Mark

Can we talk about something personal?  You know…*whispering* I’d like to ask you about your pond muck.

Although it’s not the top discussion taking place at most parties these days, I still think it’s important to dig into this messy topic and figure out what to do about it.

Pond muck and sludge can be made up of many things but we can really narrow it down into two categories…organic and inorganic.  There’s not really much we can do about the inorganic stuff other than try to physically remove it or limit it’s build up in some way.

On the organic side of things though there’s a lot we can do.

But first let’s talk about the reality of owning a pond.  You may be in denial that you have a muck problem at all.  Don’t worry, it happens to all of us at some point…it’s kind of like aging.

Read more

Pond management can be a complex thing.

We try our best to keep it simple here at PAS but most everyone who has ever cared for a pond, and in particular one with problems, knows that it can be tricky business. Even overwhelming for a newbie pond owner.

But to do this management thing well, you have to put in the time to learn and get an idea of what you’re doing. There’s no need to be intimidated or worried about all of this…you simply have to make an effort to build your knowledge base over time.

I also think that while most people have a sense of what to do, what works, and what may not, others just simply can’t buy into certain things. Even if it seems like a common-sense thing.

Take pond bacteria for instance.

Most of you know by now that I’m really into natural solutions and the main one is beneficial bacteria. It can do some amazing things for ponds, but not everyone is as enthusiastic as I might be, and some folks are even more than skeptical. So they need a little validation. In other words if it ain’t coming from an authoritative source it’s just not believable. And I can understand (and sympathize) with that.

Read more

It was reported today on CNN that this year’s West Nile Virus outbreak is the largest ever recorded with over 1000 people being affected and 41 deaths.

In general I don’t share a lot of the main stream media news because often times it’s a bit slanted and bad news is usually hyped up for readers and ratings.  I don’t care to support that, but this particular article on CNN.com does actually note some useful information as it goes along.

We reported last week that the state of Texas  has begun aerial spraying in order to control the mosquito outbreak, and I’ve visited recently with a friend in the Dallas area who became concerned about his Koi when the spraying was conducted over his neighborhood.  For now all appears to be fine with the fish.

Hopefully some positive results will come from the spraying, but most research has shown that the best way to control mosquito outbreaks is at the larval stage or before…meaning you stop them from breeding or hinder their productive activity.

Read more

It’s been reported that Texas health officials have declared a state of emergency there due to a high rate of people becoming infected with West Nile Virus that was transmitted through mosquito bites. There were 16 deaths attributed to the illness.

Unfortunately the state’s first response is to do aerial spraying of insecticides which is the first time this has been done in 45 years. But what is one to do? On a public or community scale, widespread control is the only real choice at this point. And we hope it’s a short term application. But let’s not forget that this method may not control mosquitoes completely so you still need to consider personal protection.

In truth there’s a lot you can do to protect yourself.

Read more