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Robyn's Pond Blog for October 2019

Last Updated: 11/4/19

1. I did pond work starting a little after 10 am on 10/6/19. Thermometers in the 1800 and 153 gallon ponds both read 63 degrees F. I had to use a dip net to net out most of the leaves over the big pond before I could whip the pond net up and down so I could access the majority of the leaves for removal. I took out an entire wheelbarrow full of leaves off of both ponds. It is still warm so there were frogs hopping all over. I squirted out the bioballs and tried to wrangle two little green frogs bouncing around in there.

2. It was a crisp 55 degrees F at 10:30 am on 10/13/19, perfect (for me) to do pond chores. The 1800 gallon pond was at 60 degrees F, and the 153 gallon pond was at 59 degrees F. I squirted off all the filter materials, topped off the ponds, put in additives, and collected leaves. There were a lot of green frogs out. I collected the last of the yard doohickeys to be cleaned and brought indoors for the winter.

3. It was miserable on 10/20/19 with constant rain all day but I shouldn't complain since we hadn't had rain in two months, and there was a severe drought. The earth was finally damp, and I could dig up the gladiola bulbs to store for winter. My family came over unannounced so I had to push back the pond work to start at 4:05 pm. I worked until the sun set and then turned on the outside lights. The air temperature was 55 degrees F with a steady light rain. I wore long johns under my clothes but otherwise got soaked. I can't wear a regular coat or rain coat while working because it impedes my movements, and they would get covered in mud and pond slop like the rest of me. I had on a baseball cap to keep water off my eyeglasses so I could see. The 1800 gallon pond and 153 gallon pond were both at 56 degrees F.

I pulled the tropical marginals from the pond to bring inside (see below). I dismantled the Biosteps filter for the winter and put the parts on the back porch to dry. I changed the PondMaster filters. I changed the filter floss around the main pump. I squirted the filter floss around the auxiliary pump (it has a few more weeks before I bring it in). I removed leaves from the nets. I put in additives. I changed the Ammocarb and oyster shell in the biofilter for the big pond. I certainly did NOT need to add water to any of the ponds. We got an inch of rain.

I set up the 20 gallon basement tub pond. I put in two two gallon pots, one with a healthy bluebell plant and one with standard papyrus. When I pulled it from the pond, all the stalks bent so I cut them all down (they would rot anyway). I will see it it regrows. I bought both of these tropicals in 2019 and have no other tropical marginals left.

4. Sunday, 10/27/19 was due to be another rainy day in the morning, and I was going to my niece's ballet recital in the afternoon. Soon, I moved my freshwater aquariums cleanings from Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning so I could go out and do pond work from about 5 pm to 6:30 pm (after dark) on Saturday, 10/26/19. The air was at 60 degrees F. The 1800 gallon pond's thermometer read 60 degrees F while that in the 153 gallon pond was 59 degrees F. I squirted off all the filter materials, put in additives, and added some water to the smaller ponds. I spent time trying to hand collect and rake leaves all over. I put the stepping stones up on the back porch to deal with later. I only have eight left, and they're not in great shape. Mom loved to buy me stepping stones but she's gone, and there's nobody buying me anything, especially just for the joy it brings.

5. My 43-year-old chimney was demolished on 10/28/19 to be rebuilt. It was crumbling. The mason freaked out because he said there were frogs in the dummy flue. I told him they were gray treefrogs and to send them down, and I was right. I walked them to the back of the property and tried to stick one on a tree but he fell off so I put them at the base of the tree.


Continue to the November 2019 pond blog.



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