My So Called Pond Life

Adding to Pond

2009-06-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

I am going to add onto my pond--just started digging this weekend and trying to figure out the best way to break threw the one pond into the new one. Will add some pictures for discussion, not going to be a easy job since my plan calls for the break to become a two tiered waterfall, at least thats my hope. anyway stay tuned

Summers Here 2007

2007-06-22T23:56:00.000-07:00

Been too long since I posted last, the pond is looking great. i actually added a little bridge that crosses the stream, my kids love it. Now the Frogs and Turtles are always real close. And the kids love dropping the food down the stream and watching the fish come up to get it! Plants are doing well, had a issue with the waaerfall and had to redo the whole thing this spring, the roots from some plants shot right up the backsideof the liner and ate right throught the sealant that held the liner to the falls! So basically %95 of the water was going over the falls but %5 was going under! Looked for leaks everywhere before ripping waterfall apart to find the problem. New falls are working nicely Ill add pictures of that as well! so alot of work but whats new in the life of a ponder! Ill post a few shots in a day or so.

Big Fish, Small Ponds

2007-01-26T13:06:00.000-08:00

cool article----on Pond Guy

Big Fish, Small Ponds

Monday, January 22, 2007
From Inc.com

Aquascape Founder and CEO, Greg Wittstock

www.aquascapeinc.com

emails@aquascapeinc.com

Business Type:Construction

2005 Revenue:$60 million

No. of Employees:175

More from Inc.com

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Greg Wittstock, who likes to be called the Pond Guy, built his first pond at the age of 12. Today, more than 20 years later, Wittstock runs a thriving empire that not only builds backyard ponds, but supplies and teaches thousands of contractors every year on the latest and greatest Aquascape techniques.

"I moved from my lakefront home in New Jersey to Illinois when I was 12. My parents promised me that I could bring 11 of my pet turtles with me. On the second day after the move, I started digging my own backyard pond. I had checked out every book I could find from the library on backyard water gardening. Most of the books came from England and most of their techniques didn't work here in the United States.

"I built the first pond out of concrete and it cracked during its first winter. The filter systems clogged and turned fish to sushi, the pond turned green, and my turtles started escaping. That was the beginning of my odyssey. I MacGyvered up my own classroom to experiment with new techniques until I got them right.

"After I got things working, people got interested. In 1991, after my sophomore year at Ohio State University, I launched Aquascape Designs to build ponds for customers. I printed up some business cards and took out a few classified ads. I sold five jobs that summer and got $21,000 for three months of work. My gross profit was $11,000, which was a heck of a lot more than I made as a lifeguard the summer before. It was a fun way to make money.

"In the summer of 1992, the Chicago Tribune ran a feature story about me. I learned the power of public relations. My phone started ringing off the hook. In just four weeks, I sold 81 jobs. All of a sudden, my fun side-business became a career. I hired my dad, who was an engineer, a secretary, and a full-time foreman to help run the work crews with me. Aquascape became a year-round business in April 1993 -- and has been ever since.

"That's also when I realized that I could only make so much money with my two hands. With the help of a friend, I patented my filtration system and decided to start selling franchises. That was a huge mistake. I didn't sell a single one because my customers were landscape contractors and they didn't want to be tied down to a single kind of work. It was a low point of my life. I thought I wasted six months trying to do this. That's when I decided that instead of keeping my secrets to myself, I would give them away through a mail-order catalog.

"I mailed out our first catalog in 1995. I grew that to the point where we were mailing 3 million catalogs a year to sell my filtration systems and all the other items related to building ponds, like pumps and plumbing. As I started reaching new people, my business exploded.

"Today, my business model has completely changed. We've scrapped the mail order and now sell only through our 300 distributors. We decided to pick a horse, since our mail-order business was in competition with our distributors. We also train more than 5,000 contractors a year through our monthly training sessions, where we teach them to build both ponds and their businesses. We work with them to teach budgeting, sales, and construction techniques. That's part of why we dropped the 'Designs' from our name. In the end, the biggest value we can sell is our ability to help our customers grow their businesses.

Hot and Early Days of Summer

2006-06-30T23:18:00.000-07:00

Well So Cal in June means one thing-HOT! So everything is in full bloom, and thriving. All my water lettuce from last year died, I bought a few more and they have already mulitplied 100 Times over! Anyone wanting some free Water lettuce just let me know. Other then that been a great year for my water lillies, I cant count the flowers this year! :-) Want to add a Lotus to the garden afet reading an interesting article in LA Times Home Section.

http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/home/la-hm-lotus29jun29,1,528097.story?coll=la-home-printedition

Other then that my pond looks great I think my fish Turtles and Frogs seem Happy! The hot days gets the minnows spawning but not many of the baby makes it....Not sure what gets them-the Turtles, koi, or Frogs. Anyway Jappy BBQ to you, kick back with a nice cold one and the sound of water splashing away! Here are some of the most recent photos, going to get some video up here real soon

Summer Bloom

2006-06-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

Well summer is here and the pond is really in full bloom. Everything has really taken off, I cant believe it has only been ust over a year since I built the pond. The edging has all grown in even nicer then I imagined. My water lilies have been flowering more then last year, a few of the other plants like the Cypress have just gone berserk. Ive had to repot a few more then once in just over a year. Turtles are still happy, The Bull Frogs are absoultely huge now, I only see them at sunset and at night but It adds a little something when you never know what you will see and when! My minnows have started to spawn again, I have seen a dozen or so babies in the last few days, lets see how many last, not sure if the Koi eat them as well, but man have my Koi gotten huge as well. they look like mini submarines speeding up to the surface come feeding time! lol Other then that all my water lettuce from last year Died away, got a few more this year and already its starting to overtake the pond. I think I need to find another floater that doesnt grow as fast, or at least find some people who can come and take some water lettuce once it goes into its berserk growth phase in a few weeks! Ill add some more pictures in the next few days, been trying to figure out how to add video, so stay tuned for that. Happy Ponding!

Spring is in the Air

2006-03-19T13:19:00.000-08:00

Birds and singing, flowers starting to bloom, and for the one year anniversary of the pond I have to say the landscaping has grown in beautifully, better then even I Expected! take a look, the edging is starting to look great, I still have some spots I need to tweak, but overall I think it is looking awesome, and Im glad I can share with you all! Let me know what you think. Lilly pads are starting to sprout up overnight, and my only downside to it all is it seems I am going to have another fight with the string algae till the plants take off, or maybe I need to go and buy some new floaters! till next time, thinking of adding a bridge over the stream, not a functionally one but a decorative one

A Cold and Balmy So California Pond

2006-01-24T23:24:00.000-08:00

here are some shots from the cold and balmy So California winters. lol a lot has did back but at the same time all the edging has really grown in nicely I must say. Its starting to look more and more natural, which is great. Only problem now is muck from all the leaves from the fall? any suggestions?

Winter Nears

2005-12-05T14:20:00.000-08:00

As Winter nears the pond has gone basically dormat! Funny how here in So Cal we get a week of warm weather and the pond want to start growing again! I had a few late blooms from some of my bog plants long after I thought they had died back for the winter! :-) My Water Lettuce thankfully has died back as well, Now I know why its illegal in so many places, a few of those suckers will multiply and take over the entire pond if you let them! Other then that been fighting Fall and its leaves! AUGH! I feel I am out there once or twice a day scouping leaves off the surface and bottom!

Also we had a Pond MALFUNCTION recently. My Pump, which I just got this year, died on us. Had to go get a new one and replace it in the dark of night! lol Anyway all the Koi survived but I did have one who I thouhgt I lost since its basically beached itself in the stream! I poked at it with my finger it didnt move, I picked it up and its flopped out of my hand. Swam upside down for a while but it now seems fine? Koi are a strange breed I must say! Other then that I will try and some new photos real soon, everything has grown in real nicely. We just had a birthday party for my daughter and everyone was raving about the pond. Most couldnt believe I did it myself! Makes you feel good for your work to be appreciated thats for sure, and Im always trying to talk friends into doing "their" ponds! lol

Happy Holidays fellow Ponders!

Bullfrogs Back

2005-10-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

I hadnt seen them in a while and thought there were gone, but once the sun hit the pond the other day after about a week of cloudy weather, there they were sunning! Glad to see they are happy in their new home!

Fall Is here

2005-10-05T11:58:00.000-07:00

Well the Fall season has started to hit, What that means for us ponders?=LEAVES! Even in So CAL we got to fight the trees shedding 50lbs of leaves into our ponds! I know some people use nets or screens to cover their pond this time of year to keep the leaves out, me I am lucky since I put my pond under a tree that doesnt lose its leaves! :-)
Anyway as fall has started to hit, my plants have started to die back, the Water Hycintha are still doing ok, but my water lettuce which overtook almost the whole pond has been rotting away, and has become quite gross! Ive tossed a ton but have tried to save some for next year.
Other then that I found my Frogs again, I thought they had left, but they just double or almost tripled in size over the summer! So they found new hiding spots, but now I know where! I have a few pictures I'll add later! adios

