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Water Garden Society of Oklahoma Newsletter: Pond Life May 2014 Volume 28 Issue 5

TTHEHE PPRESIDENTRESIDENT ’’SS MMESSAGEESSAGE

President’s Message .............. 1 Meeting Information ................ 1 Sick Fish? ................................. 2 Club News ................................. 2 New Members / Renewals ....... 2 Fun Facts Trivia ......................... 2 Board Meeting Info ................... 2 Ad Rates .................................... 2 Event Calendar ......................... 3 WGSO Board Contact List ......... 3 Start a Garden on a Budget ...... 3 Rockin’ Window Boxes ....... 4 & 5 Tips & Tricks ........................ 6 & 7 Biological Filter System ............. 8 How to Create a Bog Filter ........ 9 Plant Sale Info ......................... 10 Upcoming Events Details ........ 11 Benefits of Planting Mustard .. 12 Birthdays ................................. 12 Club Contact Info .................... 12

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Finally, Spring is really here. We can now get out in our yards without worry of freezing weather. I’m sure most of you have already finished opening your ponds for the sum-mer. For those who haven’t started to feed your fish it is time to do so. It has been a long time since fall, they are really hungry. We have had four successful meet and greets at Pond Pro so far this year. WGSO has had several households join our club as a result. So WELCOME NEW MEMBERS! At the April meeting the membership voted on the cover photo for this year’s Tour Guide and a winner was chosen. Congratulations go to Jay and Trayce Jones from Yukon. The Spring Fling will be this Sunday at Doug and Connie Kaye’s home in Edmond. As all of you know it was postponed Friday by email due to the weather forecast for last Sunday. A decision like this is difficult to make. It we get to much rain it can turn our member’s yard to muck or if an area turns muddy someone may slip and fall. We don’t want that. Then if we don’t cancel it early enough we have those who have already prepared their food that un-fortunately could go to waste. These decisions are not taken lightly. But, even with the can-celation I am excited for this year’s Spring Fling as we have new demonstrations planned for possible workshops. Surely Mother Nature can’t be grumpy two weeks in a row. Don’t forget The Garden Festival in the Park at Will Rogers park Saturday, May 31. WGSO will have a booth there spreading the word about our public pond tour. There are numer-ous venders and if you are thinking of going do it early as they close late afternoon. Our May meeting is our plant sale and silent auction. Gary Guild does such a great job or-ganizing it every year he has it planned from start to finish. Don’t forget to dig up you extra flowers and plants in and out of your pond. Put them in a bag or container that doesn’t leak so that we will not have a mess when we start cleaning up. Or if you have something in your yard that isn’t quite your taste but is gently used bring it for the silent auction. There will be somebody there that will Love it! This is our fundraiser for the year so please grab your plants and come to our meeting. If you have not been to our annual plant sale be sure to make an effort to do so. See you at the Spring Fling and the May meeting! Diane Clark WGSO President

N e x t M e e t i n g 2nd Wednesday of the Month

May 14, 2014 Donations Due at 6:30 pm

Will Rogers Exhibition Center 3400 N.W. 36th Street

Oklahoma City, OK

It’s Time For the Annual

This is a WGSO Members ONLY Event. If you aren’t a WGSO member,

you can join at the door.

Details on 0

WGSO

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WGSO AD RATES If you would like to place an ad in the Pond Life, the rates are as follows:

Business Card $10.00 1/4 Page $25.00 1/2 Page $75.00 Full Page $100.00

Ads are to be CAMERA READY PREPAID in advance. Send payment to the WGSO Treasurer, Jim Maida, 10612 Turnberry Ln, OKC, OK 73170.

Send ad to the newsletter editor, Paullei Mumme at [email protected].

Ad must be in editor’s possession no later than the 20th of the month preceding publication.

EX: August issue must be received by July 20th.

Tuesday, May 6 @ 6:30 pm

RSVP Required to Diane Clark [email protected] 947-6999

Terry & Connie Fisher 816 Victoria Dr.

