The pond!

[adesmith]

I cant remember where we were talking about half barrel ponds so I decided to post here. My money came through for my marking and as well as using a bit of it for Rachel and Rupert, I decided to treat myself to a water feature. Yesterday we went off and bought a half barrel from Blooms (Wyevale). They also had a beautiful butterfly (French?) lavender reduced from £15 to £5. Just needs a bit of a trim but it will be lovely for next year. Anyway in their 'World of Water' they also had a small solar fountain and I bought 4 water plants. Its all set up and it looks great. The barrel is still leaking but I am hoping it will swell up and seal. The man said that fish wouldnt like it much because the barrel is still contaminated with whatever used to be in it. May think about that next spring or just encourage wild life to use it. The solar fountain only works in direct sunlight so it is a bit hit and miss but its lovely to hear a trickle of water. I need to get some baskets for the plants, they are just in pots at the moment. I did read on the Internet that you should choose dwarf plants but that was after I had bought them! Never mind. Anyway its a tranquil memorial to those terrible marking weeks! :yes4:

[Kath Mulligan]

Glad you have got your water feature at last, Adrian, you certainly earned it with all that marking. There is no nicer sound in a garden than the gentle trickle of water, is there?

Kath

[jane jackson]

That's great Adrian, glad you've got it all set up. I wouldn't worry about the plants being too big as you can keep cutting them back. Our fish are very happy in our barrel so if you left it until the spring to be on the safe side the water should be fine for them by then. We find down here that the roots grow a bit wild and have to keep chopping them back each year, didn't happen so quickly on Exmoor. If you can get some water snails they keep the water clean especially if you get the fish.
Good luck with it and enjoy ~ you've worked hard for it! Hope Rachel and Rupert enjoyed their treat and I'm sure they'll both enjoy the barrell too.

[tricia2ws]

We had a pond in the previous house, I used to love sitting out just listening to the trickle of water, it's so relaxing. Rupert will love watching wildlife coming to it, we had some huge fish, but sadly they outgrew the pond and had to be moved elsewhere, we then moved to another house minus the pond, I do miss it tho'. Bet it looks lovely, you will have to put some pics on(yes I know...I love seeing pics tho') so we can see it. x tricia :coool!:

[adesmith]

It really is lovely and the sunshine this afternoon had the little fountain going. I divided some Hostas this afternoon and potted some up to put by the pond (they looked the right sort of plant) and I moved a fern from my shady garden bit. Might get some grasses to put alongside it as well. Will think about the fish. It is quite a deep barrel. Did your barrel leak to begin with Jane? Seems to be slowing down now, as the wood swells. I think I might tuck a little ramp around the back and into the pond to help the wildlife in and out.

[Anne27]

It sounds lovely. Water does add a certain something doesn't it? Well done!

[gloria townsin]

Glad you've achieved your pond Adrian. Re fish I should let it settle for the rest of this year and give it a try with maybe a couple in the Spring of next year, if they are o.k. you could then stock it properly. I can't think of any other way to test it, though of course it would be better not to have a sacrificial twosome. I suppose you could watch them and if they seemed to be distressed quickly put them in a prepared tank and give up on the idea of them in the barrel. I have to say when we had our barrel water feature in our last home a friend who had masses of goldfish in her pond insisted she bring me some. I wasn't at all sure that they would be o.k. in it but she arrived with them in the usual traveling plastic bag affair. She has about and hour and a bit to get to me. Anyway they were put in the barrel and I'm afraid they quickly died........one after the other and there was nothing we could do about it. Whether it was something in the barrel that contaminated the water I just don't know, we had a pump in it which constantly got blocked and Eddie used to put something in to clear it so maybe the residue of that had done the damage, though it was supposed to be o.k. with livestock.

[Janet Swan]

. Our fish are very happy in our barrel so if you left it until the spring to be on the safe side the water should be fine for them by then. .

I really don't know much about fish in garden ponds/barrels, but my instinct is to agree with Jane, Adrian. I believe fish are not fed during Winter as they go to the bottom and sort of semi-hibernate (please someone correct me if I am totally wrong here!). So, by introducing fish in the Spring, they would have several months of you feeding them to prepare for the Winter. Meanwhile I'm sure plenty of wildlife will find your pond and that will be great to watch.