Sad Day-Turtle Loss

2005-09-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

Well a sad day at the pond today. Seems I lost my little painter turtle to the Turtle Gods. He wasnt looking to good the last few days, I couldnt get him to eat anything, he was still sunning himself daily so I wasnt too worried. Well I guess I should have been, since this morning I found him floating in the pond dead. :-(
Well I still got 3 turtles left, all the frogs that hatched from tadpoles are now also gone, not sure if they met their maker or just took off looking for a new home. But I havent seen any in over a week or two! Well I will always have my pond pictures to remember them! lol
Seriously though, nothing worse then the loss of a pet, even a turtle, makes you bummed. Just wish I knew what the cause was! Maybe it was just sruvival of the fitest taking place on a mini scale in my own mini-ecosystem! Or maybe the turtle was never really healthy from when I got him at PETCO-someplace I hate! Happy Ponding Everyone!

Happy Labor Day

2005-09-05T11:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day to everyone. God Bless America. Now put down that beer and turn off that BBQ and get out there and fix up that pond! LOL

Lotus Flower

2005-09-04T22:08:00.000-07:00

Here is a shot I got early this morning, its so hard to get shots of the Lotus Flowers, since they only are open for such a short period of time. but cant get much better then this shot. Absolutely gorgeous, the lush colors of these flowers are so exotic. I love these and the water lilies the most for theor pure beauty! Still waiting for some of the water hyacinth to flower, it had been doing pretty poor all summer, but I have a few spots that are doing great, mostly the in my homemade biofalls, but a bunch look ready to bloom! :-)
Happy Labor Day Weekend, I for one know Ill be sitting by the pond with a nice cold one tomorrow instead of sitting at work!

Pond Turtle Burrowing in Garden, Laying Eggs?

2005-08-26T22:27:00.000-07:00

Well I have one Large Red Eared Slider, I am assuming a female but not %100 sure, that keeping in the pond has become a game of cat and mouse so to speak! I catch her put her back, then she watches as I walk away gives me a few minutes, then gets out and starts looking for another place to burrow.
After researching some, and getting some great help from the message board at the turtles group link on my page to thr right, I figured she might be carrying eggs and looking to burrow and lay eggs. So I watched where she went, she watched me too-lol, and when I saw where she burrowed herself I figure I let nature be.
Well after a few weeks I got nervous she was ok, dug her out. she like most sliders I have learned, will burrow to lay their eggs about a inch deep in loose mulch. So After digging her out and seeing she was ok, I put her back in the pond, I feed her and she ate like crazy for 5 minutes. The next morning she was gone again, I found her near the same spot she went last time, put her back and fed her again, and she again devoured for 5 minutes. I went inside for maybe 5 minutes and came out to find her strolling through my shrubs into my garden. Then I followed her and watched her burrow again. (SEE PICTURES). Going to give her a week, if nothing I think I have to take her to a HERP VET and see if she is impacted with the eggs. I would love to have baby turtles, but then again I would love for this big one to be ok and stay in the pond! :-)
3 out of 4 of my turtles (3 sliders, 1 painter) stay put like clockwork, they will sun along the banks of the pond and stream, but have never wandered off like the big slider. Well stay tune to see what happens next?

Pond Edging & Landscaping around upper Pond

2005-08-20T11:02:00.000-07:00

Ok after I redid the edging for the stream, I just had to keep going. I have some more Ideas ahead but I did this quick little fix last weekend. I like the way the new Cypress I planted blends with the one that was growing in the water, I also like how tthe stream banking continues and wraps around the upper pond on the backside. A quick fix only cost me around $30, $10 for the rock and $20 for the big Cypress. Anyway check it out and let me knwo what you think!

Cactus Flower in Full Bloom

2005-08-15T22:19:00.000-07:00

Well I have to say the wait was well worth it. I finally got a couple shots of the Cactus Flower in Full bloom. Amazing these flowers grow as large as a foot, then open for one day only and for just a small window of time during that day. I saw it open in the morning close then reopen in the evening! It was in my opinion absolutely cool, and its was extremely fragrant.

Anyway I also got to work over the weekend on some more Edging, Ill take some pictures in the morning. But add some more plants to the edging and used the stone trick I did on my stream on the backside of the top pond by the falls.....check it out later when I post the pictures....I love the before and after! Happy Ponding.....

