Messages

31

Pond Chat / Re: Built A Deer-Scarer (Shishi Odoshi)

« on: June 14, 2010, 07:22:27 PM »

Howdy...

Yep, I think that's the idea... Sound and Movement...  It has actually startled me because the water when it is dumped into the pond is kinda like pouring a quart of water from a foot high into a bathtub, and then when the bamboo swivel piece hits the rock on the back stroke, it definitely makes a "TOCK" sound that will get your attention... This one is about 2.5 feet high because I have it inside my liner with rocks wedging the upright H-frame into place on the plant ledge, the piece of bamboo that collects the water and dumps it is a little over 2 feet long...  The bamboo stalk I split in half is probably 6 feet long...  Google Shishi Odoshi and there are alot of different ones... Some use small fountain pumps to deliver the water, but since I have the moving water source in my waterfall, I used that...  They come in all sizes...

There is a membrane at the nodes of a bamboo stalk that will hold water, and that is what is filling up and causing the swivel piece to become top-heavy and dump the water....  You just have to find the balance spot to insert the pivot piece of small bamboo...

Not sure if it will work on deer or heron, but I am willing to try anything, short of shooting them... LOL...

Take Care... Dave

32

Pond Chat / Built A Deer-Scarer (Shishi Odoshi)

« on: June 13, 2010, 09:30:23 PM »

Built this a few weeks ago, hoping it will keep away the heron that ate my "rescue koi" and about 10 goldies...  No attacks since then on my one other "rescue koi" and what's left of the other GF...  I cut a bamboo shaft in two to provide a trough from my waterfall to the bamboo chunk that swivels and dumps the water into the pond...  Everything is over the pond, so if it malfunctions, it won't empty the pond... 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMYHokkqeaY

Video taken with an Iphone, so quality is so-so...

Dave

33

Pond Chat / Re: Question for those with savio skimmerfilters

« on: May 31, 2010, 09:14:17 PM »

Hi Jessica...

Depends on the time of year...  Winter here in Zone 8 I clean it every month or so...  As spring and summer approach it becomes once a week and at times twice or three times...  But on average I would say one time a week... I'll take a picture of my modification which I got from an AWGS thread from DavD?, where you put Black Knight brushes in the area that is usually used for UV lights, works great...  Two 4200 Sequence pumps would be my idea of heaven for back-up redundacy, but I have 5 years with only one at 24/7/365 and it is still motoring along...  I have a couple submersibles as back up, in case of emergency, but have never needed them... As far as Skippy Filters, check out my early pictures in regards to DIY Uplflow Garbage Can Filters...  I only clean them twice a year... Just don't glue everthing, because you'll want to break fittings apart at the down pipe to run pond water thru the filter media, and there really isn't enough pressure to separate the frictuion fit... Any questions just Email me...

Dave

34

Pond Chat / Re: I cant decide whether to be happy or not .......lack of shade questions....

« on: May 30, 2010, 08:07:31 PM »

Hi Tinkster...

What plants are threatened?  Maybe they can make it through this summer then move them when it's the best time...  Or put a shade cloth over them for the hot times...  Bummer they didn't tell you what was going to happen...

Dave

35

Pond Chat / Re: Finally building a big pond...product advice requested

« on: May 28, 2010, 08:25:28 AM »

Ditto on the Sequence pump...  5 years and absolutley not one problem, running 24/7/365... cross fingers...  Also a modified Savio skimmer with brushes has had zero issues...  I DIYed up-flow Skippy-type garbage can filters with tuile netting... My biggest mistake was using an inferior liner that lasted one year, so went to the roofing supply place and bought 45 mil EPDM and am most happy with it...

Dave

36

Pond Chat / Re: Around the pond and yard. Photo Intense....

« on: May 11, 2010, 07:21:50 PM »

Very Beautiful!!!  Your plants are so far ahead of mine!!!  I love the way you have them mixed together...  Great Job...
Dave

37

Photo Album / Re: First Pond Pictures of 2010

« on: May 07, 2010, 06:39:10 PM »

Wow...  Very Nice!!!!  I really like the finished patio right up against your pond!!  What are the techie specs?  Pump - external/submersible? Pond dimensions, filtering, skimmer, bottom drain?.. You know!!  All the stuff we DIY builders are interested in...

Great Job!!  Dave

38

Pond Construction & Filtration / Re: NPT FPT MPT... why can't I find something that will thread on my Pondmaster pump

« on: April 06, 2010, 04:16:30 PM »

Yep, I'm now a firm believer in not gluing or threading any fittings if I can help it...  I'll use a rubber boot connector or flexible tubing and just O-clamp the thing to whatever it needs to go on...  There's really not that much pressure on the inlet or outlet side of my pump as it is flowing continually and I don't valve it down much, if at all...  It also allows me to take the pipe apart and rinse out my filter media with pond water from the PVC pipe that feeds the down pipe in my big filters...  Also allows for more flex for vibration issues and people treading on the the buried PVC... Home Depot and Lowe's have all kinds of rubber connector/reducers with O-clamps already in place, but I just keep my eyes peeled for rubber connectors from my kids "automotive adventures" and anywhere else I can scavenge them...