Janet

[gloria townsin]

they definitely don't seem to want to be fed in the Winter, so you need to feed them up towards Autumn having fed them through the summer. Maybe in a new environment you could try giving a little feed as there won't be the accumulation of food stuff yet.

[tricia2ws]

Used to feed them a little during the winter, but they don't want much, ours was a huge pond though, which was quite deep in places, not sure about barrels, although my brother did have one with fish in it, they seemed fine, maybe it depends on what was in them. A really lovely plant we had by the pond was a Marsh Marrigold, they are really pretty, always gave a good flowering. x tricia

[jane jackson]

I don't think our barrel leaked but it was kept full of water at the garden centre where they were stored outside so it didn't have the chance to dry out. If yours was dry when you bought it then it will sort itself out as the wood swells again. We feed our fish through the winter although not as much as in the summer. I think unlike a pond, the barrell might not provide them with enough food and they can't get down too far again unlike a pond which would be much deeper. Do try to get the water snails though. Adrian if you're coming to PZ in October you could call in and we should have some snail eggs still around by then, they're like a tube of clear jelly which would travel fine in a plastic box with some water in.

[jane jackson]

Adrian, I've put 2 photos in my album of the half barrel. Re the above post re snails, we may even have some baby snails by October!

[adesmith]

Thanks Jane, that would be great! We would love some snails. The barrel is leaking less now but there is a yucky film on the water. It said on the internet that that might happen because of the drink that was in the barrel. I did put some fresh water in this evening. We bought some plant baskets and I have repotted the plants. I spent quite a long time trying to get them to the right depth - dont know how successful I have been! The fountain was trickling away all day in the sunshine. I will have a look at your photos now. When I get chance, I will post some of mine.

[gloria townsin]

The front garden pond at Bryher is covered with thick green/slimy weed, it's so murky it looks like a witches cauldron!!

[jane jackson]

Aren't you supposed to put hay into it or something like that? I don't suppose you just chuck hay in, perhaps it's a piece like a wisp Gloria? (For the non horsey of you a wisp is made by plaiting hay together in a sort of figure 8 and you use it when grooming horses by banging it on their body on the muscle areas, not on the more delicate parts. This is supposed to promote good circulation)

You can also get a liquid which may of course be a chemical that clears the water or perhpas you just have to remove it by hand if/when you have some spare time. The ponds at Trengwainton could do with a good clean up, I don't think there're any fish in them.

[Kath Mulligan]

I think I remember reading somewhere about barley straw for clearing ponds of slimy weed, but I may be completely wrong on that!

Glad you managed to make it back to Bryher after all, Gloria. I know you weren't sure about going and leaving Matt at home while his back is so bad. Is he still at home or has he made the trip with you after all?

Kath

[Mary Young]

Gloria it is barley straw and if you have a nursery near you with an aquatic centre you can buy it in compressed pellet form. We have some. It is called Algae Stopperz Barley straw pellets, Clears and controls Algae (green water) Blanket weed, Thread weed and Duck weed. ( Last sentance copied from box)

[adesmith]

I have heard of the straw thingy as well. Our pond is still looking a bit murky but I think it is silt coming out of the plants. Hopefully it will settle. Havent taken any pictures yet because I wanted to do it when the fountain was working and by the time we got home today it was getting a bit cloudy and the fountain had stopped. Will try again tomorrow.

[adesmith]

I popped out in the sunshine this morning and have taken some pictures. Hopefully they should now be uploaded successfully!

[gloria townsin]

I'll look out for the algae control pellets. I have seen something resembling a plait of straw advertised in an aquatic magazine as well. Oh the days of the wisp.......good way to warm up on a cold day.

