Last Updated: 10/4/22

1. On 9/4/22, the air temperature was 80 degrees F at 10:20 am with 100% humidity. The 1800 gallon pond was at 74 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 73 degrees F. I squirted off all the filter materials, put additives in the ponds, and topped them off with water. The water levels have been low due to drought, and I've had to add water during the week as well.

2. On 9/11/22, at 11:55 am, the air temperature was 70 degrees F. It was raining with 100% humidity. The 1800 gallon pond was at 72 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 71 degrees F. I squirted off all the filters, changed the PondMaster filters, and put additives in the ponds. The ponds did not need water as we have finally gotten lots of rain. I skipped trying to fertilize the one surviving waterlily due to the rain.

3. It was 81 degrees F at 1:17 pm on 9/18/22. I worked on the ponds until past 3:45 pm. The 1800 gallon pond was at 70 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 72 degrees F. I squirted off all the filter materials including the bioballs, lava rock, PondMaster filters, and Matala filters in the Biosteps filter. I changed the oyster shell and the bag of mixed zeolite and carbon (used to be Ammocarb but now something similar).

I wanted to fertilize the one surviving waterlily but the lid came off of the feeding pipe (do not know where it is), and I could not jam any of the fertilize pills in (too many roots and rocks) so I just stuck a few on top which should feed them indirectly. I have not had the time to repot any pond plants in years now. The iris are supposed to be repotted every two years on Labor Day. It has been five years! I am always too busy and too weak. I am 50 years old now with moderate arthritis. If I had not found out about consuming pectin, I would no longer be functional but that stuff has saved me. The iris have suffered with neglect and barely flower although the increasing shade is also to blame. My other plants have been neglected even longer. The sweetflag loves the neglect because it has jumped its pots and grows wherever it wants. I am ashamed of the state of my pond and the gardens around them even more. Most people would not believe that there is anything there but weeds or that I actually had most of the pond garden weeded to the ground in April. I just cannot keep up with the Japanese stilt grass which has now gone to seed. I am pulling it by the wheelbarrow full.

I spent a long time pulling up Japanese stilt grass all around the edges of the big pond and its waterfall in preparation for putting the full net on. I put it on a week early because I had the time, and with the drought, there are a lot of leaves falling. I had to break sticks and dessicated frogs as I tried to get the net to unfold. The sticks and at least two frogs were keeping the net from unfurling. Before putting it on, I also had to remove the ropes I have up in the summer to deter deer, and I put a pair of my late father's socks on the fence posts to protect the net which is draped over them until the marginal plants are cut back sometime in November. I did not have the strength to try to get the weeds out of the partial net that was on the 1800 gallon pond because it then goes on the 153 gallon pond for the leaf fall. I will do that next week.

4. On 9/25/22 at 11:12 am, the air temperature was 66 degrees F, and it felt humid. The 1800 gallon pond was at 62 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 64 degrees F. I put the big pond's half net over the 153 gallon pond area. It was a good thing I had fully netted the big pond a week early because it was covered in leaves. I removed some of them. I squirted all the filter materials, put in additives, and topped the ponds off with water.

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