say Hi

We have Everything for your Pond and Water Garden at Carters Nursery Pond & Patio. From Seasonal Food and Water Treatments to Filters and Supplies, we have you covered!

In only 2 weeks we will hosting our annual Spring Workshop and Customer Appreciation Day! Mark your calendar for Saturday, March 19th.
I always look forward to Fridays on the radio! Its always so much fun! Give us a call 731-423-8101.
TGIF! See ya’ on the air…
Mark Carter
Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio
2846 Old Medina Rd.
Jackson, Tn. 38305
Ph.# 731-424-2206
http://www.cartercountry.com
YouTube pg. –
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6dPkQiE04jcr385SOL0gkw
Facebook pg. – https://www.facebook.com/mark.carter.775
Pinterest pg. – https://www.pinterest.com/cartersnursery/
Filed under: Family time, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, music, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, Pondless Waterfalls, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: #waterfallwednesday, Beautiful Waterfall, Carters Nursery, Carters Nursery Pond & Patio, Carters Nursery Pond and Patio, Frozen, I ❤️ Waterfall Wednesday, Icy Waterfall, Natural Beauty, Naturalistic Waterfall, Pond-Less Waterfall Wednesday, Pondless Waterfall, Seasonal Interest, Seasonal Water Garden, Snowy waterfall, Spring is Coming, Water Feature Wednesday, Waterfall, waterfall design, Waterfall Wednesday, Waterfalls, Waterfalls in YOUR Life, Wednesday, Winter Beauty, Winter Pond Tips, Winter Waterfall
Here we are in a whole New Year! 2022 is looking up 🙄! Its “full on winter time” out there and some might wonder what there is to celebrate or feature in the garden…? Well, your Waterfalls for a start! 💥 Your Waterfalls are always beautiful regardless of the season! I can always find beauty and inspiration in my Pond and in my Waterfalls❤️ Here are a few Winter shots to warm your heart!







Do these speak to you? Do they inspire you to put your coat on and walk outside? To feed the birds? To dream about the coming Spring? They sure do for me 😊
Enjoy the Winter, and know that Spring follows Winter and will be here soon to bring you a completely different look and feeling ❤️
Have a Great #Waterfallwednesday!
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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Filed under: Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, Pondless Waterfalls, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Autumn, Autumn Color, Autumn Leaves Falling on Water, Bulk Leaf Netting, Changing Seasons, Cut To Fit Leaf Netting, Fall maintenance, Fall Pond Netting, Fall Pond Tips, Fall Water Garden Maintenance, Healthy Koi, Koi Health Tip, Koi Health Tips, Leaf Netting, Leaves, Maintenance Tips, Pond Maintenance, Pond Maintenance Class, Pond Maintenance Tips, Pond Netting, Pond Netting Frame, Pond Supplies, Pond Tip, Pond Tip Tuesday, Pond Tips, Predator Control, Seasonal Water Garden, Stay ahead of the coming Lead fall, Tips, Tuesday, Water Garden Maintenance, Water garden supplies, Weekly Pond Tip, Winter Pond Tips
We have topped the peak of Fall Color and are flying down the slope over the hill… Leaves are comjng down now in earnest. I know I know, Ive said it before and Im not trying to be a bother, but a Leaf Net sure would save you a LOT of work!

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!

Pond Tip Tuesday is all about helping YOU with your Pond Maintenance. Once you get a handle on it, you will enjoy your Pond and Waterfalls so much more!
Have a great 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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Filed under: Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, music, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Videos, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Appreciation of Nature, Autumn, Autumn Color, Autumn Leaves Falling on Water, Fall Beauty, Moment of Zen, Monday, Monday Morning, Monday Morning Moment of Zen, Morning Zen, Place of Zen, Seasonal changes, Seasonal Interest, Seasonal Water Garden, Take a walk, Thanksgiving is Coming, Water Garden, Water Gardens, Waterfall, Waterfalls, Zen, Zen Feeling, Zen state of mind, Zen Stream, Zen Video, Zen Waterfall
Fall is in full splendor 🍂 We have peaked in our Fall color and soon the wind will sweep it all away 🌬 I wanted to share my little view of Autumn Beauty with you this morning. The colorful foliage with the crashing Waterfalls provides the perfect place of Zen on a crisp Monday morning…
Get out today and take a walk or a ride around the neighborhood and enjoy the Fall color while its still here… It will be gone in the blink of an eye 👁
Have a great 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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Filed under: Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: 50 Degree Rule, 60 degree Rule, Beneficial Bacteria, Bulk Leaf Netting, Choosing a Skimmer, Cold Water, Cold Water Beneficial Bacteria, Cool Season Koi Food, Cool Season Water Treatments, Cool Temp Koi Food, Cut To Fit Leaf Netting, Debris Net, Fall maintenance, Fall Pond Netting, Fall Pond Tips, Fall Water Garden Maintenance, Feeding Koi, Fish, Fish Feeding, Fish Food, Fish Health, Fish net, Fish Sale, Floating Pond Thermometer, Food, Garden Ponds, Gardening Supplies, I Love Koi, Koi, Koi Fix, Koi Food, Koi Health, Koi Health Tip, Koi Health Tips, Koi Nets, Koi Pond, Koi Ponds, Koi Shack, Koi Supplies, Leaf cleanup, Leaf Control, Leaf Netting, Low Maintenance, Maintenance Tips, Maintenance Workshop, Pond Cleaning Supplies, Pond Fish, Pond Maintenance, Pond Maintenance Tips, Pond Net, Pond Netting, Pond Netting Frame, Pond Skimmer, Pond Supplies, Pond Thermometer, Pond Tip, Pond Tip Tuesday, Pond Tips, Preventative Maintenance, Rule of 60, Seasonal changes, Seasonal Feeding Times, Seasonal Interest, Seasonal Koi Feeding Temperatures, Seasonal Koi Feeding Times, Seasonal Water Garden, Signature Series Skimmers, Skimmer Basket, Skimmer Filter, Skimmer Weir, The Rule of 50, The Rule of 60, Tips, Tuesday, Water Garden, Water Garden Maintenance, Water garden supplies, Water Gardens, Waterfall, waterfall design, Waterfalls, Weekly Pond Tip, Winter Pond Tips, Yard Ponds
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… 🍁 🍁🍁

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 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.

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 –

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.

My final Pond Tip for today is this – Switch to Cool Season Koi Food NOW…

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!
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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Filed under: Food, Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pond Tips, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Bulk Leaf Netting, Carters Nursery, Carters Nursery Pond & Patio, Carters Nursery Pond and Patio, Cut To Fit Leaf Netting, Fall maintenance, Fall Pond Netting, Fall Pond Tips, Fall Water Garden Maintenance, Fish net, Garden Supplies, Gardening Supplies, Koi Health Tips, Koi Nets, Koi Supplies, Leaf Netting, Maintenance Tips, Pond Cleaning Supplies, Pond Maintenance, Pond Maintenance Tips, Pond Net, Pond Netting, Pond Netting Frame, Pond Predator Defense, Pond Predators, Pond Supplies, Pond Tip, Pond Tip Tuesday, Pond Tips, Predator Control, Seasonal Water Garden, Stay ahead of the coming Lead fall, Tips, Water garden supplies, Weekly Pond Tip
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 inexpensive and we cut it to fit!

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. The
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!

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
Have a great 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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