|
|
|
 |
|
 |
| Repairs, Maintenance, Pest and Disease Control |
So you must remind yourself that within the course of the few weeks
it took you to set up your water garden, you have been aiming at a
balance of life which it takes nature months and years to establish. If
you have goldfish and submerged plants in the pool, in addition to the
showy plants, the pool will soon find its own balance and hold to it.
Now that you know what causes the scum, it is an easy matter to get
rid of it. Simply raise the water level of the pool by a quarter of an inch.
The floating scum, with a little guidance from you, will run off down
the overflow drain. If the pool does not have an overflow drain, sweep
the scum to one corner with a folded newspaper or a broom and dip
it out.
Green Water
Healthy pool water is not crystal clear, but has a slightly cloudy,
greenish tinge. This green cast is due to the millions of suspended microscopic algae, plankton, and similar plants, which are necessary for
the health of the goldfish. It is easy to determine the proper balance of
these plants in the pool water. Roll up your sleeve and hold your hand
about 12 inches below the surface. If your hand is barely discernible
at that depth, the balance is perfect.
As for crystal clearness, remember that you will not see the water of
a pool as you see water in an aquarium. At the vantage points from
which you will enjoy your pool, you will not see into the water at all,
save for glimpses of the darting goldfish. What you will see will be reflections of water-lilies, of border plants, and of the sky.
Murky Water
At times minute plant life in your pool, particularly forms of algae,
will grow in superabundance. When it does, there are means of thinning the water. One popular way is to drop a few fresh-water mussels
into the pool. I must admit they do a remarkable job of clearing up the
water, but many gardeners feel they are more trouble than they are
worth. Watch out for dead ones which have to be removed immediately;
for they decompose quickly.
Another way is to treat the pool with potassium permanganate (obtainable at your drugstore). Figure out the water volume in cubic feet.
Then multiply the number of cubic feet by 7.48 (or 71/2 is close enough)
to get the water volume in gallons. For each 100 gallons of water, throw
into the pool 1/2 ounce of fined (not crystallized) potassium permanganate. The "fines" dissolve more quickly. Keep them in a tightly
stoppered jar and mix only when the solution is needed.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
