Rose Cottage Ltd

Forgot to mention one or two things about pond management in warm weather that might be useful to other pond owners…

Now that North Carolina is in H-O-T weather season, I am leaving my fountain on nearly 24/7. Other times of the year it runs from early morning to around 10:00am and then comes back on in the evening around 6:00pm and shuts off at midnight. This is even more important with the sudden thunderstorms we’ve been getting lately. These storms add water to the lake which is good, but also add a fair amount of additional acid from the trees nearby – not good.

Evening rain puts a heavy burden on the oxygen levels – which often begins to impact fish during the night and early the next morning.
Many fish I found in my traumatic Summer of 2007 seemed to be gasping their last early in the morning so this early AM boost of fountain-induced oxygen can’t hurt.

I feed my fish, (Big Strike from Southern States). As the temperatures rise and conditions deteriorate, cutting back on feeding is another good way to help fish survive. The more they eat, the more they “go” – adding to the over-nutrient levels in the water. Having spoiled rotten every animal I have ever “owned”, I believe my catfish are purposely trying to make me feel guilty over this food rationing. They swim near their normal feeding area at the normal feeding time and splash around in the water – as if I didn’t know they are there waiting for more food. “It’s for your own good,” is what I tell them…Maybe I need to get out more often!!

Anyway, this is also a good time to remove any other plants or debris that have entered your pond. Plants can provide oxygen to the water but they can also suck it up as they die. Keep edges trimmed and low hanging branches over but not in the water.

If you have watermeal or duckweed problems, you are probably beginning to see signs of this season’s growth. Unless you want to pour chemicals in your pond, this is a ‘”wait and watch” timeframe. There is only so much gathering you can do until the stuff is bunched enough to skim out of the water. I feel your pain – believe me…

More on aquatic plants that are good for your pond coming soon…

Happy Summer!

Looks like there is help – in some areas, for pond and lake owners with worrisome water issues.

Interesting point in the article about sunfish. I never knew they were a “problem” in some ponds…think my bass must be taking care of them in my pond…

I see they also mention that pesky watermeal…

“Other concerns noted by Neal and DeFazio included fertilizer levels, oxygen depletion and cost of species-specific chemicals to remove plant pests such as water meal (a gallon to treat a small pond can cost $1,500). Chemicals are a last resort, they said; a combination of mechanical and biological approaches usually is urged.”

And that $$ amount tells you why it is worth a couple day’s labor to just remove the stuff as best you can – manually. A 12-pack of beer and a friend or two to help you is much cheaper – and probably just as effective.

It is probably a good thing one can’t see everything that lives in a lake or pond. You would probably find that wading or swimming or even fishing, is not always as appealing as you once thought.

Once and awhile you find out the hard way what lurks below the surface…in this case Snapping Turtles – big ones!!

I was enjoying a day around the lake late last Summer. Geese with their 10 week-old goslings were having a nice shower under the fountain and all was well with my world. Suddenly, the 12 or so geese started screeching and all took off for the lake’s edge – save one of the goslings. This poor goose was valiantly trying to make it to shore but appeared to be held nearly immobile by some unseen force from below the water.

While he or she made all effort to reach the shore, I hot-footed it around the lake to see if I could assist. The gosling and I reached the same spot on the shore at the same time and to my total surprise, I saw what appeared to be a very large shell in the water holding one of the legs of the goose extended backwards- keeping him from getting out of the water.

It was one of these:

Well, that’s the way I’d seen it prior to the attack. Not too aggressive…didn’t seem to bother the fish…no harm, no foul. I knew there was at least one large turtle living in the lake. He visited often in the evenings during fish feeding time. That is their food in the water floating around him.

Unfortunately, he also looks like this:

Well, to be without the net would be more to his liking and out of the trap and back in the lake may have improved his disposition. After the attack on the goose I was not willing to find out.

Fortunately, during that attack I was at the right place at the right time and was able to give the turtle a hard enough smack on his shell to make him release the goose – who left with a bloody foot – but without permanent injury.

However, this created a real tough decision regarding lake management. I have a turtle who has potentially lived in this lake for most of the fifteen years the lake has been in existence. The turtle could possibly live another fifteen to twenty years. At the same time, there have been nesting geese on the lake for the past three seasons. This means every May I get to enjoy seeing these:

The problem is I’m afraid the turtle may enjoy them as well.

What to do?

First thing was to research and procure a turtle trap of some sort. This is a turtle that weighs somewhere around 40 pounds and has the same circumference as a 20 gallon trash can. Finding something appropriate and up to the task took a bit of work. It appeared a “Turtle Hoop Net” was going to be the best bet and fortunately for me, Heinsohn’s Country Store had just the thing for around $130.00.

Below is a photo of it stretched out and prior to insertion in the lake:

Getting the net stretched out properly and pegged to the bottom of the lake was a little more difficult. Once that was accomplished I admit to being a bit skeptical that any turtle would ever consider getting himself involved with all that netting. Never doubt a turtle’s desire to get to a piece of chicken bait though. Within 2 days of placing the net in the water – BINGO! – we had our suspect in custody – and boy was he pissed!!

He snapped, he hissed, he rocked back and forth like some miniature bulldozer…he gave me the “evil eye”…the thing looked like some sort of prehistoric demon. He had to go.

Fortunately, my property is fairly close to a 13+ thousand acre lake/reservoir and that was chosen as his new home. Normally, I am against moving an animal from its native environment but I can’t imagine that he will not thrive in his new location. Now that it is nearly hatching time again for the lake’s geese, I am preparing the 2009 (and now 2010), launch of the turtle net.

Two days after catching the first turtle, a second of equal size was captured and driven in comfort to the same larger lake. I like to think they met up again and did a “High 5” or whatever turtles do…

Who says rural living is boring?