Messages

1051

Pond Chat / Re: Subdue Fungicide

« on: July 23, 2008, 03:58:50 PM »

Thanks for the post.  Seems like no one else has a response on this one  , so I think I will look into the PP as I have heard of this before too.  I just need to find a source for that too.  It also seems to be fairly pricey though, but can be bought in smaller quantities to lessen the cost. 

1052

Aquatic and Terrestrial Plant Exchange / Lanai Plumeria (Frangipani)

« on: July 22, 2008, 10:26:19 AM »

This isn't exactly a "pond plant", although it sure would make a lovely pond accent....Does anyone happen to have a Lanai Plumeria (Frangipani) cutting for sale? 

1053

Pond Chat / What IS fertilizer burn?

« on: July 22, 2008, 04:10:27 AM »

Here is a term that I have been PONDERing (pun intended, hehe)....what IS fertilizer burn anyway?  "too much fertilizer" that much I gather, but why call it fertilzer "burn"?  How is it that the roots are burned by the fertilzer? 

Are there any characteristic foliage signs too?

I think I now know the difference between foliage sunburn vs foliage mold (at least on a lotus anyway), but I wouldn't know fertilzer burn if I saw it.  Any answers?

 

1054

Pond Chat / Re: Lotus Question

« on: July 21, 2008, 08:37:21 PM »

Matherfish,

  Thanks for the clarification ( as you figured, I thought the growing tip and the leaf stems were the same thing  )
   I am glad to have been wrong on that one   

1055

Aquatic and Terrestrial Plant Exchange / Re: general inquiry for waterlily and lotus sellers

« on: July 21, 2008, 08:27:13 PM »

Thanks everyone for posting your websites to this thread, and to the happy customers with referrals
I will continue to check up on this thread, and I am sure that there are other new members out there who would also like to know where they can get water lilies and lotus plants from.

1056

Aquatic and Terrestrial Plant Exchange / Re: plants considered "invasive" in my area.....

« on: July 21, 2008, 08:17:37 PM »

Thanks for the info Scott, I'll look into it....I am still envious though that we cannot legally have water lettuce and water hyacinths though down here...

1057

Pond Chat / Re: Lotus Question

« on: July 21, 2008, 08:09:16 PM »

Thank you both for responding to my post.  At least now I know there is some hope for this plant to survive 

1058

Pond Chat / Re: Snail infestation

« on: July 21, 2008, 04:54:11 PM »

I have not tried this as I don't have much of a snail problem (yet), but I found this receipe in "Great Green book of Garden Secrets" by Jerry Baker:

Super Slug Spray

1 1/2 cups of ammonia
1 tbsp. of Murphy's Oil Soap (have no idea what that is)
1 1/2 cups of water

Mix all of the ingredients in a handheld mist sprayer bottle, and overspray any areas where you see slug activity.  It doesn't say when is the best time to spray, but I would guess that with the oil part of the spray it is best to do it early am or evening or else you might scorch the foliage. (Oh, and don't use it on lotus leaves, I think they are too sensitive to oil sprays and will scorch)

Let me know how this works if you decide to use it. 

1059

Pond Chat / Lotus Question

« on: July 21, 2008, 01:35:38 PM »

Can a lotus tuber still grow if all the growing tips turned into leaves but the leaves died (my fault), however the tuber has newly formed roots and a fertilizer tablet?  Anyone in the know on this one?

1060

Pond Chat / Re: There was a leak in my DIY filter and now I have a red neck replacement

« on: July 21, 2008, 03:49:10 AM »

I like your idea...it works!  I was thinking of doing something similar with the polyester batting and crate contraption.  I cannot run electricity out to my pond and wanted to introduce a mechanical filter in it.  I have a mini solar pump out there now and was thinking of putting it inside of a small basket with holes lined with the batting to filter out all the dead algae.  Thanks for sharing!

1061

Aquatic and Terrestrial Plant Exchange / Re: Azolla for postage

« on: July 21, 2008, 03:38:18 AM »

So that's what it looks like...cool...too bad I missed the fire sale...I would have wanted to try some of this, I don't have any floaters yet.

1062

Aquatic and Terrestrial Plant Exchange / Re: Azolla for postage

« on: July 20, 2008, 07:24:17 PM »

Can someone please post a picture of this plant, I have no idea what it looks like or what it is for.....

1063

Pond Chat / Re: Minimal requirements of a water lily pond/tub...

« on: July 20, 2008, 04:47:06 PM »

Thanks everyone for replying to my post with your suggestions and info. 

Does anyone know if the toadpoles will eat tiny newly forming leaflets?  They don't bother with the mature leaves that are alive, only the decomposing ones, but I am worried about the new ones forming....

1064

Pond Chat / Is the lotus doomed?