Yukon, OK 73099 350-3378

NEW MEMBERS:NEW MEMBERS: Herb & Jeannie Abts

Maxine Adams Mike & Ruth Ann Elliott

Sam & Marilee Estes Dallas Lunski & Keith Tilley

Robert & Sandalee Moynihan Vergil & Sonya Roper

Kurt & Gail Straughn Jeff & Donna Strother Leo & Mary Trujillo

RENEWALS:RENEWALS: Don & Connie Bishop

Dick & Sandi Caldwell Larry & Barbara Leaf

Alex Philbrick

As of the 20th of the month:

WW ELCOMEELCOME WGSO MWGSO M EMBERSEMBERS

Open to all WGSO members - RSVP Required - Bring a Dish.

If you paid your 2014 Membership Dues last month and DON’T see your name, contact Patty Smith - [email protected].

Tickets are $1 @ Meetings & Club Events.

$ 1 3 1 . 0 0

As of 4/9/14

Did you know that until just a few years ago when Jim Conner was president of the Water Garden Society we had our first ever Night Tour by bus? The first year we met at the Will Rogers Park and left from there. The following year we decided to kick it up a notch and make it more fun by having a cookout before we

started our tour and the bus picked us up at that location.

But, in 2013 we changed it again and it became a caravan. It was our first year to do this and afterwards the membership was asked to vote on how they wanted to do the night tour in the future it was nearly all for the caravan. So that it how the cookout and caravan got started.

A Message From A WGSO Member:

What I Did When I Had Fish Dying

I would like to share with the club about a fish incident we experienced last weekend. After eight years of having a pond without fish health issues, we all of a sudden had sick fish.

Our fish were dying and floating on their sides. Not knowing what to do, I called around to some of the pond contractors and was giving some bad information. I was told to soak them in salt water for 1 1/2 hours, which I later learned was WRONG!

I finally remembered, we had Don Connelly from Crosstimber Koi speak at the WGSO January meeting and immediately called him in a panic. Don was great! He told me to send a photo of the sores on the fish and within 15 minutes of talking with Don and his staff, I had my answer - my fish were infected with Gill Fluke. The staff at Cross-timeber Koi told me to bring one of the dead fish in when I picked up medicine to confirm the diagnoses.

We went up to Crosstimber Koi with the dead fish and came back with medicated food in addition to the medicine for the pond. We were scheduled to go out of town, so we doctored the pond, feed the fish, and went on our trip.

When we got back from our trip the fish were doing great. So in my book the Oklahoma City fish doctor is Don Conley from Crosstimber Koi. I hope this helps you down the line if you get in trouble and your fish are sick. Connie Fisher

Crosstimber Koi 300 Wade Martin Dr. Edmond, OK 73034

340-9130 Crosstimber Koi is located on the south side of

Second St. in Edmond, between Bryant and Col-

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Board Meeting May 6 Members Only Plant Sale May 14 Meet & Greet May 31 Festival in the Park @ Will Rogers Gardens

Board Meeting June 3 General Meeting June 11 WGSO Public Pond Tour June 21-22

Board Meeting July 1 General Meeting July 9 Members Bus Tour July 12 Board Meeting August 5 General Meeting August 13 Summer Social August 16

2 0 1 4 W G S O B O A R D 2 0 1 4 W G S O B O A R D EXECUTIVE OFFICER*/ COMMITTEE CHAIRS NAME CELL OTHER E-MAIL

*President Diane Clark 802-6200 947-6999 [email protected]

*Vice-President Tonah Tharp 973-4209 340-6495 [email protected]

*Secretary Teresa Asbury 659-2595 755-8090 [email protected]

*Treasurer Jim Maida 691-7630 [email protected]

*Historian Dennis Wagner 550-8923 265-3996 [email protected]

*Past President Jim Conner 317-6016 801-2891 [email protected]