Take Care....  Dave

39

Pond Chat / Re: Tinkster Made Me Do It....

« on: April 03, 2010, 07:50:27 PM »

I'm in zone 8 and the Marsh Marigold have made it through some very cold winters...  Last Decemer we had a couple weeks of single digit temperatures...  In fact those temps killed my 12' tall Dracaena that everyone thought was a Palm...  Bummed!!!!!  Yeah, and so the hole in the gtround is 4X3X1.5 deep...
Marsh Marigold is so cool, because it the earliest in the year in our climate to bloom in the pond...
Dave

40

Pond Chat / Tinkster Made Me Do It....

« on: April 03, 2010, 05:33:52 PM »

 
Her generosity with the Lotus she sent me and then instructions on how she made bogs next to her pond to grow them, sent me into the cold and rain to dig a hole and get them planted....!!!!





and here's a pic of my marsh marigold



Thank you Tink...
Dave

41

Photo Album / Re: My Pond Site

« on: March 25, 2010, 07:42:48 AM »

 
Wow!!!!  Very Very NICE!!  Lights under the WaterFall...  Tempting me to try something like that!!  Yes details for us techie-type nerds would be great...
Thanks for sharing ...  Dave

42

Pond Chat / Re: Lotus tubers and more tubers and ......Those who wanted my tubers please read

« on: March 20, 2010, 09:39:39 AM »

Hi Tinkster..  If you have any left over, I would love to have a couple, as mine froze last winter and are mush...  Email me with cost, etc....  Thanks ...  Dave

43

Pond Chat / Re: What a mess!

« on: December 30, 2009, 06:33:18 PM »

Hi Jonna...

Sorry to hear you have problems...  Did you buy this in Merida?  Have to admit I've not heard many good reviews on the LG pumps...

Are these burning up because of an electrical problem?  Is your power from the outlet matching what the pump requires?  Just curious as to whether there's a difference in what is delivered by the utilities in Mexico and what the pump is supposed to run on...

Take Care...  Dave

44

Chit Chat / Re: What did everyone get for Christmas?

« on: December 26, 2009, 10:00:03 AM »

 

Don't you dare laugh!!!!!!!!!!  Oh well, I can see that's not gonna stop you.......  My Honey is saving me from those cold fall and spring pond temps.....



OK, OK, you can stop any time now!!!!!

Merry Christmas Everyone...
Dave

45

Pond Chat / Re: icy pond

« on: December 13, 2009, 11:56:29 AM »

Yep....  Finally supposed to thaw out next week!!!!  Snowing very lightly right now, tho......

I've been IN the pond many times.....  Never thought I would ever be ON the pond!!!!



Dave

46

Pond Construction & Filtration / Re: New pond construction and no clue what to buy!!!!!!!!

« on: October 02, 2009, 03:11:45 PM »

Wow big pond!!!  You might want to look into an external pump for something that size...  Those large submersibles I hear can gobble up some power...  My pond is probably half the size of yours, 4500 gallons or so, and I use home-made up-flow filters, except for the Savio skimmer/filter... I use a 4200 GPH Sequence external pump...

Good Luck...  Dave

47

Terrestrial Gardening / Taro Planting Tips/Advice?

« on: August 29, 2009, 11:45:02 AM »

Can I use Joyce's composted steer manure recipe for the new Taros I got from JoshS?  It certainly worked extremely well on my Lotus!!! 

I think I used regular topsoil for my older Taro, but it's been a couple years since I repotted them...

Thanks for any help...

Dave

48

Aquatic and Terrestrial Plant Exchange / Re: "Royal Hawaiian" Taros

« on: August 29, 2009, 08:27:49 AM »

 

Great looking plants!!! Got them yesterday...  Thanks a million...   Dave

49

Aquatic and Terrestrial Plant Exchange / Re: "Royal Hawaiian" Taros

« on: August 21, 2009, 07:42:44 AM »

 

Josh...  Still have any left?  Sending Email...  Dave

50

Pond Chat / Re: what kind of biofilter media is best?

« on: August 06, 2009, 08:44:22 AM »

All the above and I use tuille (sp?) I got from Joann's Fabric....  Probably 75 yards of it in my garbage can filters... Works great...  And it goes on sale often...  Going on 5 years and no deterioration...




]
Have to say the salesclerks looked at me a little weird...!!

Dave

51

Terrestrial Gardening / Re: Plants and Orchid Pix...

