JamesG wrote:

This morning I went out there expecting to get my normal relaxing look
at my pond and saw devastation. It looks like a racoon went nuts.

That sucks... you're probably right about it being a raccoon.

plants are all trashed. Some of my goldfish were killed. The pump had
to be adjusted. I was depressed. My questions a
1) Can I use pieces of the plants that are left to root the cuttings?
What is the best way to do this? I have rooting hormone and was
thinking about doing this.

It depends on the plants. I think all the tubers and bulbs - lilies,
lotuses and irises, for instance - will need to grow from the root, so stem
cuttings won't help. otoh, many water plants seem to root from cuttings
really easily. It can't hurt to try. For emergent plants, use the rooting
hormone and plant them in very wet soil in a sunny window. For submerged
plants, I'm not sure what's best.

2)For plants that have injured leaves, stalks etc, is it better to cut
below the injury and let it regrow from there?

Yes.

3) How do I keep this from happening again? I am figuring a fence
won't stop a racoon. Are there any smells that deter them?

Scarecrows (TM) seem to work well for most.

Surprisingly, my vineyard-owning friends find that a two-strand electric
fence works well (strands at 6" & 12"). I keep thinking they'll figure out
how to boost each other over, or drop a branch on it, but it's been working
for years. Of course, an electric fence isn't always a good solution for a
backyard pond.
--
derek