Newsletter / Activities Paullei Mumme 642-4767 418-8708 [email protected]

Membership Patty Smith 717-9995 694-0886 [email protected]

Plant Sales/Tour Guide Sales Gary Guild 397-5758 390-8112 [email protected]

Programs Connie Fisher 350-3378 [email protected]

Refreshments Claribel Collier 396-8074 N/A

Refreshments Phil & Sarah Grissam 454-3571 [email protected]

Tour Guide Publication Tom Thompson 693-5098 [email protected]

Website Alex Philbrick 812-5876 [email protected]

Tour Guide Ad Sales/Members Tours Diane Clark 802-6200 947-6999 [email protected]

Entertainment (Summer Social & Christmas Party) Open

Librarian Alex Philbrick 812-5876 [email protected]

March 15

10:00 am Spring Start Up

March 29 10:00 am Pond Filtration

1. A friend of mine lives on a very busy corner. She needed landscaping done and called a new company that had left a flyer on her door. They offered organic landscaping services. She offered to let them put a sign in her yard in exchange for free service. They agreed and did her yard. Now they are getting more business than ever as a result of being able to use her yard as an example. This works especially well for companies that are first starting out and need referrals.

2. Drive by houses that are having construction or renovation done. I have found perfectly good rose bushes on the curb because the owner didn't want to care for plants that needed a lot of maintenance.

3. When I go to yard sales, I frequently see unusual plants in seller's yards. I will admire the plant and ask where they bought it, or ask if I can buy a root cutting, etc. Most people are so flattered at the compliment that they will give me the cutting rather than charge anything. I al-ways remember to carry a plastic bag and a few gardening tools in the car, so I don't have to inconvenience them while they are tending their yard sale.

4. For cheap landscaping, get to know someone in your area who has a beautifully landscaped yard and ask a lot of questions. Most people with mature gardens have tons of plants to give away free for the digging. My friend is starting up a cottage garden and I gave her about 25 plants that I dug up from my garden and I have more she can dig up when she is ready. She is saving a least $100 in plants. A mature garden needs to be thinned out sometimes.

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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HOW TO PLANT A ROCKIN' WINDOW BOX

The more window boxes you have, the simpler the design should be. Window boxes are great but they are, as Tim Gunn would say, "a lot of look." if there are too many colors or textures going on, your house is going to look like the little shop of horrors. Keep your plant choices to one, maybe two or three at an absolute maximum (and then only if they relate closely to each other, such as a light pink and a dark pink petunia) and then plant every box the same. I know it's hard to pick just a few plants when there are so many great ones around, but pick one or two this year then do something totally different next year. Just don't do it all at the same time.

The higher your window boxes are, the simpler, and "bigger" the look should be. Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost' is a great container plant, but its fine texture will be completely lost in a window box mounted 15 feet in the air. Better to stick with a big, bold petunia or geranium. Thriller, filler, spiller still applies ... sort of. As with any container planting, you want to mix things up (unless you are going for a very contemporary look, in which case a line of plants all the same height—grasses grown in almost a hedge look, for example—might look very cool). The tallest plant should be in the middle and things should gradually decrease in size from there. Be careful, though, to to keep scale in mind. A very long window box with Papyrus 'King Tut' planted in the middle would look very odd (and make opening

the windows very difficult.) Also, spillers should be consistent throughout the box. I saw some with spillers just on the ends and it looked quite strange. And as long as we're talking about spillers ...

