It has been 18 years and 129 days since the city’s pledge to build the West Branch Library.
This month we celebrated the fifth year of our Koi pond. We left the shade screen over the top all winter and it didn’t seem to hurt. So we will leave it up until it deteriorates. So far we have used it for 2 years and it is holding up well.
I discovered that the Taro plant is an invasive as the Yerba Mansa. This week we removed the all of the Taro on the left side of the pond. We discover runners that had
burrowed under the pond’s rubber liner and removed it all. We are leaving a small patch of Taro on the right. If it starts to become too invasive and we can’t control it, we will remove it as well.
I also removed a large tub of Iris in the center of the pond. It didn’t bloom this year and its height impeded a comfortable view of the large waterfall and pond. Once again, I left a smaller patch of Iris that sits in a pot on top of the fish shelter. It bloomed profusely this year with at least two dozen blooms. Beautiful!
We added a funky wrought iron flower sculpture in the island between the small waterfall and the pond. It added a splash of color where it was sorely needed. We also added
a yellow hibiscus, yellow canna lily and some small plants, some with red flowers and some with yellow flowers to add more color to the island. Alas, the large Agave rotted and died. We decided not to replace it as it made it too difficult to maneuver on the island.
Our external, four barrel adjunct filter system is doing a fantastic job. It just keeps chugging along and keeps the water quite clear. I still add a mesh, laundry bag of barley to the pond every month or two. As the barley decays it releases a substance that kills algae.
The Koi are doing very well. They have grown a great deal. Some of them are now 4 years old. We have about 30 of them and even though they are fed commercial Koi
food once a day, they spend a great deal of time foraging on algae that persists on the submerged rocks. I also periodically (when I think about it) make a small ball of bentonite clay, throw it on a pot shelf and watch the Koi attack it. They seem to love it.
From time to time, not frequently, I do use some Algae Fix to keep the level of algae down. We also spend some time hand removing string algae. It seems to love the small stream that meanders around a portion of the pond.
There is always maintenance: trimming of the vegetation surrounding the pond, removal of decaying lily leaves and removing string algae. But all is a labor of love.
This time of year, March and April, is Arizona’s spring, with several days of flirtation in the 90’s. Everything is in bloom, vibrant and colorful. This time of year we spend a great deal of time outside, enjoying Koi antics.
© Joyce Clark, 2016
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