Last Updated: 5/10/15

1. On 4/5/15, I did some pond chores. The 1800 gallon pond was at 52 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 50 degrees F. The air temperature was near 60 degrees F but the winds were at it again. I squirted off the main filter floss. I found and removed a dead 3" green frog from the main pond. I added Bt to the smaller ponds as it's mosquito time again. I moved two two gallon pots of pickerel rush and one one gallon pot of golden club from the moderate depth area to the shallows. There is another pot of golden club according to my November 2014 newsletter so I've got to find it!

2. I finally cleaned out the 153 gallon pond on 4/8/15 and the back rock pond as well. I also set up the mosaic pond. I normally do all three at the end of March but various things prevented that this year. Go to this page for the details.

3. I did a bunch of pond chores on 4/12/15. The 1800 and 153 gallon pond's were both at 56 degrees F. I removed the full net from the big pond. I squirted off the floss around the main pump; it was pretty dirty. I set up both the Cyprio filter system and the auxiliary pump system for the warm months. I cut all new filter materials for them (two pump intakes plus inside the Cyprio filter). The fish will be spawning and clogging filters any day now. I put the half net on the pond to protect the fish from the heron (at least while they are in the deep end). The one egg mass from the wood frogs finally hatched in the 50 gallon tub pond but there is only that one egg mass this year. I finally used my first bag of mulch this year (a few weeks late), where I start on the south end of the pond garden. I am unbelievably behind on gardening chores but I am only one person.

4. I had to get in the pond on 4/15/15 to unclog the Cyprio filter already! The nylon laundry bag around the pump gets sucked in the intake and slows the flow down to a drizzle. It wasn't all that dirty per se.

5. On 4/18/15, the goldfish were spawning, and the Cyprio was 100% clogged. I could have turned it off for a day but I got in and unclogged it.

6. On 4/19/15, I did pond work. The 1800 gallon pond was at 66 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 64 degrees F. The air temperature was only about 60 degrees F though. I squirted off all four sets of "flosses" (pump pre-filters really). The ones in the big pond were heavy with slop as the goldfish had been spawning like mad. In the PondMaster filter in the 153 gallon pond, there looked to be possibly a very decayed rosy red minnow. In the big pond, I squirted out the bioballs which actually weren't too bad. I added some pea gravel to the pot of Albata waterlilies. The Chromatella waterlily was in pretty good shape. There are two other five gallon pots, and they show no sign of life! I had bought a horsetail rush at the Green Fest the day before which I potted in to one of the dead two gallon pots in the marginal area. I haven't had horsetail rush since 2010 according to my pond inventory.

7. I started pond chores on 4/26/15 but putting out a lot of yard doohickeys such that most of them are outside now. It seems like such a waste though as I am the only one (aside from two family members that visit) who ever see all the decorations and all the hard work I put in to the ponds and gardens. The 1800 and 153 gallon pond thermometers both said 57 degrees F. I squirted all the filter materials and added water and additives to all the ponds.

I fertilized the two surviving waterlilies in the big pond. The Albata has its first leaves at the surface now. I found the missing pot of golden club and moved it to the shallows. I repotted the purple pickerel weed for the first time in three years. There were two two gallon pots. I got four pieces from the pots. I repotted them in to three two gallon pots.

8. I had the day off on 4/29/15 to put the house plants on the front porch. That took about three hours. I then moved the two gallon pot of taro from the basement pond to the pool deck as a little pond of its own. I put the bluebells in the big pond bareroot and tossed some pea gravel over the roots. It seems to grow better bare root, and I was exhausted. I did not have the power to bail the 50 gallon basement pond this day. In the morning, I also thought maybe the Luft pump wasn't aerating properly so I lifted up the black box that sits over the pump, and I got a shock! A garter snake slithered out!

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