Move away from the sweet potato vine. 'Marguerite' is a hungry girl. She will eat all the other plants in your container for lunch. Sure, she'll look great for a few weeks, but then she'll get greedy. What you'll end up with is a giant blob of lime green and nothing else. Judging from the photos I found, she seems to be even more aggressive in window boxes. A better alterna-tive is one of the new sweet potato vines that are supposed to be much more well-mannered, or Lysimachia Nummularia 'Aurea' (creepy jenny), which still offers that nice color. Repetition, repetition, repetition. (See how I repeated that?) Pick a few plants and repeat them in your design. Whereas a patio container will look

great with clumps of color, if you do that in a window box it will look off balance. Sym-metry is a great thing in window boxes. Keep the conditions in mind. You can push the limits on a lot of container plants. For instance, a lot of times you can put a plant that's really interested in part sun in a very sunny location in container as long as you are committed to watering a lot. You can also shade some plants in a container with other, taller, plants growing next to them. Or, you

can rotate a container to give a plant that would otherwise be shaded a bit more light from time to time. But window boxes don't move and they live in some pretty harsh condi-tions. Imagine how windy it can be on the top floor of house. Also, since they are against the side of the house, a northern exposure is going to get basically nothing in the way of light, whereas a container just a few feet from the house would at least get some light. My window box is going to be on the south side of the house. The south side of a very reflective white house. There is a very real possibility that I may fry all the plants to death. I plant to counteract this by using self-watering reservoirs in the box as well as making sure I pick tough plants that love sun. Do what you love. I feel that containers are maybe the most personal part of a gar-den. More care is spent picking the plants for a container than almost any other part of the garden. Each is placed purposefully in a container and because they need so much attention, they are the plants we are most likely to study every day. So if any of

all of those guidelines above don't fit with what you want to put in a window box, then ignore them! If it looks good to you, that's all that matters. Source: http://www.theimpatientgardener.com/2010/05/how-to-plant-rockin-window-box.html

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Enjoy a Pastel Color Theme: Like a soft rain, delicate blue lobelia flows over the side of this window box. Many types of lobelia have a tendency to fade out during the hottest summer days, so pair them with another heat-loving blooming trailer such as cascading petunia or million bells (also called calibrachoa) to keep your display looking good all season.

A. Geranium (Pelargonium 'Bullseye Light Pink') -- 2 B. Petunia 'Supertunia Bermuda Beach' -- 1 C. Lobelia 'Riviera Blue Eyes' -- 2

Go Bold with Foliage: You can't beat coleus for gorgeously colored foliage. This mix of super-saturated leafcolors will give you a great view out -- and give your home wonderful curb appeal -- all summer long. Tip: Coleus also grows well indoors; take cuttings of your favor-ite varieties before the end of the season and treat them like house-plants so you can enjoy them all year long.

A. Coleus (Solenostemon 'Stained Glassworks Copper') -- 1 B. Lantana 'Dallas Red' -- 1 C. Bear grass (Xerophyllum tenax) -- 2 D. Coleus (Solenostemon 'True Red') -- 1 E. Coleus (Solenostemon 'Stained Glassworks Big Blond') -- 1 F. Licorice vine (Helichrysum petiolare) -- 1

Maximize the Power of Pink: Alternate colors -- hot pink and pale pink, then more of the same -- for heightened visual interest in a long, narrow space.

A. Impatiens 'Accent Pink' -- 4 B. Impatiens 'Pink Swirl' -- 4 C. Dichondra 'Silver Falls' -- 6

Use White to Add Elegance: A single color -- here, white -- accented with variegated foliage is graceful and beautiful in a simple window box.

A. Geranium (Pelargonium 'Orbit White') -- 1 B. Ivy (Hedera helix 'Glacier') -- 4 C. Bacopa (Sutera 'Snowstorm') -- 3 D. Impatiens 'Xtreme White' -- 2

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Slugs will eat cornmeal, even though it kills them. Put cornmeal in a jar turned

on its side near the affected plants.

An OLLA is an unglazed clay pot fired at a low temperature. This allows the pot to remain porous. The OLLA is buried in the ground with neck exposed and periodically filled with water. The water seeps into the soil at a rate that provides adjacent plants with a constant water source at the roots.

The olla method is an ancient technique of low tech, low cost irrigation used in vari-

ous environments around the world. Clay pot or OLLA irrigation has been the subject of university research documenting the highly efficient use of water and increased plant yields.