Cactus and Succulents Flowering around Pond

2005-08-12T18:50:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots of some of the Cactus and Succulents I have tucked in and around the pond, and since its summer most are starting or are flowering! Cactus and Succulent flowers to me are some of the most beautiful flowers you will see. Dont believe me just take a look and let the pictures be the judge.I'll try and take some better ones. I Wish the flowers on the tall cactus would open wider, but they keep dying off just before fully opening. :-(
Anyway I thought some of you east coast and colder weather ponders might get a kick out of some of the funky plants us So Cal Ponders have going! lol

Blooming Water Lilies

2005-08-09T21:41:00.000-07:00

What a great morning, nothing like waking up & walking out to feed the koi first thing in the morning, then when you come up on the pond you see two water lilies blooming. I absolutely love lilies, the pads themself I think are just so cool, but then you add what might be one of the most magnificant flowers you will ever see and whats not to love! I'm not sure the exact type of my lilies-I have 5 and want to add more-I believe the White one is a Hardy Lily, a "Queen White", and the purple one is a Tropical, I believe a "Shirley Bryne".

I got them and most of my plants at Sunland Watergardens, who I consider #1 in the LA metro area for pond plants, and believe me I have driven to more then a few all around town. They also run a great little shack of a shop there that sells anything and everything you will need to build your own pond! Great Help and a fun place to just go! They must have like 5 ponds, tons of turtles, Koi galore, and more pond plants then anyplace I ever seen, covering at least a acre!

Getting back to my lilies, I wish the turtles didnt love chumping down on them as snacks, otherwise I think I would get twice to three times as many! There nothing worse then watching a flower shoot out of the base of one of your lilies slowly growing toward the surface, then one day a inch or so before it reaches the surface and gets to bloom, a turtle comes up and takes it out as a snack! :-( Happy Turtles, Sad Me! lol

Some Fun Lilies Facts (from)
http://www.twingroves.district96.k12.il.us/Wetlands/WaterLilies/WaterLily.html

Water lilies were once used in ancient Egyptian art.

The largest water lily is the Giant Water Lily. It can be found in the Amazon. It can grow to be 2 feet to 6 feet in diameter. It provides food for fish and wildlife. The only problem is that it causes drainage problems because of its large size.

The swamp lily is a breed of water lily. It reproduces and grows just as the water lily does. The only difference is that it grows in swamps.

The Yellow Lily's roots are sometimes eaten. White Lily's roots are used to treat sore mouths. The smoke from some lilies burning roots has been used to repel insects.

Claude Monet painted many paintings of water lilies. He got the idea because he had a water garden and enjoyed the plants' beauty and difference.

The lotus is a plant that is similar to the water lily. The lotus has leaves that float above the surface and is held above the water on long stalks. The lotus is a plant group made up of mainly herbs and subshrubs.

Bullfrogs, Turtle, and Unknown Flower

2005-08-08T20:30:00.000-07:00

Well my Bullfrogs seem to be happy and content in the pond, no defectors yet. Very cool to see them jumping around, I dont hear them, do Bullfrogs make a croaking sound like some other frogs? I Thought Bullfrogs were real loud, maybe I am just missing it, or maybe its late at night. Anyway seems out of my 5 tadpoles, I have 3 frogs, I know one got snagged by most likely a neighborhood cat, not sure what happened to the other, might just be a slow grower, or I am counting them wrong! Anyway here is one of my latest Frog shots--They dont even flich from the camera being 6 inches away!

Then this shot of my Slider Turtle I thought was funny...looks like he is walking on water. He basically can and does now that the water lettuce has grown almost %100 across the pond. Anyone in the SO CAL Area who wants some Water Lettuce please let me know!

And last but not least.....What type of Flower is this??? I have no idea, its has grown out of one of the containers in the yard, and now covers a fence 8 feet high and around 10 feet long! It grows about a foot overnight it seems! But one of the Coolest Flowers I ever saw? Anyone know what it is? A bit worried about some of those flowers getting into the pond, but its a good distance. Anyway if you have any idea please let me know, especially want to know if its poisionious!

Pond Turtles seem happy with New Pond Edging

2005-08-07T10:20:00.000-07:00

Well it seems my turtles really like the new stream in the pond since I Re-Edged it. Now they dont have to fight over sunbathing spots, only concern is that they will just keep going as there is now nothing holding them back from taking a walk around my back yard. I already have one large slider hibernating in my vegetable garden! lol Anyway I love to watch these guys, they make my pond IMHO. The Minnows also seem to really like the new stream, Ive been watching as they try and swim up to the 2nd pond using the new improved stream. Somehow some have made it, since the 2nd pond is now teeming with minnows too. Trying to figure out some more edging tricks, maybe going to add a beach to stick my feet in! :-) check back soon to see what I do next, the plan is in the works.