At one point Eddie was coming down on his own, but when I asked Matt to stay at Croxley he said he wanted to be in his flat so that if he has a bad night he can get up and wander around, make tea etc.....like he can't do that when he's with us........er hmmmm........anyway he was determined to go back so I thought well what's the point in my sitting in the bungalow in Croxley while he's in his flat 5 minutes away. Plus he wanted me to come down, so I thought it through and decided that if he goes on to need more treatment, which seems highly likely, I will be needed in Herts and won't be free to come to Bryher. So all in all it seemed better I should come down now and see what the next few weeks bring. He just couldn't sit in the car for 5 hours so that was it really as far as his trip down was concerned. I thought a change of air and scenery, even if he couldn't do any walking, would be good for him, but there it is.
Trystan travelled really well, not a peep all the way. We stopped on the M5 services, it was very hot and Eddie found a shady parking space, he didn't eat much of his lunch but had a little leg stretch, in fact was quite good on a lead. I use one of my show leads on him as I can't find a small enough collar. Bought one for him and altered it to the smallest setting but it is still way too big. He loves the garden here, so much room to zoom round for him and now he is fully vaccinated he can go out with us which is great. He had a little grizzle on the first night and an even shorter one last night, so Bryher seems to have captivated him........the girls love it here too, they have always treated the change from one to the other as 'o.k. now we're here!' I suppose they have the continuity of Eddie and myself plus their bedding and toys come with us, bit like taking a couple of two year olds on holiday, they have so much stuff to pack each time. I bring all my meds that I have accumulated over the years of animals, antibiotics, ear and eye drops etc. so it there's a problem I would ring Jackie and say which one should I give them.........of course for anything else I would go to the local vet. Funnily enough the vets in Helston 'Head and Head' have a vet called Tony Ross, my vet's name is Jackie Ross. I thought that quite a coincidence. There is also another vet Rosemullion but I think Jane who lived here uses H&H.
Eddie painting the outside of the bungalow at present and we are deciding what colour to paint the garage doors.
Thanks for the pond advice, we do hoik the weed out now and then but it comes back two-fold.
Hoping to get a copy of last week's Cornishman when we go out today..........non in the village.

[adesmith]

You wont believe what I did! Please dont anyone tell me off about the environment or delicate eco systems and balancing them in the pond water.

In the middle of the week the pond had gone grey, slimey and smelly again (as reported on another thread) so we emptied it and then refilled it with fresh water. Within a day or two it had gone murkey and really horrible again - worse! It wasnt green, I could live with that, it was just this horrible milky grey and there was a film on top. I looked on the Internet and it said it could be a alae bloom or something (because of the film) and said to add some Potassium Permangenate (sp?). Dont know where to get that so I had a brainwave/funny five minutes and decided to bleach it! I took all the plants out and scrubbed the barrel. It was slimey and there was a funny black stuff coming off the sides. I think it might be due to what had been in the barrel. Anyway I just filled it up with water and bleach, scrubbed it some more and soaked it a while. Anyway, I emptied it, rinsed it and soaked it several times, refilled it and put the plants in. It was certainly much better and cleaner today. I am absolutely certain that pond experts wouldnt suggest it but I thought it was worth a try.

[jane jackson]

I wonder just what had been in your barrel Adrian as we didn't have a problem like that. Do hope you've sorted it now, just as well you didn't have anything live in it apart from the plants ~ good luck!

[Kath Mulligan]

That sounds pretty revolting Adrian, hope your scrubbing with bleach has done the trick but if not, I think you might be able to get potassium permanganate crystals from the chemist.

Kath

[gloria townsin]

You can get Potassium Permagnate from the chemist Adrian.......am wondering how it would help as it's something groomers and vets for that matter, put on bleeding nails of dogs and I suppose cats. i.e. if you cut the nails too near the quick they bleed and Pot.Mag. stops it. Will have to take a look and see what other properties it has. Interesting............

[adesmith]

I think I may be needing that Potassium Permangenate after all. I havent investigated properly but the film is back and its starting to look a bit grey coloured again! It may be a case of just changing the water but its not going to be fun in the winter!

Jane, I have no idea what was in it. The inside looks like it has been burned a bit, which I think they do for some whisky. Perhaps I should taste the water? Hope it settles soon as its starting to be a bit disappointing.

[jane jackson]

I'm sure it is Adrian, very frustrating too. I just don't know what to suggest except I shouldn't taste it if I were you after you've used the bleach ~ might not be too similar to your Jack Daniels!

[adesmith]

If I knew it was Jack Daniels, I could just throw in a few ice cubes and a bottle of coke and I would be well away!