OLLAS can be utilized for vegetable, landscape, and container gardening. OLLAS are especially useful in arid climates but can be used any time a steady and efficient water source is needed. Once in place, the OLLAS will typically require refilling a couple times per week depending on soil and weather. Using OLLAS, leaves the soil surface dry resulting in fewer weeds and no soil compaction, a significant drawback of surface watering.

Check out how to make your own OLLAS out of terra cotta pots at

www.closertothedirt.com/experimenting-with-ollas/

To get rid of ants, put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it or take it home to the others. They can’t digest it so it

kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don’t have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

Natural Pest Control

Measure the right amount of water

Set a cake pan halfway between your sprinkler and the edge of the spray pattern. Watch your clock to see how long it takes the sprinkler to fill the pan with 3/8 in. of water. Water for that amount of time three times a week, unless it rains.

Time how long it takes to fill 3/8”

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Add succulents to some planters and place them on your patio. Or shop for just one beautiful urn to use. This is a way of adding plants to your patio with interesting textures and colors. Also...VERY low maintenance...drought tolerant

ALWAYS CUSHION THE EPDM:

After you trim the liner, lay the cutoff scraps over areas where you'll place large stones.

That shields the liner from direct contact with the heavy, abrasive stones.

I keep scraps of ribbon and twine in the gardening shed. When I notice a bloom that is particularly fabulous, I mark it with a ribbon.

This will be the one I use for seed saving when the time is right. I chose this white tulle gift bag for the sake of the photo, but I would normally select something much more subtle.

Without the ribbons, by the time plants have gone to seed, it would be nearly impossible to recall which blos-soms were the total show stoppers.

www.empressofdirt.net

APRIL RECAP In April, Joe Adams from the Pond Butler was our guest speaker. He spoke about different ways for filtration in our ponds. Joe informed us that now people are adding bogs to their fish ponds for filters and they are quite easy to add to your existing pond.

What a great way to have your plants and your fish not to be able to mess them up. He reminded us not to overcrowd our fish and what the out-come may be and so many of us have found ourselves in that spot.

He talked on fish health and gave us different tips on things to do to make it easier for all of us. He also spoke on different types of algae and different ways to take care of both.

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THE WORLD'S GREATEST POND BIOLOGICAL FILTRATION SYSTEM

Okay, this one will be hard to believe. I’ll get all kinds of arguments from bio falls & bead filter manufacturers, and most folks won’t believe the science unless they try it themselves. So I’ll challenge you. Don’t ever believe the science!,… whatever the topic, use it as a starting point. Read until you’re impressed, and then test it for yourself. That’s my science, and it fits the definition!

I’ve been in this business longer than most and I’ve spoken in length to TOP Phd’s in the industry. I’ve listened to scientific data of all sorts, attended seminar after seminar, and after 25 years I’ve learned this: You can give me an encyclopedia of scientific data. If I try it in 5 ponds and don’t get the desired results,… guess what?... I’m not a Ph.D., but I’m smart enough to move on to something else, and I’m also smart enough to not make FALSE promises to my customers by telling them your product is going to magically get rid of their string algae.

I probably just lost 30% of the readers, the bead filter and Bio falls manufacturers. The rest of you should read on. This is free information after all. The heading above the photo is true. You can not beat God. You just can’t. Man has been trying for centuries. It doesn’t work.

The Science Behind a Mechanical Bio Filtration System: I’m giving you the cliff notes here. I’m assuming most folks are familiar w/ the nitrogen cycle, and the need for biological filtration. If not, there are volumes of info. on the web regarding this subject.

In short, for a biological filter to work properly, we need a few elements working together: Water,… moving through media, and oxygen. In a mechanical bio filter, the media comes in all shapes and sizes, from beads, to lava rock, to mats etc. The goal in using such media is to create as much surface area as possible for the moving water to contact, thereby providing the perfect breeding ground for as much beneficial bacteria as possible. The bacteria then reproduce and convert toxic ammonia and nitrites to harmless nitrates. This is all good science by the way.

