"Gareee©" wrote in message
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"Reel Mckoi" wrote in message
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"Gareee©" wrote in message
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** Have you checked to see where your nearest Pond Club meets? You will
get more free plants from members than you can use. :-) Been there -
done that. Plus I give loads away every year. I sell some to a pond
store about 25 miles from here. Occasionally some end up in the compost
pile.
I don't know that we even have a pond club here.. the city's population is
only 6,000. Even Asheville, a 45 minute highway drive away only has a
population of 60,000 in it's entire county.
(Which is of course why we moved here.. LOL!)
## Good Grief! It's almost as bad as where I'm at in TN. :-))
** Then check another Lowe's and check the Home Depots within driving
distance.
Nearest Lowe's.. 10 minutes away.. next nearest Lowe's... 45-60 minutes
away highway!
## Bummer! I have at least 4 plus several Home Depot's within a 30 to 40
minute drive.
Only home depot is 45 minutes away highway, and they had nothing to speak
of this year. Lowe's got 2 shipments of pond plants.. the first was
decent, but 3 of the 7 plants I bought died. The second batch they got
probably exopalined why 1/2 of my first batch died.. they were shipped and
arrived with no water at ALL in the containers! And after 2 days, they
tossed the shipment away, and didn't reorder for the year.
## What a waste. Lowe's had pond plants this year and they were all in bad
shape. Not only were they already half dead but they wanted $9.99 for them.
Also check Wal*Mart! I've found some really good pond plants there for
less than anywhere else. Watch them in the early spring when they first
come in. Get them then before they allow them to dry out and die. Check
your nearest towns and cities for pond stores and aquarium stores. Many
aquarium stores carry pond plants (and fish) in the spring.
Our walmart will get the dry pond baskets in, and we've bought two of
those, but one of the lillies has yet to even get a flower after 2 years..
the one we bought live from lowe's has had about 20-30 blooms this year
alone, in only 4 month's time.
## Sorry about that. I've had great success with lilies from Home Depot and
Wal*Mart. I don't think I ever bought any lilies as Lowe's. Last spring I
a few water lilies from Wally World for $4.88 in those small pots. Each pot
also included some rocks and 2 fertilizer tabs. One of these lilies was a
changeable MINIATURE! Boy was I thrilled out of my skull. It had 3 to 6
peachy-orange-pinkish flowers all summer long. This year the same except I
divided it into 3 plants. :-)
** Have you ever ordered online? That may be your only option if you're
100 or more miles from any town.
I've ordered some plants online, but to get 1/2 coverage on my pond, I'll
be ordering $100 bucks worth of something like water lettuce every year.
Not a practical option from a cost standpoint.
** You need regular hardy pond plants. The floaters are tropical and die
after a good frosty night.
** This is happening with my 2000 gallon pond now. It's all part of
nature.
Oh, I know the whys and wherefores after lurking here for over a year, but
I'd like to be able to enjoy the fish for a few months out of the year.
** I hear you. Mine algae blooms don't get so dark that I can't see the
fish. The pea-soup stage usually hits in the spring then recedes for the
summer with only occasional light blooms when it's sunny and real hot.
Plus the wife is tired of not being able to see the fish, and doesn't care
what solution corrects the problem. A Uv is the last resort, if I have to
turn to it.
** They do work! I have two but don't use them any more.
Muffin's WL this week might put the pond over the edge, and clear up the
green for a while.
** Water lettuce and hyacinth are heavy feeders and do help clear the water.
Add 1 Tbs. of Potash per 1000 gallons so they can soak up the nitrates and
phosphates. The algae will starve.....
--
McKoi.... the frugal ponder...
EVERYONE: "Please check people's headers for forgeries
before flushing." NAMES ARE BEING FORGED.
My Pond Page
http://tinyurl.com/cuq5b
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