I get many questions about killing ants (especially fire ants) around the pond. They are worried about poisoning the fish if some ant killer gets in the water. Diatomaceous earth is an effective and natural ant control. Even if some gets in the pond there should be no problem. Diatomaceous earth is available at most garden centers. Follow the label's instructions for use. . . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-05-14, 06:09:12

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Koi will scrounge around a pond's natural bottom for food. When they eat the food, they also get some tiny pieces of clay. The clay provides tiny particles which provide needed grit to help with digestion as well as beneficial minerals which account for much of the very bright colors of Koi living in natural bottom ponds. . . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-05-13, 06:47:31

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Owning or keeping koi is illegal in the state of Maine. Koi are considered a nuisance fish that can invade public waterways and cause native fish to die out. No matter what state you live in, check with your local extension service to find out the status of koi. . ..

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-05-10, 05:22:06

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It's spring and a young male fish's fancy turns to thoughts of female fish. When you see your fish chasing after each other, sometimes even removing scales or acting as if they are fighting, they are really spawning and you will soon be a goldfish grandparent.

Fish are not good parents. The moment the fish is born, the parents try to eat it and are often successful. Goldfish are born a grayish, brownish color to give them a chance at life and obviously, some make it. . ..

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-05-10, 05:12:39

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I don't go to Walmart. I have not been to Walmart in probably three years. Today I needed some dog food and other silly things like those whatzits to hang a shower curtain with and 4 placemats. You get the picture.

I was getting dog food when I heard a wife asking the clerk if what she had in her hand was the right thing to kill pond algae. The clerk did not know. Hubby who was standing there told the clerk that it was not the right thing and his stupid wife didn't know anything anyway. Everybody knows it takes a filter to move water to get rid of algae. Here's where I made my mistake. I had on my pondlady shirt, so turned and said, "Filters do not move water, pumps do and a pump will not kill algae.". . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-05-08, 05:21:24

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More pond photos from garden tours I went on last summer. They varied from very large, to very small. Some true excavated ponds, others repurposing old structures....

reBlogged to ponds on May 5, 2008, 6:00PM

Posted by empressofdirt@gmail.com (M.J.Will) Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-05-06, 06:50:45

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More pond photos from garden tours I went on last summer. They varied from very large, to very small. Some true excavated ponds, others repurposing old structures....

reBlogged to ponds on May 5, 2008, 6:00PM

Posted by empressofdirt@gmail.com (M.J.Will) Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-05-06, 06:50:45

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As some commenters have indicated in my previous post on toddler-proofing the garden, ponds are widely considered a no-no with small kids. There's a really good RoSPA factsheet that explains why and lays out the precautions you need to take if you decide to have a pond when there are under-fives around. There have been many tragic cases of toddlers drowning in just a few inches of water, so you really can't be too careful. Having said that, I do know a couple of people who have largeish ponds and small children and have never had a problem - they...

reBlogged to ponds on Apr 28, 2008, 6:05AM

Posted by Jane Perrone Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-04-29, 06:42:58

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Do not feed goldfish because it turns the pond into an outdoor aquarium, but here's yet another reason not to feed them.



Fish soon realize that when a shape appears at the edge of the pond, food appears. They like that and soon they are trained to eat out of your hand. At least that is what you think. . . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-04-29, 06:40:10

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It's time to pot up plants after you have divided them. If your pond is like mine, you have many more plants coming up this spring that you had last fall. So hack them in two or three or four pieces at the bottom and repot them. Here's how. . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to plants, ponds on 2008-04-18, 17:53:41

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If you trap visiting wildlife like raccoons, and want to relocate them, check with the Wildlife Commission to see if . ..

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds, wildlife on 2008-04-15, 18:01:50

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I just got an email asking if a pond could be in a flower pot. I answered that I have had ponds in casserole dishes just to prove it could be done.

So, yes, you can have a pond in a flower pot. Put a couple sprigs of anachris in the water, float some plants on top, have a couple of mosquito fish in it to eat any larvae that want to hatch and you will be fine. . . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-04-15, 06:23:06

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Lets just have a quick fantasy session. A quick design run through of what I would love to have in my dream garden. A water feature almost identical to the one pictured- to be found at the New York Botanical garden. I like everything about it, the rusticity of the hewn timber scaled big enough for me to sit on its edge. The simplicity of the water spout, the moss growing inside the trough. . ..

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Posted by The Occasional Gardener Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-04-14, 18:24:38

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Look at the bananas. "What?" you say. "Didn't Wicked tell us she removed these?" Well, unless you completely remove all of these roots, the buggers will come back. They look pretty now and I almost hate to hack them to death. But hack I will for two simple reasons. . .

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Posted by Wicked Gardener Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-04-14, 18:22:58

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How to Build an Above Ground Pond

I have had folks ask me how to build a pond above ground. I just finished a how-to- article with photos. I hope it helps.

