Archive for the ‘Water Gardening / Water Features’ Category
Create a Big Splash with a Water Feature!
Who of us doesn’t like to sit out beside a water feature on a gorgeous summer evening and listen to the relaxing, rhythmic sound of water bubbling over rocks and splashing into the pond below? Maybe you think that you don’t have the money or the space for something like this. With our Create-a-Pond Series you have a variety of options to choose from. From our Bubbling Boulder collection to full scale Ponds to Pondless Waterfalls, we can come up with a water feature to fit your needs. If nothing strikes your fancy when you look at our collection, take heart! We are able to do custom order ones as well. To see our full line of the Create-a-Pond Series, CLICK HERE. We look forward to helping you plan a water feature that will create a big splash for your enjoyment!
Feeding Your Fish in Spring
If you’re like most pond owners, you can’t wait to greet your fish from their winter’s slumber. You’re anxious to feed them, but be careful not to feed them too soon or too much.
The first food in the springtime should be easily digestible. Wheat germ based foods like Aquascape Premium Cold Water Fish Food Pellets are popular, and for good reason. The fish like them and they are good “first foods” for the spring.
Food should first be offered when the water temperatures achieve 50 to 53° F. Feeding should be sparing! If you load up the fish, they will load up the pond with fish wastes and the beneficial bacteria responsible for reducing the wastes will not be functioning optimally in cooler water.
You can start feeding your finned friends with Aquascape Premium Cold Water Fish Food Pellets until the water is 55° F. You’ll then want to switch to any combination of two good quality foods. Aquascape Premium Color Enhancing Fish Food Pellets and Aquascape Premium Staple Fish Food Pellets are both good choices. For smaller fish, opt for Aquascape Premium Fish Food Flakes.
Enjoy your fish as they “come back to life” this spring. Take care to feed them sparingly at the start. Once the water warms up and their energy levels are back to normal, your fish will soon be welcoming you each time you visit your pond!
For information on where to purchase Aquascape fish foods, visit
http://www.tusseymountainpondstore.com/Fish-Care/Fish-Food.html
-Compliments of Aquascape, Inc.
The Amazing IonGen
Hey, Pond Lovers, have you heard about the amazing IonGen G2 that Aquascape came out with? This IonGen allows you to have crystal clear pond water all summer long without the use of any chemicals! This fabulous product is easy to install as well as easy to use. Below is a testimonial of a customer who has had great success with their IonGen:
I would like to take a second to say what a great product the Aquascape IonGen is. We have a 12×18 pond with a waterfall and six beautiful koi. This is our fourth year enjoying our pond, and a big part of that enjoyment this season is the great job the IonGen has done for us. Every season we have struggled and paid a small fortune in chemicals to fight string algae and cloudy water. However, this season has been hassle free because of the addition of the IonGen. All we did was just clean our filters at the beginning of the season, added the IonGen and we were off running with clear water for the season. AMAZING….Thank you Tussey Mtn. Mulch for recommending this great product.
John Scheponik. Altoona, PA
CLICK HERE to read more about this amazing product called the IonGen!
How to Best Use Your Backyard!
By Kyle B Brown
Tussey Mtn Mulch Design Consultant/Sales Associate
Are you tired of looking outside into your backyard to see the gloom of the dormant grass and the on again-off again winter? Are you ready to fill your backyard with beautiful blooms, pleasant sounds of nature, and the warmness of family and friends gathering together. Are you ready to have a new outside entertainment area? Well, these drab winter days provide you with the perfect time to start getting your ideas and inspiration for the nearing spring season! Here are a few things to consider when designing your backyard getaway.
The first key point to consider when planning your project is: what are you going to be using the space for? This will determine what features you will want to include in the landscape. Some examples of this would include an outdoor kitchen, pizza oven, and patio area for outdoor dining or sitting walls and a fire pit or fire place for roasting marshmallows and sitting around a campfire. One can also include several different features to really create a “backyard oasis.”
Another important thing to consider is how many people will be using the area. The number of people you plan on entertaining will have an impact on how large your outdoor entertainment area will be. If you plan on entertaining the whole community or your large extended family you will need a much larger patio area than you would need if you were just planning on entertaining your own small family. This may be the one most important point that you should consider before you install your backyard paradise. The proper sized area will provide many years of enjoyment for all those who use it.
One more thing to consider in your design is the use of landscape accessories. The term landscape accessory can include many things. Water features are an extremely popular landscape accessory. Water features can fit in any size landscape and can range from beautiful ecosystem ponds to small, unique fountainscapes! Another great accessory is the use of outdoor structures such as pergolas, pavilions, and gazebos. These structures can allow you to use your investment in many different weather conditions and extend the useable life of your entertainment area. Another accessory that will extend the time that you can use your entertainment area is the use of landscape lighting. Landscape lighting allows you to use your patio and outdoor living space into the night time hours. Landscape lighting options are nearly endless. There are many different fixture styles and lighting patterns that will allow you to create an outdoor ambiance that you can enjoy when the sun goes down.
Make sure you consider all of these options when designing your new outdoor living area and you will be pleased with the outcome of your landscape construction project for many years to come. Come into Tussey Mtn Mulch today and get inspired and we will put our professional design experience to work for you! You can visit our website at TusseyMtnMulch.com or call us at 814-696-1920.
Get Inspired with our Bubbling Boulder Collection
Do you love the idea of having a water feature in your backyard but feel that you have no room for such a piece? Consider our totally customizable Bubbling Boulder Collection here at Tussey Mtn Mulch! Check out this video and feel free to contract us here at 814-696-1920 to learn more.
Brrrrr…. It’s so cold! How are your fish doin’?
This is a picture of an Aquascape Aerator and De-icer in action. Just got it in today! Hopefully you were more on top of this installation than we were!
Here’s a ‘Gentle Reminder’ Checklist:
- Don’t be feeding your fish! They are hibernating and their metabolism is in low gear. Honestly, they aren’t interested in a Christmas dinner.
- If your pump and waterfall are functioning, make sure the ice formations aren’t diverting water outside of the contained area somewhere.
- If you are not running your pump, your aerator and de-icer should be working in conjunction with each other to keep a whole open in the ice to allow for proper oxygenation and gas exchange. Your pump MUST be stored in a container of water in a frost-free location.
- Add AquaMed’s Arctic Blend Beneficial Bacteria. Add 3 oz every other week. You can dump this in right where your aerator and de-icer are working. This will keep your ecosystem in optimum condition during the bleak mid-winter and will definitely make your spring pond clean-out much easier. Not to mention your appreciative fish!
If you have any questions about winter pond maintenance, PLEASE give us a buzz @ 814.696.1920 or stop by. We will be more than glad to help you with your questions!
