Last Updated: 9/15/14

1. On 9/1/13, I did the usual chores. The 1800 gallon was at 78 degrees F, and the 153 gallon was at 78 degrees F too. I squirted all the flosses and also the Cyprio biothings. I changed the PondMaster filters. I netted some of the baby goldfish out of the 30 gallon liner pond. One baby was an inch long, one was about half that, and the rest were really tiny. I removed 30 of them that I put in the 1800 gallon pond. There are at least that many left in there.

2. On 9/2/13, Labor Day, it was my intent as with every Labor Day to repot my water iris. I did the yellow flag in 2012 but there are about six other two gallon pots of about four kinds of water iris, many of which have not been repotted in years. Also, my plans were thwarted. First, I had to make a dash to the emergency vet when I discovered that my rabbit, Mr. Tiny, had the worst case of fly strike that I had ever seen. Three hours and $300+ later, it was 90 degrees F, and my will to dig rock hard dirt was flushed. I tried to break the ground to get dirt for repotting but the dirt was impossible for me to dig. I did manage to cut down some of the yellow flag iris in the overflow (getting a few cuts from the rice cut grass in there) and put up the mosaic pond for the year. I also managed to weed and mulch a small area adjacent to the pond area but 75% of the gardens and cages remain un-mulched this year. Now that I have a secretarial job, things are just going to have to go to pot. The irony is that I need a job to pay for the animals and plants but, with the job, I don't have enough time to take care of them all!

3. On 9/8/13, I did the regular pond chores. The 1800 gallon pond was at 70 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 69 degrees F about 30 minutes after I put in a few inches of cold water. It hasn't rained more than a spritz in weeks. I found a katydid apparently eating my lotus leaves. I sure wish my lotus would have flowered but this one never has!! I squirted off all the flosses and the bioballs. I put up half a dozen yard doohickeys.

I repotted two two gallon pots of water iris. I also removed two two gallon pots with no signs of plant life. I repotted one piece from one pot in to another two gallon and three pieces of the other (all runners that jumped the pot) in to three two gallon pots. So, I took out two overgrown pots and put back four! These should all be purple iris as the Colorific and white iris were at the other end of the pond based on photos of flowers this past spring. I hated to throw out about 75% of the iris but I have limited room. If I were still unemployed, I'd sell the iris but even that takes too much time now. There are about four more pots to repot. One should be Colorific, one should be white, and the other two are more purple iris. There is no way for me to know which is which and to give better treatment to another. Of course, if I don't get to repotting those pots this year, I can always take note next spring!

I then had about an hour to do yard work so I just pulled the tall, flowering weed grass that is all around my pond. It comes out easily. I probably got six wheel barrows full, and you can hardly tell the difference! I cleared a spot near the top of the waterfall of that grass and lemon balm. Nobody would think I'd done any gardening in years but weeds grew like mad this year.

4. I only have time to link in old photos at my mother's transfusions so here are some more old photos!

From 4/26/13:
Male green frog in my 153 gallon pond.
1800 gallon pond facing north
12 gallon lotus tub pond

Water celery at the bottom of the waterfall on 5/6/13.

5. On 9/15/13, I did pond chores. The 1800 gallon was at 66 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 64 degrees F (after I put in water). I squirted off all the filter materials. I fertilized the water lilies and lotus one last time for the year. I took out one of the three remaining non-repotted two gallon iris pots and repotted it in to another two gallon pot. I had to toss half of it. I think this one was the white iris. I still have two more to repot but I really want to put them in extra pots.

6. On 9/22/13, I did the pond chores. The 1800 gallon pond was at 66 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 65 degrees F. I squirted all the flosses and changed the PondMaster filters.

7. I did pond chores on 9/29/13. The 1800 gallon pond was at 60 degrees F and the 153 gallon at 62 degrees F at 10:30 am. I topped off ponds, put in additives, and squirted off filter materials. I squirted off the Cyprio biothings. I cut some of the wasted lotus leaves. I moved the half net from the 1800 gallon pond to the 153 gallon pond as its leaf net. I pulled out the huge full net to entirely cover the 1800 gallon pond for the coming onslaught of leaves.

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