« on: August 01, 2009, 11:45:03 AM »

Neat plants!! 

Joyce, how long did it take your castor bean plant to get that big?  Tinkster is sending me some beans to battle my vole problem and I'd like to see if I can grow the plant also...

Thanks ...  Dave

52

Terrestrial Gardening / Re: Mountain Mole/Vole Control bean seeds......

« on: July 31, 2009, 09:10:17 AM »

Are these beans sold anywhere or are they illegal to own???  I'm ready to try anything to get rid of the voles in my yard and garden...  I've got traps but they seem to be wise to them...   

Dave

53

Terrestrial Gardening / Re: Joe Pye Weed Anyone?

« on: July 30, 2009, 05:32:12 PM »

 

Thanks Everyone...  I bought a couple of the purple stemmed ones...  The contrast with the leaves is really neat...

Dave

54

Terrestrial Gardening / Joe Pye Weed Anyone?

« on: July 25, 2009, 02:05:11 PM »

Wondering if anyone has this plant?  How is it doing if you do have it... Says it likes moist soil, anyone try it with wet feet?

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/11/

Dave

55

Pond Chat / Re: How does your waterfall look late in the season.. BlindToo your taro...

« on: July 25, 2009, 12:23:04 PM »

Karla...  That is a purple barberry...  There is actually a smaller one in the first picture in the left background...  Very forgiving plant, doesn't need much care/water/good soil etc...   There are yellow ones also...  Can't remember the name of the purple one...  It does lose its leaves in the winter, but has kind of a neat structure anyway...  It is early to leaf out in the spring...

Thanks for the compliments...  Dave

56

Chit Chat / Re: Left landing gear malfunction

« on: July 24, 2009, 11:16:19 AM »

My personal worth went up in February....  I had a titanium full replacement on my left knee...  Sure feels better than before, but the 6 weeks rehab wasn't much fun... I found out why oxycontin is abused by the druggies!!!  It was the only thing that cut the pain... 

Hope they can fix yours....

Dave

57

Pond Chat / Re: How does your waterfall look late in the season.. BlindToo your taro...

« on: July 24, 2009, 10:53:07 AM »

Tinkster...  Your pond has really turned into a beautiful place!!!!!

Here is my waterfall...  Can hardly see the water because of the hosta and impatiens...



and my crick...  They don't just pronounce it that way in Indiana Bullfrog!!!  If you were born and raised
in the Okanogan in Eastern Washington it's crick not creeeeek....



Take care everyone...  Dave

58

Photo Album / Re: Ligularia's By The Pond

« on: July 12, 2009, 08:20:54 PM »

jw...  I put the taro on a hanging shelf off the ceiling in my garage and, exactly as you describe, my garage has windows across the top...  I don''t really think the amount of sunshine matters...  They are in some kind of dormancy, lose their leaves and die back almost completely...  The same for the Hosta in the waterfall... 

Tink...  I was thinking about you when I posted these pictures, as I think you have the Rocket also...  Neither of the Ligularia are bare root in the pond...  The Rocket is planted in dirt next to the pond but is much more tolerant of direct sun than the round-leaved one in my filter... I moved the round-leaved one so it has wet feet in the filter and it does not wilt at all now...  It is in a pot with soil...  They both need beau-coup (lots of) water...  but mine are close to my Savio skimmer, so when I clean it, they are the recipients of all the goop I wash off the filters...  Thanks for the picture posting instructions!!!  I used to know how to do it but senility slowly sets in.....  In my case it might not be so slow...

Dave

59

Photo Album / Re: Ligularia's By The Pond

« on: July 12, 2009, 02:21:47 PM »

Hi Everybody and thanks... 

jw...  It is actually a Dracaena... And we nearly lost it this year with all the snow and cold...  I had Christmas lights on it and I think they may have helped it make it thru...  Also had a blanket around the base of it... We had 2 smaller ones freeze back to the ground, but now I see them coming back up...  I do bring the taro into our garage in the fall, water it every couple months and it seems to do just fine...  The hostas are in full sun, but being in the waterfall they do not wilt and are just huge...  I will absolutely have to divide them this year... I leave the waterlilies and lotus in the pond all year...

Dave

60

Photo Album / Ligularia's By The Pond

« on: July 12, 2009, 11:53:45 AM »

 

The Rocket Ligularia is in fine form this year!!!  The rounded leaf type is in my upflow Skippy-type garbage can filter...

The Hostas are bareroot in the waterfall and are the largest I've ever seen them....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v143/finnpond/July2009Pond012.jpg?t=1247424666

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v143/finnpond/July2009Pond014.jpg?t=1247424724

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v143/finnpond/July2009Pond003.jpg?t=1247424763

Dave

By the way, how do I just post the images from Photobucket and not the weblink only?...