« on: July 20, 2008, 04:43:40 PM »

Being new to ponding and growing lotus I have discovered a few painful lessons.  The first being that if you use any type of oil spray like Neem oil (diluted with water and an emulsifer) and probably horticultural oil spray on a lotus you will scorch the leaves, no matter when you spray and here is why:  Unlike other plants where the spray drips off harmless and supposedly evaporates, on lotus it seems to embed itself into the structure of the leaf surface.  Where the leaves burned was exactly where the spray was applied, you can even see the individual drops and where they landed.  Then later when it rains unlike normal lotus leaves where the water beads up and rolls off the surface, the rain sticks to the oil spray spot.  You can't get it off the leaves once its sprayed.  Believe me I tried...even with a rag soaked in water and dishsoap.... (yeah crazy idea, but I thought I'd try).

Long story short, I lost all my leaves on a newly budding lotus that had only 5 leaves and I am worried that the plant will not survive as I do not see any other new growing tips present.  There are still roots that are newly formed and seem alive (white and pink tinged) though.  And, I placed a fertilizer tablet in the pot near the roots.  Has anyone ever had a plant survive after something happpened to all its leaves e.g maybe after eaten by insects and stripped bare?

Side note:  It is a Chawan Basu lotus, and the second thing I learned is that this type in particular wilts in the extreme summer heat (lesson 2) .  In fact its first 2 leaves were sunburned while it was in a small container.  I subsequently moved it to a deeper and larger container and started spraying it with the Neem oil just in case it was some mold problem (I didn't know the difference between mold and sunburn at the time...I do now-Lesson 3), hence the scorching and demise of the remaining leaves (lesson above).

Any thoughts, comments, personal experiences?

1065

Aquatic and Terrestrial Plant Exchange / plants considered "invasive" in my area.....

« on: July 20, 2008, 04:17:05 PM »

Hello,  I have recently discovered that all the cool floating plants that I like i.e. water lettuce, water hyacinth, parrots feather and others are not legal in the state I live in (FL).   
I tried talking to a local water garden landscaper about this "invasive" issue not being an issue if its a confined pond/tub.  He said that although a private pond is enclosed the problem is that birds will eat the seeds and poop the seeds in the natural waterways, hence still an "invasive" plant problem...   I asked then why is there a nursery in another county in the same state where it is illegal selling these plants?  His answer was that as long as they did not sell it to residents of the state it was okay.  Only orders out of the state allowed...bummer. I am at a loss for floating plants that are both interesting and useful for clarifying the water.  Does anyone know of other interesting equivalents that might be legal in my state?     

1066

Pond Chat / Re: icky water after a week of the 90's

« on: July 20, 2008, 05:34:05 AM »

Bartman,

  I've only seen watercress as a cut green organic food at the grocery store....Can it be bought with roots and in a pot at the grocery store too?  What section would I find it at?   

  Question about Algae-Fix:  Does it work both for pea soup algae and string algae or only the pea soup kind? 

1067

Pond Chat / Minimal requirements of a water lily pond/tub...

« on: July 20, 2008, 04:50:31 AM »

Hello, I posted this question within another post and felt that it might be better asked outside the post as a new topic.  Hopefully I'll get some more detailed answers...

 Is it necessary to have to have some sort of pump or (electrical) filter in a pond if only water lilies and aquatic plants are in the pond?  Or, are water lilies like lotus plants and can just grow in a tub without any sort of pump device? 


  What changes if I want to add maybe 1 or 2 small goldfish to eat the mosqitoes and constant toad eggs being laid in my pond/tubs?  I have learned that the toadpoles devoured my newly aquired anacharis plants.    Don't know if they would also try to eat any newly formed lily leaflets.  Maybe someone can tell me.

1068

Aquatic and Terrestrial Plant Exchange / general inquiry for waterlily and lotus sellers

« on: July 19, 2008, 11:31:53 AM »

Hello,

  I was wondering if any of the sellers of water lily and lotus plants had a website that I could browse through ( so I can salivate over) and plan for what might interest me for next year's season. 

1069

Pond Chat / Subdue Fungicide

« on: July 19, 2008, 11:25:51 AM »

Hello, 
 Can anyone tell me where to get Subdue Fungicide at a more affordable price than $200-$300 per quart?  I had the bad experience of purchasing a changeable water lily from an ponding online store that sent me a specimen with crown rot.  Being new to ponding I did not recognize the "rank" smell of the plant (when I took it out of the bag) as being the first indication that something was amiss.  Also, I did not realize that healthy roots should be white, not dark brown/black.  I had assumed that this was supposed to be the way they were and when the plant died a couple of weeks later I thought that maybe I had done something wrong.  It took me about a month to figure out what it really was.  Had I know earlier I would have made a complaint sooner and requested an exchange.

  So, now I have decided that I should soak all new specimens in Subdue fungicide for 2 hours (if bare root) like various "experts" suggest if I am concerned about this happening again.  Problem is that this stuff is not sold in local big box stores and it seems to be very expensive.  Any ideas? 

1070

Pond Chat / Re: Boring you yet? Part 2

« on: July 19, 2008, 10:55:31 AM »

Wow...you sure have a number of ponds.  I don't think I've ever even seen a circular above ground pond/tub that big.  Question for you:  Is it necessary to have to have some sort of pump or (electrical) filter in a pond if only water lilies and aquatic plants are in the pond?  Or, are water lilies like lotus plants and can just grow in a tub without any sort of pump device?