Eric Wood gave an informative talk about the leading edge of water garden equipment at the TAWGS March 21 meeting.
New items that he talked about were:

• Pondbuilder Corner Falls, which fits snuggly into any corner and the Pondbuilder 20" mini cascade falls
• Oasis series pump vault and fastfalls
• Eco-Rise water feature riser. The extremely strong radial structure handles the weight of heavier statuary, vases and columns.
• Pondbuilder fountain basins with easy pump access
• Artificial rock bubbling features which are less expensive than real rock. Available from Kip Walker, Jackson Greenhouse, Serentity Water Gardens (formerly Hericks)
• Atlantic colorfalls
• Electronic clarifier & algae control system called IonMate, which will safely and effectively eliminate algae, resulting in less maintenance and provide crystal clear water.
• Replacement LED lamps for landscape fixtures.

Eric said that most of these items can be found on their website: completeaquatics.com. He did warn members though, that the prices of pond equipment have jumped dramatically. Most raised about 25%.

Alice Brooks from the Shawnee Country Extension Service gave a very informative talk on rain barrels at the TAWGS August meeting. Alice is the County Master Gardener Coordinator and is a Master Gardener.

"It is estimated that 40% of water used in a household in the summer is for lawns or ponds," Alice said. She said her rain barrel goes into a big concrete pond that was built 30 years ago. The overflow goes into a flower bed.

"You don't need a 55 gallon barrel to have a rain barrel," Alice said. There are all kinds of ways to save water. A trash can, whiskey barrel, urn or any another vessel that will hold water and can have a spout attached to it can be used as a rain barrel. You don't have to hide it because it can be made to look attractive. Some people paint their barrel or put a flower pot on the top of it. A bamboo screen or lattice work could be used to conceal the barrel.

Everything is pretty much dormant in the pond right now. There are, however, a few cautions to observe even here: Fish cannot go very long without oxygen. A vent hole must be kept in the ice on top of the pond either with a pump or a pond de-icer. If there are a lot of decomposing leaves in the pond the oxygen situation can get especially precipitous in the later weeks of the winter.

Look for a product to help with that situation: one that immediately makes more oxygen available to the fish and also for the beneficial bacteria to help their reduced numbers deal with the decomposing matter in the pond.

How many times do pond owners need to hear about fall and winter maintenance? Just about every fall and winter. Deb Spencer, co-owner of Waters Edge in Lawrence, spoke at the October TAWGS meeting about things we need to do to get our ponds ready for the cool months ahead.

These tasks include:

• Not fertilizing our plants after August
• Trimming plants back and dividing plants
• Vacuum bottom muck or use fine fish net
• Testing KH of pond water (should be 140-220 ppm)
• Check fish for signs of disease
• Switch to high carbo/low protein foods
• Stop feeding at 45 - 50 degrees
• Add/adjust salt to 0.1 ppm (this should not have to be done in a planted pond)
• Clean pond or do water changes
• Bring in vertical tropicals before first frost
• Net for leaves (1/2" to 3/8" mesh recommended)
• Best cleaning time is after leaf fall
• Shut down/clean bio filters
• Turn off waterfalls, streams and fountains
• Install bubblers/de-icers. If bubblers are installed the top of the bubbler should be about 2 inches below the surface.
Two major points that Deb stressed were: stop feeding fish when water temperature reaches 50 degrees and dirty ponds cause fish death and water quality problems.

A new concept in winter pond aeration is a submersible air pump that can be used in place of water heaters and bubblers. The pump - similar to those used in aquariums - uses only 5 watts of electricity and will keep a hole in the ice throughout the winter when the discharge is placed no more than three feet below the water surface. Deb tested the unit last winter and was very pleased with the result. Water's Edge will have them in stock in early November.