The Science Behind a Natural Plant or Veggie Bio Filtration System: It’s the same science! Only it gets better on so many fronts. I just mentioned the above goal of creating as much surface area as possible, the more surface area,,… the more beneficial bacteria. Well, take another look at that water hyacinth. Do you see all those little tiny fibrous roots, thousands of them on just one plant? Did a spark just go off? Did you get any ideas of what could happen here with this little weed? It’s virtually impossible to duplicate the surface area of a fibrous root system with man made material. But, it doesn’t stop there.

What can plants do that beads can’t do?... GROW! What does that mean to us water garden folks? Allot! You see, certain plants don’t need a soil medium and can grow hydroponically. Therefore we can float them in a small retention pool above the pond, or in an existing bio falls box. We pump our pond water up into the bottom of that pool, it flows through the roots of our plants (beneficial bacteria heaven), and back to our pond as oxygen rich (aerated from moving through rocks and falling into pond), and biologically filtered.

Let’s get back to the GROW factor. These plants need three basic elements to grow: water, sunlight, and a food source. Guess what?... You know the whole biological thing we’re doing, creating a system for beneficial bacteria so we can manipulate the ammonia and nitrogen cycle?... Well the nitrogen part of that cycle is………………FOOD!........................ Not only does that lovely mesh of roots create the best breeding ground for bacteria, that mesh of roots is literally pulling nutrients out of the water, and using the nutrients for its own development! A mechanical filter cannot do that! So we are getting more shebang here.

What About Algae? What does algae need in order to grow? Algae is a plant right? (Did I just cuss?). What do plants need to grow? The same food source of nutrients that our floaters are removing from the water is the same source that our unwanted algae would need to thrive. So the more nutrients we can remove, the less algae we should have!

We aren’t finished yet!... As the water enters the veggie filter, solids settle out and collect on the exposed roots of the plants, thereby removing sediment from the pond. Can it get any better? Sure. The roots become home to invertebrates and good algae, which provide a critical link in our ecosystem. What else? How about the cost factor? Do I need to go there? And I don’t know about you but I’d much rather look at beautiful floating plants instead of the plastic bio falls lid or a beastly bead filter.

What are the Negative Issues Regarding a Plant (Veggie) Filter? Water Hyacinths are tropical plants, so they don’t work in the winter time. I would argue that you don’t need additional biological filtration in the winter anyway, and that most bacteria won’t survive the temperatures. That’s another article in itself. In fact, most folks winterize their bead filters and such, and therefore have no additional bio filtration during those months. I’ll be writing another article explaining how to simply create a plant “veggie” bio filter, and I’ll also discuss a plant that can work in the winter months as well. By the way, we’re not just simply talking about placing hyacinths in the pond randomly. That will have benefits of course, but not on the scale we’re discussing here. You have to create a bio filter area that will allow all the pond water to move through the roots.

So..., we want to discard the hyacinths in the winter. Why?... because all the nutrients those hyacinths removed from our water are still in the plant itself. If we let them die in there those nutrients will get released back into our ecosystem, … and that’s BAD! So we throw them away. No big deal because you don’t need to buy many of these little tigers. Why..., because you can almost watch them grow and divide, especially in a bio filter application. Five plants become ten plants in very little time. So, we spent $5.00 to $25.00 for a beautiful low maintenance state of the art Bio Filter. Good Deal? You decide. Source: http://www.creativelanddesignmd.com/html/veggie_filter.html

Picture of the Perfect Biological Filter

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HOW TO CREATE A BOG FILTER Written by Cathy Green

In Nature bogs are low lying areas in the natural terrain where flora and fauna thrive in a moist environment. In addition to providing a habitat for moisture loving organisms a wetland also functions as a filter for Mother Nature. Using Mother Nature’s Model we can install filters in our ornamental water gardens that are highly effective and natural in appearance. The bog filter is actually a garden that functions as a filter!