Hiding Liner - Before & After

2005-08-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

Here are the Before and after shot of the stream! 10X more natural looking I think. I cant wait to try my hand at some more edging soon. Just need to come up with my "grand plan". Even God took a few days in creating earth, so If it takes me a year to get my pond exactly the way I want so be it! Half the fun at least for me is the tinkering and re-arranging on the pond and plants. Anyway Hope this helped some with the same problem, I know I was at my end of ideas for hiding the stream liner--so again a big thanks to the guys at amazing aquascape..I am going to get me one of their Natural Pool One Day so I can swim with my Koi and Turtles! :-) lol

My only concern with the stream now is that it is even easier for predators and or my turtles to get in or out! Hopefully my turtles are happy where they are, all but the big slider who has buried itself in my vegetable garden! lol Only time shall tell....

Pond Edging

2005-08-05T07:01:00.000-07:00

Pond Edging, as any amateur ponder knows is one of the hardest parts of building a pond IMHO! I had used broken up concrete from a old patio I took out with a sledgehammer to edge most of my pond! And was pretty happy with the results as the plants and landscape started growing in. Well as happy as any tinkering pond'er can be! LOL

After Starting the blog and so many people coming to view my site and message boards (over 2000 inthe first week), I was more then overwhelmed! Now with some great suggestions and comments from Viewers coming in, one in particular from Amazing Aquascapes, it was time to get back to work on the pond to incorporate some great suggestions.

So Here is the results, I took out the concrete rocks lining the stream, and added River Rock to the Banks to allow the plants to grow down and try and get a more natural look to my pond....And after doing so I think it does look 100 times better....I will work on some more edging soon....I had tried sticking peices of moss and other ground covers in between rocks to hide liner in spots, and it has worked in spot and failed in others. Some drying out before taking off, others loving it and growing like carazy! Below is the Message from the Kind People at Amazing Aquascapes whose free help was more then I could have asked for. Thanks Guys.

**Message from Amazing Aquascapes 8/1/05****

As for how your pond looks, it's not bad. You need to work on your edging a bit. In this picture

http://flyservers.registerfly.com/members5/amazingaquascapes.com/images/mysocalledpond2.jpg

I circled in red the rocks I'd remove and in blue where I'd fill with gravel and then dirt on top of the gravel so it blends into the surrounding landscape. You can then plant the dirt/gravel to soften it. Right now your pond looks man made because the edge is all the same. Break it up. Don't get me wrong, it looks good, but if you broke up the edging, it would look better.

Blue Damselfly Visit Today

2005-08-04T13:48:00.000-07:00

Last week it was a pair of Orange Dragon Flies enjoying the pond, this week what I thought was a blue one, was actually a blue damselfly ! They are so pretty! The Oranges Ones were easier to get a picture of, this blue one refused to sit still! lol He did seem to be enjoying himself....lol

PS-Im off to the Home Depot to pick up a few bags of river rock. Going to use the suggestion from Amazing Aquascapes, A Big THANKS, and fix up my stream! Check back later today or tomorrow when I add shots of the FIX! And then you can let me know if it was worth it. Check out the message board to see the Post and Pictured Description of Amazing Aquascapes Help and Suggestion. Thanks again guys

Pond Plants, Frogs, and Turtles

2005-08-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

Here are a few shots of the pond from this morning (8/4/05). My Water Lettuce has gone completely berserk! It has now overtaken almost %90 of my pond! Anyone interested in trading a pond plant you are in abundance of for some of my water lettuce, please let me know. Will trade my floaters for extra lillies, bog plants or other floaters. I saw bunches of 30 going for $25 on ebay or 10 for $10..see link

http://search.ebay.com/water-lettuce_W0QQfkrZ1QQfnuZ1QQfromZR8

Anyway It seems my Water Lettuce is creating new shoots each and every day, sometimes they feel like they multiple overnight! Turtle and Frogs seem to be happy as they can jump climp and hide all over the pond! Also seems my water is absolutely crystal clear.....water lettuce roots do such a good job at filtering......Thanks and check back soon for more photos--going to do some repairs the next few days thanks to the great people at amazing aquascape-check out the post on the message board. Any and all comments always welcome

Birds Eye View of Pond

2005-07-29T07:33:00.000-07:00

Here are some Shots taken today of the Pond--I love to take shots from all over the place--I fell from different angles it feels different. anyway enjoy-I notice alot of these Pond Shots make Great Great Wallpaper. I use it at work now--just click the photo will enlarge it to its own page--then right click and hold and set as wallpaper. Anyway I love my coffee and paper out at the pond in the morning, makes going to work tough...