For pond equipment and supplies, check out my shop at
The Pondlady's Shop

To share gardening stories, get your gardening questions answered, join us at Gardeners Gumbo

Backyard Ponds with the pondlady

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-04-11, 06:36:52

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Critters and ponds go together. When we have a backyard wildlife habitat, we get the critters that come with it. Let's do the best we can do co-exist. You can just not invite most of these critters. The others we just have to live with. . . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-04-08, 05:53:55

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My pond is laughing. Now, I know in the past not all of you have been able to see the things I see, but in this case, you can see my pond is laughing, right?. . .

reBlogged to ponds weather on Mar 27, 2008, 6:28PM

Posted by empressofdirt@gmail.com (M.J.Will) Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds, weather on 2008-03-28, 18:12:59

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I just got some koi from a friend and now my pond is a muddy mess and stinks and my water lilies are dying. Do I need to clean the whole thing out and start over?. . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-03-27, 18:06:46

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I climbedup the mini snowbank on the back deck to check out the pond.

Wuth the help of the zoom lens,everything looks good out there.

The pond fish are probably still tucked into their winter woolies but they can see the sun above them.

Mom Nature can toy with us but we know spring is in the air, along with a few snow particles.

We can wait. it's coming.

reBlogged to ponds weather

Posted by J.P. Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds, weather on 2008-03-27, 06:10:25

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You are always telling us not to feed our fish. But the fish store tells me I must feed them, Who is right?. . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-03-26, 05:55:06

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Help, I have some sort of red worms growing in my foam rubber filter. Will they kill my fish....or me?. . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-03-25, 17:44:49

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I live in Orlando, florida and have recently installed a pond on my patio. It is a 25 gal. above the ground barrel pond with 3 anacharis and 2 hardy water lilies. I have a fountain and a filter as I have a few fish in the pond. I also have a snail and a
plecostamus for cleaning. the filter is rated for 50 gal. My question is how can I stop the goldfish (4 of them) from eating the water lilies? At one time I had 14 lily pads and now I am down to just 8. the lilies are still putting out new growth but they seem to only last about 1-2 weeks before they turn black and die. The snail and pleco take care of the remains. I feed the goldfish about 2 times a day as they are constantly at the water surface. Is there something I can do? Or am I just missing something? The patio is screened in so there is no chance of 
outside invasion. . . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-03-20, 05:53:05

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When selecting pond equipment, you should seriously consider the cost of operation.
Each amp can cost $103 per year based on a dime per kilowatt hour. . . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-03-14, 00:50:24

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1. You must have one bunch of anacharis (underwater grass) per square foot of water surface area. This serves as a natural filter and as food for the fish. It grows faster than the fish can eat it.
 . . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-03-13, 00:14:15

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I've found that my houseplants do a lot better since I got an indoor fountain. During the winter when the heat is on, my house gets pretty dry. And as my house plants have shown me in the past, they don't like it when it's dry. . . .

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Posted by Anthony Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-03-07, 18:54:08

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To find out the square footage of your pond, multiply the length times the width. If your pond is not a rectangle, make your best guess as to length and width. . . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-03-06, 05:52:23

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If you do nothing else while building your pond, build it above grade. You can use my
method or just pile up the soil you removed from the hole around the edges, but if you don't build it up, run off from your yard can kill your pond. . . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-03-05, 17:43:18

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When choosing the best pump for your pond calculate your head loss. Head loss is the vertical distance the pump has to push the water plus the friction caused by the water flowing through the pipes and fittings. If the flow rate is too high for the pipe's diameter, you create more pressure.

Head losses also happen when filters clog with debris and create back pressure; this can be eased by keeping your filter clean. Too many elbows can add to back pressure. Pumping vertically, whether it is to a waterfall or a filter, will also increase head pressure. Running costs increase with head loss, so it is important to keep head loss to a minimum. . . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-03-04, 17:56:25

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When you are digging your hole, dig straight down. If you dig a bowl shape you will slide down into the water every time you try to get in your pond to do maintenance. You also have more surface exposed to sunlight and that causes algae growth. . . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-03-01, 19:02:59

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When the water table rises and pond liners are floating up to the top of the pond, pushing the water out, you think that is air under your liner. Nope, it's water. 
If your pond was built 3" or 4" above grade, the weight of the water in the pond would keep the liner from bubbling up. . . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-03-01, 19:02:42

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So often when we are buying hardware for pond fittings, we buy the first ones we see or the cheapest.

