July’s Collection of Interesting Stuff.
Water quality is getting to be a big item all over the United States. It seem that a lot of the stuff we put on the surface seeps down into the water table and ends up in our drinking water. Large scale Commercial Propagators of nursery stock have been hit by the EPA, due to the large amount of fertilizers and pesticides used to make the plants we buy look the best they can. Once the water is contaminated most researchers feel there is little or nothing that can be done to clean it up. Things may be looking up with the latest release of information from the test labs:
Vegetable oils could filter groundwater of nitrogen fertilizers
Vegetable cooking oils may prove useful for clearing groundwater of nitrogen fertilizer.
Soil microbes absorb nitrates in fertilizer, converting them to harmless nitrogen gas. USDA research has shown that oils squeezed from corn or soybeans offer a carbon source that increases the number of beneficial microorganisms. Oils might be injected under pressure into the base of contaminated wells, where it could become trapped in soil particles and form a filter that would consume nitrates and cleanse the water.
Another method might be to construct above-ground troughs filled with sand and gravel. Water would be pumped through the troughs, thus eliminating a potential health hazard to humans and animals. As a test of this type of filter, USDA Agricultural Research Service scientists have decontaminated water containing 200 times permissible nitrate level for U.S. drinking water. "We have just done lab studies with it so far. There’s no field study yet." "We’re putting together a proposal for the funding." said William j. Hunter of Colorado State University’s Soil-Plant Nutrient Research Center 1701 Center Ave., Fort Collins CO 80526
>>Side note: I wonder if this would increase the effectiveness of a Bio-Filter for Koi ponds?
More fun stuff:
Grape bits
Take a table grape and cut it into small chunks feed it to your pond fish. My Koi think this is wonderful stuff, the gold fish spit it out. This will add a little bit of Vitamin C to their diet, (if they eat it).
Krill:
Do you want your fish eating out of your hand? Freeze dried Krill has little or no smell is dry and easy to handle. The Krill(shrimp) are still in the shell so your fish will get the benefit of the natural pigment. When I fed this to my pond fish and the bumper cars have nothing on this for fun fish action. The Goldfish and Koi almost leave the water for this treat.
Weed control:
Instead of expensive and dangerous weed killers, try pouring boiling water on the leaves, stems and roots of the offending plants. This works real well on hot, dry days. It seems the weed sucks the boiling water way up the stem with out realizing how hot it is! Sort of like your first cup of Coffee in the morning!
Aphid and White fly control:
1tbs of vegetable oil. 1 tsp. of liquid soap in a qt spray bottle then filled with water. Shake to mix and Spray on to the leaves of the infested plant every 10 to 14 days. If you really want to kill them fast add 1tsp of ammonia to the mix. Your plants will use the ammonia after it bumps the bugs off. This gives your plant a bath, and a meal, but gives the bugs the runs.
Cheep Pond liner:
If you can put a car key through a pond liner with little or no effort, then roots and rocks will have no problem either . Most inexpensive pond liner is about as good as building plastic. If you are going to spend much money on pond liner make certain it is tough enough for the job. 45mil EPDM rubber liner is the industry standard for ponds. Ask if the liner will take UV light for 20 years without breaking down and leaking. Mark Paulsen Scenic Harbor Nursery http://www.techline.com/~frazzle
Scenic Harbor Nursery