Directions 1. Follow the usual directions for building a liner pond. The bog filter portion of the pond should be anywhere from 10-20% of the pond sur-

face. For example if you have a 10’ x 10’ pond equaling 100 sq. ft. the bog filter should take up 10 to 20 sq. ft. of space in that pond. If you plan to stock a lot of fish or Koi err on the larger size.

2. Using Cinder Block, Stone, Bricks or any other stable building material construct a dry wall to partition off the bog filter from the rest of the pond. We recommend using cinder block (painted black with exterior latex paint) and then “capping off” the blocks with a decorative stone of your choice.

3. Be sure to run a piece of pipe through the lower portion of the wall that will hook the pump to the pipe work in the bog filter. Put a PVC female adapter fitted with the appropriate sized hose barb fitting to receive the flex hose from your pump.

4. Install the pump on the opposite side of the pond from where the bog filter is located. This is to facilitate good circulation of water through-out the pond. Select a pump that will turn the volume of the pond over every 1-2 hours. (You can go with a higher flow rate if you wish.)

5. Next drill the distribution pipe. The outlet of the pump determines the size of the pipes. For example our 5500 gph AquaFlo pump has a 2” outlet therefore 2” pipe is used. The pipe is drilled with 1/4” holes spaced approximately 6” apart. The spacing is an approximate estimate, if there is a long run of pipe; space the holes further apart.

6. Cap the ends of the pipes. 7. Next lay the distribution pipe on top of the pond liner in the area partitioned off for the bog filter. Be sure to point the holes at a 45 degree

angle toward the bottom. Once you are satisfied with your piping layout, glue all parts together. Gravel bogs that are 2-3 feet in width can be fed by a single course of pipe. Wider areas require additional lines spaced 2-3’ apart. This layout is similar to setting up a septic drain field.

8. Shovel 3/8” pea gravel into the Bog Filter area but only fill halfway. The construction process is finished, now it’s time to plant your bog! Most gravel is not very clean, wash it as best you can in the wheel barrow but be aware it will muddy up the pond, not to worry it will clear up. After all, that’s what the filter is designed to do!

Planting the Bog Filter 1. Select your bog plants and arrange them in the bog area that is half filled with gravel. It’s best to plant the tall plants towards the back of

the filter, lower growing plants in front. Create interest by contrasting plants with different foliage colors or textures. 2. After you have arranged the plants to your satisfaction knock the pots off the plants and place the plant with the root ball intact with soil.

Do not remove the soil—there is not enough nutrition in a brand new bog to sustain the plants. (Trust us the soil will not wash into your pond.)

3. After the plants have been placed, gently shovel in the remaining gravel. Your goal is to place the plants at the appropriate level so that when the rest of the gravel is added the gravel level will be above the water level. In other words, no standing water in the gravel filter area.

4. Turn on your pump and your bog filter is now off and running with years of clear water enjoyment to come.

Common Mistakes

Not capping the ends of the PVC distribution pipe, if you don’t do this the water will simply shoot out the ends of the pipe and not through your carefully drilled 1/4” holes.

Washing soil off plant roots; if you do this you run the risk of killing your plants, not only will you damage the delicate roots but you will starve the plant as well.

SUGGESTED PLANTS

Arrowhead Arrowhead, Ruby Eye

Blue Carex Blue Rush Bog Lily

Canna Chinese Water Chestnut

Corkscrew Rush Creeping Jenny Horsetail, Dwarf

Papyrus, Dwarf Iris, Japanese Iris, Louisiana Iris, Siberian Lizard’s Tail

Melon Sword Ribbon Grass

Sensitive Plant Spider Lily

Spider Lily, Variegated

Star Grass Sweetflag, Dwarf Variegated

Taros, Assorted

Cattails, All Gold Rush Reed

Pennywort

Aquatic Mint Horsetail

Red Stemmed Thalia

Chameleon Plant Mediterranean Reed

Umbrella Palm

Water Celery, Variegated Parrot’s Feather

Iris, Yellow

PLANTS THAT ARE INVASIVE IN THE BOG (Think Twice Before Planting)

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14 MAY 2014

ONLY

14 MAY 2014

Extremes in temper-ature as well as lack of water or sunlight can often result in a color change for succulents. Succu-lents tend to “blush” or turn a different

color when given a shock, such as more sunlight than they are used to.