When you are buying hose clamps, don't buy the cheap ones...they rust and fall apart. Buy the more expensive steel ones. They will last forever. Same with plastic hose fittings. Buy brass hose fittings. You will never need another one. . . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-02-28, 06:05:21

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Always cover your liner with rocks or water. Liner exposed to the sun can incur damage quickly. Rubber or EPDM liner lasts much longer. Exposed plastic liner, either flexible or a preformed shell will crack in a short time and it cannot be repaired. . . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-02-27, 06:07:07

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Azaleas are opening in New Orleans


Always check with your power company before you dig your pond. Wires can be buried in unexpected places in your yard. Power companies will come to your house for free and mark where they have buried wires. Don't dig until you are sure there are no wires buried where you want your pond. . . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-02-26, 18:06:17

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I live in Memphis, TN. I am considering putting a
pond in my back yard---possibly this weekend if I get real energetic! 
My question is this, my neighbors across the street purchased a preformed
pond, another friend of mine has a liner type---do you know if one is better
 than the other. . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-02-18, 04:37:33

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Wordless Wednesday

Now this is landscaping!

Can you imagine building a pond on your property that looked like a zipper? I can’t, but obviously someone did!

Hey, did you know that the zipper was invented in Canada? Certainly a handy invention. . .

reBlogged to ponds on Feb 13, 2008, 1:58AM

Posted by Tricia Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-02-14, 06:05:38

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Dear Pondlady,
I want to use heavy duty visqueen for my pond. It's cheap and I don't see why it wouldn't work.
I also need to know how many gallons I have so I know what pump to buy. . . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-02-14, 06:03:35

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I get questions via email constantly. I like to feature the most common ones so all can see.

Here's one I get often. . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-02-12, 19:01:58

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Many of you are planning your very first pond. And you are just waiting for the ground to thaw so you can start digging. Or if you live in the South, now is a great time to start before it gets too hot. . . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-02-12, 19:00:10

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The plastering is complete and the water is back in the spa. The plaster needs to be conditioned for the next week, and then the spa is functional again. I love the mosiac koi.

I will be posting photos of the new layout over the next few days.

reBlogged to ponds on Feb 3, 2008, 2:29PM

Posted by earlysnowdrop Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-02-05, 06:49:12

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Water features enhance landscaping with sound and bring serenity. I show you how to build cheap, low-maintenance water features in this simple do-it-yourself landscaping project, using a "big fish...

reBlogged to ponds on Feb 3, 2008, 12:00AM

Posted by Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-02-05, 06:44:37

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Water Gardens International

This is a great online organization. I have found wonderful articles in here about water gardening around the world, informative articles about water lilies and such. Good place to cruise around on these cold winter days.

Try our gardening community Gardeners Gumbo to meet gardeners from around the world. Ask questions, get answers, or just gab.

Check out my squidoo lens Backyard ponds by the pondlady for all kinds of pond info.

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-02-01, 18:06:53

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I was going to talk about airstones for you folks in the North. You had a bit of January thaw, so an airstone could have been a good idea to introduce some O2 into your water. When the next thaw hits, think about throwing an airstone in the water. Now you are back in the midst of cold and wind advisories, so be glad your fish know how to take care of themselves and you do the same. . . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-01-30, 18:10:39

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Days are starting to get longer. In the South, ponds are beginning to know spring is coming. If your water is getting cloudy from sitting in the cold weather for so long, it's a good idea to give it a good start for spring and avoid an algae bloom if the weather unexpected warms up. Try Microbe-Lift Nite out for use in colder water to give your pond advance protection against unexpected nitrification. . . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-01-29, 05:53:37

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Here in the South, although we are having some cold weather right now, we often have 70º+ days. When this happens, you will probably go outside and check your pond.
Your well trained fish will see you and come to the top of the pond. When you see them, you think they are hungry. Please do not feed them. Their metabolisms are still slowed down almost to the point of dormancy and they cannot digest food. If you feed them, they could die trying to eat. Even if they don't eat, the food will fall to the bottom of your pond, rot and create big problems for you and your fish when the weather does warm. . . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-01-24, 06:19:41

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I was often asked if a pond would overflow if it rained. I suppose so, but the water would only go into the surrounding landscape. I ran into many ponds with an overflow pipe built into them. These were concrete ponds and to me, that was just an extra expense and unnecessary. If the pond is going to overflow, let it. Now a flood can be a different story. If your pond floods like ours did in New Orleans after Katrina, you fish will probably swim away and you may lose your plants. But your pond will be OK. . . .

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Posted by Jan Goldfield Reblogged by Old Roses to ponds on 2008-01-17, 05:46:53

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For some reason this morning, I was remembering one particular pond I built years ago. I was called to look at the job and begged by the owner to get a pond installed by Saturday when his daughter was getting married. He wanted a huge pond, patio and much other landscaping. Could I do it. It was Monday when I went to meet him. Yes, I could do it if I could get another job rescheduled and hire enough temporaries to do the work. I would get lights in and work after dark if necessary. . . .

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