Ohh so what's new and in the box?
Before I reveal let me show you first this sprouting Eremurus...
I love the way that to me they look like tentacles or corals rising up from the ground and waving from the surface. Admittedly my attraction towards certain Eremurus started with their foliage and if we get blooms from them later on then that's just a bonus. I've forgotten the name of this particular one but they reward us with spires of orange blooms in the summer. The beauty of the foliage only lasts though until the flower spikes emerge and as that progress the foliage dies down to almost nothing and eventually the blooms take center stage. Lovely plant, just wish the foliage lasted longer and didn't go scruffy as it bloomed.
The Eremurus blooming in summer
Now back to what's in the box, not plants I'm afraid but our new additions to our current roster of fish pets, four new koi from Avenue Fisheries. Spring doesn't just mean new plants for us, it can also mean new and more fish!
Yum he says!! Sorry Knickers, they are your fellow pets, not snacks!
A quick inspection then time to introduce them to their new home!
Float the bag for some time in a shady part of the pond so the temperatures between both spaces can equalise before releasing the fish. Bear in mind though that it's still more important that the current pond temperature is very similar to that of the dealer from which you buy your fish from. If the temperature difference is high, even if you float the bag it won't be enough to prevent potential shock. Our pond temperature was the same as from where these fish came from.
Hello hello! How do we maintain the pond window? With a long handled window squeegee!
Now time to release our new pets into their new home!
Liberty at last! Welcome home boys and girls!
Ideally you shouldn't mix the water in the bag with your pond water (if you're confident, scoop the fish out of the box with your hands and lower gently into your pond) unless you trust the water from your dealer, which we do. So with confidence we just opened the bag and tipped them all out into our pond.Besides, the pond will be receiving some spring treatment shortly afterwards (now an insight into one of the ways we maintain our koi pond)...
With a special purple brew! To remove bugs that can potentially cause harm to the koi as the weather gradually warms up as well as condition the pond for the coming warmer months ahead.
Witch's Brew! Potassium permanganate is dissolved in hot water then aerated so harmful fumes will gas off as it cools down.
A bucket of bubbling purple brew!
Once the solution cools down it is gradually introduced into the pond...
The purple color looks pretty but handle with care as the solution is extremely staining!
Before I proceed, just in case I give anyone out there ideas to use this in their pond for the first time, I have over simplified this process. Potassium permanganate is a very potent chemical, has a narrow margin of safety and caution must be exercised when using it. Check its suitability to your pond and must not be used on natural ponds and open water courses. The dosage and preparation must be done with care and accuracy. Koi and Goldfish, in precise dosage tolerates this chemical, other pond fish (like orfe, rudd, tench, etc) do not and may be lethal to them.
And the pond becomes appropriately purple!
The pond takes on a deep purple color for some time before the chemical degrades and the water becomes murky brown. It stays like this for a few days and then the water eventually clears off. A temporary and short inconvenience.
Ohh there was another box. A plant this time...
Yucca glauca. I have one already, planted out but you can never go wrong with having another one!
Mark :-)
