Friday 6 November 2015

Preparing Your Pond for Winter

Preparing Your Pond For Winter



If you are in a region where the winter nights are firmly setting in, you need to think about your winter pond preparation.
Now’s a good time to start making a checklist of things you’ll need to ensure that you’re prepared to handle all the tasks related to winterizing your pond. 

Your checklist should include the following:
  • Pond thermometer
  • Pond netting
  • Pruning tool, nets & skimmers
  • Air pump, aeration kit, pond de-icer

Water Temperature
Since water temperature plays a huge role, especially if you have fish, it’s always a good idea to check if your pond thermometer is working properly. Water temperature is your cue to when you should stop feeding your fish all together. 

Fish Feeding
As the water temperature of your pond falls, the fish will require less food. Watch their food intake and adjust your feeding. Stop feeding your fish completely when the water temperature of your pond reaches an average of 45 °F (7 °C). At 47-50 °F (8-10 °C) the fish will begin to hibernate at the bottom of the pond. Regardless of the outside temperature or if your fish come to the surface during the winter do not feed them. They are surfacing for oxygen not food. If you feed them during this period, the food will not be digested.
 
 Pond Netting: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
One of the best ways to make maintenance easier is to place a pond net of over your water garden to capture falling leaves. This way, you don’t have to toil as hard later on to collect scattered leaves, especially those in the deep end. You can find a list of Laguna pond netting here.
 
 
 
 
If you follow all the above recommendations, you’ll be well on your way to making a seamless seasonal transition into winter!

Thursday 4 July 2013

Laguna Team Sponsors P. Allen Smith Garden2Blog Event

The Laguna team travelled to Arkansas May 7th-May 8thto visit the home of P. Allen Smith and to present at the third annual Garden2Blog event. The event hosted at Allen’s Garden Home Retreat at Moss Mountain Farm brings together 30 of the most influential garden bloggers from around the country for two days of hands-on product demonstrations from some of the leading gardening and lifestyle brands. The bloggers at this year’s event have a combined reach of well over one hundred thousand followers. They write for some of the most influential gardening web based media outlets such as HGTV, HGTVGardens and About.com, as well as traditional media such as Southern Living, Coastal Living, Family Circle and numerous television programs.  



The event itself is an opportunity for Allen’s key partners to present their newest products to the group. The format of the event is traditionally a 45 minute product presentation, which gives the bloggers an opportunity to test drive new equipment or learn about new product innovations.At this years event the Laguna team demonstrated how easily a pond could be installed and landscaped. 



Not content with following the traditional presentation format, the Laguna team’s time with the bloggers was broken down into three separate presentations over the two days.
Damian Hall kicked of the presentation by introducing the bloggers to the team and the Laguna brand. Dan Berg then took over and explained the design and construction process. The bloggers enthusiastically joined the Laguna team to finish laying stone around the pond and preparing the edges for landscaping.
Part two of the presentation was led by Chris Thier. Chris took the bloggers through the ins and outs of filtration and led the bloggers through the installation process of our Max Flo pumps that powered the waterfall stream and the Pressure Flo filter and Skimmer box.
The third and final presentation was kicked off by Allen turning on the waterfall! This event was quickly overshadowed by Mike Zmina’s water gardening and landscaping presentation where he explained the important role that water plants play in the ecosystem of ponds. The highlight of his presentation was when he turned the bloggers loose and coached them through the process of the planting baskets and floating plant bags that would be installed in the pond. 



This year’s event was a tremendous success. Before the team even left we began receiving information requests from bloggers and editors from HGTVGardens and HomeDepot.com. In the post event survey produced by the PAS group the Laguna “Pond Building” presentation was voted the best partner presentation of the event. 

Tuesday 30 April 2013

P. Allen Smith and Laguna Pond Giveaway




Win Your Very Own Backyard Oasis with P. Allen Smith and Laguna.

Water features fill your garden with beauty and tranquility of moving water, adding one will transform your garden. To help create this relaxing sanctuary, Laguna has teamed up with award-winning garden and lifestyle expert P. Allen Smith and some amazing gardening wholesalers & nurseries  to provide one lucky winner with the backyard oasis of their dreams!


The prize package includes the design and installation of your very own backyard pond featuring two surrounding flowerbeds. In addition to the pond and landscaping, the winner will be featured on P. Allen Smith’s Garden Style television show for the 2014 season.

For a chance to win, go to the Laguna Ponds Facebook page and tell Allen why you’d like a landscaped pond and how it will beautify your life. Submit a picture of where in your garden you would like to have a pond installed along with your name, email address and city, state and zip code. The installation will be filmed sometime in June 2013 for the 2014 season of P. Allen Smith’s Garden Style television show.

