General Sales Information
1.0 Introduction
Pond lily Farm L.L.C. is committed to producing a large variety of high quality, healthy aquatic plants. Each year we try many new varieties and decide before we sell them which ones are desirable and which are not. If we don't sell them, it is probably because they are undesirable for some reason. For example, some plants show good only for a very short time in the early spring. We don't want you to get stuck with a pot of soil from May through the rest of the season, so we don't carry them except when requested by the nursery for custom orders.
Aquatic plants are quite different from traditional bedding plants and customers need guidance on selection and care. Our tags have valuable information. Pond Lily Farm works in concert with the tag manufacture to supply the best information; however, many growers in all areas of the United States use the tags and growing experiences can vary.
It is in everyone's interest to answer customer's questions accurately. We will train nursery employees and any questions may be directed to our web site www.pondlilyfarm.com, to Pond Lily Farm employees at delivery or call 573-254-3715.
2.0 Sales Tips
1. Train at least one employee and assign him/her as the expert. It is very important that the "expert" is genuinely interested in water plants. If this person is available at the time of delivery, we are happy to share valuable information and answer plant/pond questions.
2. Display is critical. Water lilies like sunshine, but bog plants often times prefer shade. Lotus does well in either. Also, if bog plants are in at least partial shade, especially if they are displayed in an above ground table, they have a much longer shelf life.
3. Optimum display of hardy water lilies is 10" to 20" of water, tropical water lilies is 10" to 15" of water, Lotus is also 8" to 15" of water. Bog plants do well in 1 to 4 inches of water. Many bog plants can have more water, but some will die if water is over their crown.
4. Floaters will generally harbor some tag-along-plants (salvina, duckweed, and azolla) with them and should not be displayed with lilies or lotus. We hope to eradicate all tag-along-plants from our floaters, but are forced to buy from outside sources and often these plants are with them. Each year we raise more of our floaters and hope to totally eradicate the tag-along-plants. Some customers like these plants and will buy them. They make wonderful koi food.
5. Supply us with feedback so we can better serve you and the customer.
3.0 Pond Balance/Clarity
A healthy pond is one that has a balanced proportion of fish, plants, and nutrients. The ecosystem in a pond is very complex, but from our experience it is generally better not to drain the pond every year and allow nature to balance the pond using natural microbes.
The following should help to balance and clean your ponds:
A. Fish, in moderation, are good for ponds - one fish per 100 gallons or two per 100 gallons if you use a good filter. Heron will take all your fish is they find them.
B. Aquatic plants are good for ponds - floaters are especially important in the spring to provide some shade from the sun, thus cutting down the potential for algae growth. Submerged plants / oxygenators help clean the pond and supply oxygen to fish. If you have too many submerged plants, they can run out of nutrients or too few can result in an algae bloom. We like one bunch per square foot of surface water.
C. Adding beneficial bacteria and enzymes will generally speed the balance of the pond. These bacteria may be purchased specifically for pond use. Another way to benefit your pond is to introduce several types of zooplankton. These little critters eat algae and they multiply quickly. They can be purchased on the Internet, started in your kitchen, and introduced to your pond. Two options are Daphnia and Rotifers.
4.0 Health / Disease
Generally water plants are disease and insect resistant; however, the following have been observed from our experience:
Water lilies with small leaves - if the customer notices that the water lily leaves are getting smaller and smaller, this can be caused by herbicide in the water. Some water clarifiers use herbicide (algicides are herbicides by definition). If too much herbicide is used the lily will die. Also, tropical lilies are very sensitive to chemicals.
Water Lilies with leaf damage - if the pad surface is partially eaten it could be from a worm. There are two types: One that cuts a small piece from the edge of the leaf. They then make a sandwich from the cut pieces thus hiding in the middle. If you can find the sandwich, you can simply squeeze the worm in the sandwich and kill him. Inspect the lily every day for a week for additional "sandwiches". The second type of worm will bore a whole in the stem and hide just below the water surface inside the stem. It can be killed by squeezing the stem and allow the lily to continue to grow. Again, inspect the plant for a week or so looking for holes in other pads.
Lotus with leaf damage - Lotus have two types of worms that can disfigure the leaf: The first is a leaf roller larva, which eats the surface of the leaves and then hides by rolling the leaf over its body. The leaf roller can be eliminated by hand. Simply unroll the leaf and kill the worm. The second larva bores a hole in the stem or in the flower. These are more difficult to find and sometimes require damaging the stems and/or leaves. Lotus are very difficult to spray because water runs off the leaves. Using a surfactant will permanently damage the leaves.
Insect control - We have found that the safest treatment is having goldfish in the pool. Koi are plant eaters and we do not recommend keeping them with plants. Large koi, 7" and up, often eat the new lily leaves, dig up the roots and can kill the plant.
Additional references - We recommend "The Pond Doctor", by Helen Nash for additional material.
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© 2004 Pond Lily Farm, LLC |