Generally when succulents are lacking in sunlight they will be dull or green. When fully blushing they range in color from pinks, oranges, and purples to dark blacks and reds.

Apple Cider Vinegar 1 capful to keep bird bath clean and reduce algae growth. Also

provides vitamins & minerals to birds!

Bring something to hold your purchases. Trash bags, boxes, or buckets work great.

Bring Trash Bags,

Boxes, or Buckets to

Hold Your Purchases!

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WWGSOGSO May May MeetMeet -- NN -- Greets Greets May 31 @ 9 am to 3pm - Festival in the Park

Will Rogers Garden Exhibition Center WGSO Presentation @ 11 am

Awesome Plant & Garden Deals from both Local and Regional Vendors

We need volunteers to work the table. Shifts are 9 am to Noon & Noon to 3 pm

Contact Paullei Mumme if you can help.

2014 Garden Council Sales and Show Dates

Oklahoma Iris Society Show and Sale: May 3 - 4 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Orchid Society Show and Sale: May 10 - 11 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Bonsai Show & Sale : June 7 - 8 Sat 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. & Sun Noon - 5 p.m.

3400 NW 36th St Oklahoma City, OK 73112

(405) 943-0827

Saturday, May 31 9 am to 3 pm

Plant and Garden Sale Children's Activities Gardening Seminars Garden Tours

The Will Rogers Gardens will transform into a gardener’s paradise during the Oklahoma City Council of Garden Club’s annual “Festival in the Park.” This annual celebration com-bines a plant and gardening materials sale with free horticul-ture seminars, floral design, and entertaining kids activities. Great for the entire family. WGSO presentation at 11:00 am.

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WGSO POND LIFE Paullei Mumme 645 E Frolich Dr Midwest City, OK 73110

Mailing Label

The 20th of each month is the deadline for articles/advertisements for next month’s issue of Pond Life. E-mail articles and advertisements to Paullei Mumme at [email protected].


www.wgso.org [email protected]

Connie Bishop Rita Chapman

John Clark Sarah Grissam,

Wilma McDaniel Leah Maida

Paullei Mumme Bernard Seegel

Kenneth Wainner Elynn Wagner

Kim West

The Benefits of Mustard in the Garden by Gertrud Franck

“The advantage of sowing mustard are that it disinfects and regenerates the soil, it stimulates the life of the soil and curbs nematodes, especially potato root eelworm, which is why it is so useful to sow the seed. It gives the feared nematodes very little chance in the garden. Its effect on all plant life, including the crucifers, is not negative but positive.”

Mustard is said to help suppress weed growth and providing a living mulch. That’s one reason I use it, I have had pretty good luck using it this spring/summer so far. I like to let mine grow to about six inches tall then I pull it and use as a mulch around the larger main crops like zucchini and potatoes.

Another benefit of mustard is that it’s easy to pull and doesn’t really self-sow much or become invasive (at least not the yellow variety I grow). Mustard will also winter kill in areas with cold winters, making it a perfect fall cover crop for a nicely prepared and mulched spring planting area.

I’d highly recommend looking into a few cover crops for your small garden. Not only will you increase the health of the soil, you’ll save money by growing your own mulches. You can find a cover crop that will suit just about any need you have, from weed suppression and soil building to disease mitigation. I’d highly

recommend starting with mustard, it’s a great initiation in to the cover crop world.

“Closer Is Better”

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