Like our Facebook page and share the contest with your friends! Good luck!

Sponsors:
 
Hortus Ltd.
PO Box, AR 164870
Little Rock, AR 72216

Bonnie Plants
1727 Hwy 223
Union Springs, AL 36089
Berry Family of Nurseries
3656 HWY 51
Hulbert, OK
Star Roses and Plant
25 Lewis Road
West Grove, PA
www.conard-pyle.com

Laguna Ponds
305 Forbes Blvd
Mansfeld, MA 02048

Wednesday 6 March 2013

Laguna Upcoming Events



With temperatures on the rise and spring in the air we are gearing up for a fantastic Pond Season!

Come and join us as we share our passion for water gardening in our Spring Series as Laguna Ponds hosts a variety of events and seminars at local garden centers throughout Canada and the U.S. Below, you can find a calendar list of our Spring Events. We invite you to join us at a garden centre near you.



Canadian Seminars

March

03/23: Burlington, ON - Holland Park Garden Gallery (Pond Opening Seminar starts at 10:00 a.m.)


April
04/06: Ste Rose, Fabreville, QC - Pepiniere Locas (Open Discussion/ Forum starts at 9:00 a.m.)
04/07: Arthur Sauve, St Eustache, QC - Ecoverdure Event (Open Discussion/ Forum starts at 9:00 a.m.)
04/13: Hornby, ON - Sids Ponds (Pond Opening Procedure, Pump/ Filter Care starts at 12:00 p.m.)
04/20: Maloney est, Gatineau, QC - Jardin Emery Event (Open Discussion/ Forum starts at 10:00 a.m.)
04/27: London, ON - Heritage Garden Gallery (Pond Opening Seminar starts at 10:00 a.m.)

May
05/03: Kitchener, ON - Grand Valley Garden Village (Breast Cancer Fundraiser starts at 9:00 a.m.)
05/04: Kitchener, ON - Grand Valley Garden Village (Breast Cancer Fundraiser starts at 9:00 a.m.)
05/04: Ste Marguerite, Trois Rivieres, QC - Jardin du Coin Event (Open Discussion/ Forum starts 9:00 a.m.)
05/11: Ste Foy, QC - Dyno Quebec (Open Discussion/ Forum starts at 10:00 a.m.)
05/12: Ste Foy, QC - Dyno Quebec (Open Discussion/ Forum starts at 10:00 a.m.)
05/18: Levis, QC - Dyno Quebec (Open Discussion/ Forum starts at 10:00 a.m.)
05/19: Levis, QC - Dyno Quebec (Open Discussion/ Forum starts at 10:00 a.m.)

June 
06/20: Stratford, ON - Klomps Nursery & Garden Center (Pond Seminar starts at 7:00 p.m.)

United States Seminars

March
03/08: Fountain, CO - Spencer’s Spring Lawn and Garden Show (Product Knowledge Seminar)
03/09: Fountain, CO - Spencer’s Spring Lawn and Garden Show (Product Knowledge Seminar)
03/09: Downers Grove, IL - Wannemaker’s Spring Show (Running Specials)
03/10: Fountain, CO - Spencer’s Spring Lawn and Garden Show (Product Knowledge Seminar)
03/10: Downers Grove, IL - Wannemaker’s Spring Show (Running Specials)
03/16: Mt. Holly, NJ - Lily Pond Emporium (Pond Opening Seminar)
03/21: Swansea, MA - The Bloomin Barn (Pond Opening Seminar)
03/22: Fairfield, NJ - Fairfield Garden Center (Pond Opening Seminar)
03/23Frankfort, IL - Alsip Nursery (Product Knowledge Seminar)
03/24St. John, IN - Alsip Nursery (Product Knowledge Seminar)
03/30: Jobstown, NJ - The Pond Store (Pond Opening Seminar)

April
04/11Fairfield, NJ - Fairfield Garden Center (Ponds 101 Seminar)
04/13: Marion, TX - Water Garden Gems Texas Koi and Goldfish Show (Product Knowledge Seminar)
04/14: Marion, TX - Water Garden Gems Texas Koi and Goldfish Show (Product Knowledge Seminar)
04/20: Yucaipa, CA - Exotic Waterscapes (Pond Seminar)
04/26Fairfield, NJ - Fairfield Garden Center (Advanced Ponds Seminar)


May
05/04: Howell, NJ - Twin Ponds Garden Center (Water Gardening Open House)
05/09: Fairfield, NJ - Fairfield Garden Center (Ponds 101 Seminar)

June
06/01: Lansing, IL - Water's Edge Aquascaping (Water Quality Seminar starts at 11 a.m.)


