Backyard Ponderings

Natural Algae Control

algae

Every pond owner has faced the dreaded algae bloom at one time or another while caring for his or her pond. There are several types of algae, the most common being Planktonic (green water) algae, filamentous algae and string or hair algae. Keep in mind that not all algae are bad, and some algae in your pond actually is beneficial, not only for the health of your pond,

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Nature Lover’s Bucket List

Have you ever created a bucket list? A list of things you want to accomplish, places to see, people to meet, foods to taste, before you…well you get the idea. Being a gardening fan, I have a nature lover’s bucket list of gardens and parks that I hope to one-day visit. Places that give natural inspiration to create something beautiful.

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Gardening with Kids

It seems kids today are spending more time inside on computers and playing video games, instead of playing outside in nature. It is increasingly difficult to get them outside especially during the school year. What if you had a project that would get them outside, allow you to spend time together as a family and teach them about wildlife and

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Koi Varieties part III

koi pond

Choosing only three Koi varieties for the last in our series on Koi proved to be a bit difficult. After all, there are hundreds to choose from. Here are three classes that include many sub varieties. Koromo Koromo, which means “robed” in Japanese, is a group of fish that originated in the early 1950s from a cross breeding of male

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Koi Varieties part II

Utsuri

In the last blog post we discussed the most popular and readily available “big three” Koi varieties the Kohaku, Sanke and Showa. This time I would like to introduce you to three of my favorite varieties, The Shiro Utsuri, Shusui and Doitsu. Each of these Koi varieties has characteristics that are quite different from each other which make them stand

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Building Bridges with Schools & Community

Lakeview Water Feature

Check out our latest school project! Building Bridges With Schools and Community The project was created through a national grant from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. Sarasota was selected to be one of 7 cities nationwide to participate in MetLife’s grant. We are honored to be working through the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center along side

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The Big Three Koi Varieties

feeding frenzy

There is nothing more peaceful than watching beautiful Koi, the living jewels of the pond, gracefully swimming through the water. It is hard to believe that the Koi of today all started hundreds of years ago in Japan from the common black carp (Cyprinus carpio). Through years of breeding, there are now hundreds of classes, varieties & sub-varieties of Koi.

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Sarasota Pet Rescue Me Pages

rescue me

You may or may not know that I am a contributing writer for the best local pet publication, Sarasota Pet Magazine. Candice Botha, the owner of Sarasota Pet is very involved with the rescue communities and is always coming up with great ideas to help raise funds for our local rescues.  You can help a local rescue group like our

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Fall / Winter Pond Checklist

leaves on pebbles

Our fall pond checklist includes some helpful tips to get your pond and Koi ready for cooler weather. Switch from a high protein food to a lower protein food & feed less often.  Add additional submerged plants to give the fish a place to graze naturally. Add some cool weather plants to replace the more cold sensitive plants. Keep your

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