Carter&#8217;s Garden Blog

Ph.# 731-424-2206

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Hump Day Koi Fix – It’s Getting COLD! Is It Time To Stop Feeding Your Koi? | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN

November 21, 2018, 7:46 am
Filed under: Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Cool Season Koi Food, Cool Temp Koi Food, Fish Feeding, Freezing Temps., Happy Thanksgiving, Hump Day Koi Fix, Koi Fix, Koi Health, Pond Thermometer, Seasonal Water Garden, Water Gardening, Water Gardening's Huge Popularity, Water Temperature

It happens every year… The Fall color comes and goes in quick succession and the long, cold nights force us to discontinue feeding our Finned friends for the season…

We have been feeding Cool Temp Koi Food at Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio for a while now, but it’s time to put it up till Spring… | Jackson, TN

Check your thermometer to confirm your water temp., ours has been at 50 deg. F/- for over a week now… Time to stop feeding – for their health! Feeding after the temps drop below that 50 degree threshold is very dangerous for your Koi’s health. Their metabolism slows to a crawl & they just can’t digest fish food…

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. You can pick one up at Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio if your in need. | Jackson, TN

It’s always sad when we have to end ‘Feeding Time’… But, it’s part of keeping your fish healthy. Enjoy the Holiday Season, because before we know it, Spring will be here again and ‘Feeding Time’ will be back on the daily agenda. 😊

Happy Pondering & Happy Thanksgiving 🦃

Mark Carter

Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio

Ph.# 731-424-2206

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

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Mark Carter

Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio

Ph.# 731-424-2206

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

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Monday Morning Moment of Zen | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, Tennessee

November 12, 2018, 7:27 am
Filed under: Fountains, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Koi Ponds, Lake and Pond, Landscaping & Gardening, Love, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Videos, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Fall Color, Japanese Maple, Moment of Zen, Monday Morning Moment of Zen, Naturalistic Waterfall, Seasonal Water Garden, Water Garden, Waterfall, Waterfall Video, Waterfalls

It was a perfect, cool Fall day yesterday. The leaves were raining down around the pond and I just sat down and watched them for a while. I made this short little video sitting there by the pond. This little waterfall flows under this Japanese Maple tree that is in full Fall color right now. I hope it brings a little “Zen” to your day 😊

Have a GREAT day!

Mark Carter

Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio

Ph.# 731-424-2206

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

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9 Tuesday’s Tiil Christmas? 🎃 | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN

October 23, 2018, 6:34 am
Filed under: Family time, General Blog Entry's, God Bless America, Love, Outdoor Lifestyles | Tags: Christmas, Fall, Fall Fest, Fall Festival, Fire pits, Halloween, Jack-o-Lantern, Seasonal Water Garden, Thanksgiving, The Seasons

Did you know that Christmas is on a Tuesday this year? I didn’t either until the other day while running into a store for a quick purchase I had a lady say to me “Only 10 Tuesday’s left before Christmas”!

Don’t get so far ahead of yourself that you forget about today!

It seems to get earlier every year now… Blaring Christmas music in early October? Candy canes & sleighs 🛷…

I don’t know about you, but I’m going to carve a few more pumpkins 🎃 & go to a few more bonfires 🔥 before I start hanging Christmas stockings! Here’s to enjoying each season on its own merits 😊

Jeees! I haven’t even been to the Haunted Farm yet… Turn off jingle bells and let’s enjoy a happy Halloween or a Fall Fest…

ps: Only 9 Tuesday’s till Christmas 😂

Mark Carter

Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio

Ph.# 731-424-2206

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

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When Do I Stop Feeding My Koi in the Fall? | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN

October 17, 2018, 7:27 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: Cool Season Koi Food, Cool Season Water Treatments, Cool Temp Koi Food, Fish Feeding, Fish Food, Fish Health, Koi, Koi Health, Pond Fish, Seasonal Water Garden, Water Gardening, Water Gardening's Huge Popularity, Water Gardens

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.

At 6o degrees I discontinue regular Koi Food for Cool Season 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 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 and keep dreaming of Spring 😊 It will be coming before we know it!

Happy Pondering!

Mark Carter

Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio

Ph# 731-424-2206

www.cartercountry.com

Fall Pond Questions – Should I Install Pond Netting? | Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN

October 4, 2018, 6:28 am
Filed under: Fountains, General Blog Entry's, Koi, Koi Ponds, Landscaping & Gardening, Nursery, Outdoor Lifestyles, Pondless Waterfalls, water garden, Waterfalls | Tags: Fall Pond Netting, Leaf Control, Low Maintenance, Pond Maintenance, Pond Netting, Pond Predators, Pond Skimmer, Predator Control, Seasonal Water Garden, Skimmer Basket, Water Garden Help, Water Gardens

“To net or not to net, that is the question”…

Pond Netting is a great tool to help keep the maintenance of your Water Garden or Koi Pond down over the fall and winter months . It can protect your fish from predators too…

WHY should I net my pond in the Fall?

Great question! 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 does this task for you. 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…

We stock bulk pond netting at Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio in Jackson, TN

HOW do you use the 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.

Some ponds will allow for a taught pulled net. Others may need a center support for the netting. Either way, it saves a LOT of time on maintenance!

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 strike most often in the Fall and Winter… BUT, Blue Herons can’t get your pets 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’ in the Fall & Winter by installing a Leaf 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, 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

Mark Carter

Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio

Ph# 731-424-2206

www.cartercountry.com

Already missing the snow…

January 22, 2018, 11:19 am
Filed under: Outdoor Lifestyles, Videos, water garden | Tags: Seasonal Water Garden, Snowy waterfall, Winter Ponds

The snow has completely melted now… Up until late last night there was still a little bit and I thought it might be “waiting around on some more” 🙂 But, no such luck… I love Spring & Summer! But I also LOVE the beauty of Winter & the snow! I also LOVE the anticipation of Spring that the melting of the snow brings 🙂

Here is my beautiful, blooming Water Garden in Summer. Your welcome to come by and see it during business hours at Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN

Here is the same Water Garden in Winter. No blooms, but still BEAUTIFUL! |Carters Nursery, Pond & Patio | Jackson, TN

I Do a Spring/Summer & Fall Water Garden/Pond tour every year. I’ve always wanted to do a Winter Pond/Garden tour too… BUT, I don’t know if it’s possible? To many risk factors perhaps. In any case, I hope you enjoy these pictures and this short video of the Pond.

Happy Pondering!

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