Thursday 14 February 2013

Winter Reading

The winter months allow many water gardeners the opportunity to relax from their usual summer pond maintenance duties and recharge until the spring. It also allows people to spend time learning more about their pond, planning projects for the new year and researching new varieties of plants!

A wide variety of great publications exist to educate, entertain and inspire home gardeners with practical information and plenty of personal stories from authors and editors who truly live their passion. At Laguna, we know that ponds and water features comprise only a portion of the greater gardening experience, which is why we enjoy following many publications in order to keep up with new types of flowers and lilies, common garden critters, planting tips and more.


A couple of Laguna products have been featured in a recent edition of Gardens West magazine, a leading Canadian gardening publication since 1987. The magazine now produces four unique editions based on geographic region, and features zone-specific advice for gardeners of all experience levels.

Below you can see the Laguna SkimAway Skimmer Filter Fountain (bottom middle), as well as a Laguna Pond Spitter (bottom right), providing valuable water circulation while also creating a tranquil setting for any pond.

Visit www.gardenwest.com for online photo contests, garden show information, gift catalogues and more!



Thursday 13 September 2012

Getting Ready for Fall


Summer is not quite over yet, but you may have noticed that the days are getting shorter, nights are cooler, and leaves are starting to change colours in some areas.

All telltale signs that autumn is just around the corner.

Now’s a good time to start making a checklist of things you’ll need to ensure that you’re prepared to handle all the tasks related to transitioning to autumn, which will make winterizing so much easier later on.
 
Your checklist should include the following:
  • Pond thermometer
  • Pond netting
  • Pruning tool, nets & skimmers
  • Air pump, aeration kit, pond de-icer
  • Fish Food for Fall Feeding

Water Temperature
Since water temperature plays a huge role, especially if you have fish, it’s always a good idea to check if your pond thermometer is working properly. Water temperature is your cue to when you should switch to feeding fish food specially formulated for fall feeding. More about this below.

Pond Netting: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
One of the best ways to make maintenance easier is to place Laguna Pond Netting over your water garden to capture falling leaves. This way, you don’t have to toil as hard later on to collect scattered leaves, especially those in the deep end.
Pond Netting

Pruning tool, nets & skimmers
Ensure that you have the proper maintenance equipment to get the job done. A pruning tool is excellent for trimming plants. Nets are perfect for handling fish, skimmers are ideal for capturing surface debris.

Air pump, aeration kit, pond de-icer
Take stock of your winterizing equipment and ensure that all is working well for the upcoming winter season.

Fish Food for Fall Feeding
As mentioned above, tracking water temperature is critical heading into colder weather. Pond fish have special nutritional needs when the air cools  and the water temperature gets into the 8° to 10° C (47° to 50° F) range – they need more wheat germ in their diet. So make a mental note to pick up a bag of Laguna Spring/Fall Fish Food with Wheat Germ.

If you follow all the above recommendations, you’ll be well on your way to making a seamless seasonal transition. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of the summer!


Wednesday 15 August 2012

Reflections from Misericordia

We've had the opportunity to learn more about the water gardening history at Chicago's Misericordia Home and how Laguna has been able to contribute. We received some great feedback from Jeff Hudec at Misericordia about the success of their pond. See his message below:

* * * * *
We’ve had our pond for about 11 years now. It started as a pond about 100 gallons in size, and has expanded into one that now holds 1000 gals of water, ten Koi, two water turtles and one large Pleco.  Roughly 100 of our residents help to care for our pond on a weekly basis and almost all of the 600 residents who live at Misericordia have enjoyed viewing the pond at some point or other.

Just over a year ago, the Greco Gardens at Misericordia Home received a donation for our indoor Koi pond. The donation consisted of a Laguna Pressure Flo 1400 filter and a Max Flo 900 pump. Before receiving these items, I tried more pump and filter combinations from more pond companies than I care to remember and none of them worked very well or for very long. 

The Laguna products are superior in every imaginable way to every other filter/pump combination I’ve used to keep our pond clean and healthy. With minimal maintenance, these items have kept our 1000 gallon pond free of debris and crystal clear for over a year now.  The filter is easy to clean and requires little effort to maintain. The pump also runs smooth and with very little trouble.

I cannot recommend these products more or thank Michael Zmina more for donating them to us. Our Koi are much happier as are our resident workers who now can enjoy viewing the fish in crystal clear water year round.  Thank you once again.

Sincerely,
Jeff Hudec, Misericordia Home, Greco Gardens.

Misericordia Home loves their pond!