I think it is probably just a case of being patient. The plants seem okay (apart from one that died) and hopefully by the spring it will have sorted itself out. I did read on the Internet that it can take months so I guess I shoulnt have expected it to be perfect straight away. Might do a bit more research. I think I already said that one website suggested water hyacinths and we have got one of those now. Just have to wait and see.

[gloria townsin]

I knew someone who had barrels for sale in his yard, where I kept ponies years ago. Many had been used for cherry brandy and they smelt strongly of it.......has the barrel stored olives I wonder, if it was spirit I'm sure you would be able to smell it.

[adesmith]

With Jane's snails now resident in our back garden, I thought it time to update on the pond situation. Basically it is yucky! Still cloudy, grey and slimey. It is also smelly. When we got back from Cornwall yesterday I took out the plants and put them in a separate tub with water and the snails and emptied the pond. I then refilled it but kept all of the plants etc out of it. Anyway I also had an email from BBC Gardners World asking me to join a forum (I think its a trial) which out of interest I decided to do. I also decided to take the opportunity to mention the pond problem. Had loads of replies, most saying that I had tried everything and that they were at a loss with what to suggest. One chap said that it is probably bacterial (possibly caused by metal?) and he asked if it smells of eggs - which it does. He thought that it is likely to be caused by what had been in the barrel previously. I decided to visit World of Water today and either see if they have a chemical solution or buy some liner. One of the posts on the forum had said ask for advice which I did but they were hopeless. Just said keep changing the water and it will go away!!! So I bought some liner and I am going to give that a go. Interestingly the water in the barrel is already looking a bit murky but the water in the tub with the plants looks fine.

[jane jackson]

You've got a real mystery there Adrian but it must be to do with what was in the barrel originally. Could you take it back to where you got it from perhaps or at least query it with them? Glad the snails are settling in ok.

[adesmith]

Just took a drive out to the Chepstow Garden Centre which has Tsunami Aquatics attached and Rachel persuaded me to ask for advice there (I was a bit reluctant having been dismissed by the chap at World of Water in Cardiff) and they were so helpful! He said it is to do with the whisky, brandy or port that was in the barrel seeping out and the best thing to do is line it. He said that they problem wont go away (goes against what they advised at the other shop). He actually told us to put the decholrinater back and save our money as there was no need to worry about chlorine unless we were putting fish in! Really impressed with their friendly and helpful advice and I think they are going to be our pond shop of choice from now on.

Rachel is going to help me line the barrel when she gets home from Sainsburys and then we will take it from there. Fingers crossed!

[Kath Mulligan]

How nice it is to hear about decent customer service, good for that man. Hope lining the pond solves your problem, Adrian.

Kath

[jane jackson]

Good luck with the lining Adrian, that should work, I can't see any reason why it wouldn't. You'll get it sorted. How nice to have such a helpful man advising you.

[adesmith]

He seemed fairly convinced that that was the problem and that the liner would sort it out. Rachel helped me do it and she pleated it, tucked it in and stapled the top (its her curtain making skills) and it looks great. The snails are in and I put them next to some weed and before long they were having a munch on it. they seem quite happy after their trip from Cornwall. Thank you again, Jane.

The chap in Tsunami's (unfortunate name but I think it predates the Boxing day Tsunami, when we all found out how terrible and destructive a tsunami is) advice took a few minutes of his time and now he has a very impressed and happy customer. Its not as convenient for me as the Cardiff one but to be honest I would rather go the extra distance for good service and help. The added bonus is that there is a farm shop on the little complex of shops and it sells the most delicious hot sausage rolls. When we go on a Saturday we often buy some and stop off in Wentwood Forest for a picnic on the way home. This we did today and the trees were breathtaking with all of their colour.

[adesmith]

Going on for a week after we lined it and the pond is still crystal clear! Went out and checked it before I went to work this morning (its dark when I get home!) and its looking great. So the man from Tsunami was right and it does seem to have been whatever was in the barrel. I would love to know what it was! I spotted one of the snails and he/she seemed very happy :yes4:

So we may be getting one or two fish in the spring.

[jane jackson]

That's great Adrian, you can get on and enjoy it now. I'm glad the snails are happy in their new home. Rupert will enjoy having some fish to watch in the Spring.