Dag nab it! I just got a gift from DH, a whole new computer system. While I appreciate the faster speed and the more comfortable keys and the memory upgrade and smaller footprint, I have lost access to my list of favorites along with all the documents I wrote for classes and searches I have done as a Master Gardener volunteer for people calling into the Phone Response Line at the Purdue Co-operative Extension Service. I recently did a search for plants and pond care for a monster pond near here. The info from the DNR in Michigan was excellent, Ohio State Ext. was really good and although I don't remember it in particular, Alabama puts out good info. Sorry, I am too irritated right now to start over again. Maybe I can locate it again later if you cannot. I am still in shock about 5 years worth of data being gone. The major task is to limit nutrients going into the pond. This is the purpose of the berm you might have noticed around farm ponds. The next thing would be to put in enough plants to filter the water and supply food and hiding places for the fish and other aquatic critters. Most use the plants for breeding. One excellent method of filtration is to put in a bog although bogs can be overwhelmed with too much nutrient. A settling pond is good for particles. Plantings around the pond can use up a lot of nutrients. The only way to get a handle on just what needs changed is to get a good test kit and use it. Don't use strips. They are inaccurate in the extreme. Once you know if there should be any changes made, then you can go ahead with the planting, etc. The berm and a planted shoreline can reduce the number of plants necessary in the water and it is useless to plant deeper than 10 feet. Aeration is very important but aeration without filtration of some sort is not going to clear up the water although it will add oxygen. If the cloudiness is from mud, you could try scattering Bentonite over the surface. It binds up particles in the water and sinks with them to the bottom. If the cloudiness (tea colored) is from decayed matter on the bottom you will need to get rid of that gunk which is probably producing enough gasses to stupefy and kill your fishies and will get to be very offensive in short order. Remember your fishies deposit bodily waste in the water and it must be eliminated by filtration or bio-action (chemical, that is) along with the decayed plant materials. The pond is their sewer. Yuck! Dredging is likely your best bet there. It should be done on a regular basis. More info, if needed, is trapped in my poor aching head, Sandy

Catkim, this will be our 6th water feature on our property, so I know about the wildlife attraction for sure. In fact, our very large fountain that sits in a small pool got toppled a couple of years ago. The only animal that could have done that was a very large racoon. Mind you, this fountain stands about 8' tall. The top 3 tiers were toppled over one morning. Nothing else would have had the dexterity to climb a slippery, wet, HUGE fountain. Not sure what attracted him to the top of the fountain, and why he didn't just stay in the large pool the fountain sits in. I did find a solar pump on Overstock.com. Unfortunately, the kit came with a different battery than described, plus, the battery is not holding a charge despite having the panel in full sun for many days. Overstock is sending me a new kit, and states that the correct battery is in that kit, so hoping it will work. The pump is just barely strong enough to make the water gurgle over the top of the pump. We have the pump sitting in the fountain basin below the pot, and we have it set to 1/2 rate, so we can boost the pump and that should increase the flow rate. But, we were trying to conserve energy, so I'm hoping with the new kit, the new battery will work better. We might also try to use the new solar panel, too. Not sure what isn't working - the panel or the battery - but we'll try swapping one one, then the other, and see if we can make it work. Patty S.

katkat you might want to post your question over on the forum for ponds, seems that forum has more traffic and someone with more experience, koi do grow fast but they might be food for the bass I don`t know. Hope you get a response. :o) Deanna

Tomato David, Congrats on your new property! Sounds like you will have some very nice soil by next year. My wife is looking forward to having a big chunk of wildflowers all around the house. Being Japanese, she is not as into having a patch of green grass as I am (although I just want a little one). 'Pup, I was thinking about the weeds, and decided totake a number of different approaches. One is to thin by cutting most of them off at the base and leaving them to rot in place. A second is to pull and mulch the desirable plants near them. The third is to cut, carry, and compost them. I am not too worried about bare ground, the vetch and other plants are spreading like wildfire. Now I have found some serious bamboo coming out of a few roots that got left behind. They are all pencil thin whips this year, but I don't want them to get established where they are now. I have a space set aside for them at the bottom of the hill, surrounded by a 50cm ditch. On the other hand, I have harvested a lot of cucumbers already! It was fun, walking around, then seeing a beautiful straight eight cucumber hanging from a vine climbing a lambsquarter! I found a lot more after that. But you really have to look for them in all that jungle. Eric in Japan Here is a link that might be useful: