EIPS Newsletter
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| In This Issue: | July 2004 |
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July 8, 2004
Pre– Tour, Tour We will meet at Sandy’s pond with a short meeting before we take off to tour all of the ponds on this year’s pond tour. Please be on time as we will have to leave shortly after 6:30 to make it to all of the ponds. Directions: Take Highway 20 to Highway 21- Hawkeye Rd. exit toward Dysart (west). Approximately 2 ¾ miles to East Washburn Rd. turn Left on East Washburn Road. First house on left. House sits back from road.
July 24, 2004
Let’s Just Party Jackie would like to have a supper at her house in addition to a presentation on Koi Health. Bring your test kits in for comparison and instruction on how to use them and also a water sample if you want to have your water tested. So she is asking everyone to come: 5:00-6:00 drinks and social hour
From the north,
From the south -
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Thursday, June 10th meeting....Our Thursday meeting was held at the home of Dennis and Carol Sindelar. The Sindelars have been ponding since 1998-99 and it shows. Their lush pond was crystal clear with koi, a white catfish, snails, tadpoles, and a turtle all swimming around happily. We began the meeting with Dennis and Carol telling us some of the history and anatomy of their pond. Their pond was “self built” , is about 4 foot deep, and had lots of established plantings. Some of their plants are in large pots and some are just planted in the various rocks along the pond’s edge. They had several small koi in their pond that they raised from last year’s spawn. Dennis raised several hundred koi from his parent fish last year and is eager and set up for this year also. Carol’s gardens where blooming beautiful and seem to be ever creeping in on that turf grass area. They have a lotus planted in a sunken barrel in their front yard. They have helped it along by submerging a small heater in the soil around it since early spring. (It has a bud on it already! A full month ahead of the normal blooming season. ) After this small session, we moved into the Sindelar home (away from the millions of mosquitoes) where we could talk comfortably without having to beat ourselves to death to keep the bugs at bay. President, Kacy Novak, called the meeting to order. Minutes were approved as printed. There was no treasurer’s report due to Nancy’s absence. Pond Tour Chairman, Joe Olsen, gave a brief summary of how the tour plans where going. We passed around a sign up sheet for volunteers. If you would like to get your name on this list and don’t think you’ll get to the next meeting, please call me (Jackie) and I’ll be glad to sign you up. It’s your one chance a year to help the club and give back a little. Besides, it’s actually fun! You get to meet lots of people. Please remember to save those extra pond and garden plants for our plant sale, too. A few announcements were read. The Foundation 2 Pond Tour (was) June 13th in Cedar Rapids and Kloubec’s fish farm is/was hosting a open house and BBQ on June 26th. Our guest speaker was one of our own members and host, Carol Sindelar. Carol gave a very interesting talk about irises. She had hoped they would be blooming in her yard yet, but we missed the big show by a week or so. Regardless, she talked about the different kinds, colors, anatomy, and care of them. She gave so many facts it was hard for this secretary to take so many notes, so I just asked her to write an article on her talk and print it in the newsletter for all to read. It was very informational and we thank her for her time and effort in putting all that information together and sharing it with us. The club voted to continue the Saturday night meeting agenda,as it seems to be well attended. Although, we welcome all arguments and ask for your opinion, if you have a better idea. (Speaking of attendance, this Thursday meeting was very well attended, with many new faces. It was great to meet Bobby Hershey, who drove all the way from Milton to get one of Rick Fangman’s (all the way from Gilbertville) pumps. (See advertising in the club newsletter is a great way to sell your extra equipment!)) Rick also announced he still had 55 gallon barrels. FREE, if anyone needed them. With that announcement, Greg Bickal added that he could make them square if needed?!?!?! Sharon Weiss shared with the group her experience with a muskrat this past winter and how heavy rains literally lifted her empty skimmer box and liner right out the hole she had. We spoke about how your city may increase the amount of chlorine and chloramine it adds in the water due to recent flooding and higher bacteria counts. Traditional amounts of water conditioners for these additives may not be sufficient to protect your fish under these conditions. You should keep on your toes on how your tap water tests and adjust accordingly. I recently found tap water that was being filtered threw a whole house filter, that was still testing positive for ammonia at high concentrations, via chloramines. Much to the pond owners surprise, they were adding untreated ammonia at a higher ppt than they were removing with water changes. (We’re all learning what to watch for here.) There was no other new or old business, so we drew for door prizes. The lucky winners were: Deb Freze, Elana Murillo, Sharon Weiss, and myself. Meeting adjourned Thanks Carol and Dennis for the treats, the great talk, and the bug free environment! Respectfully, Jackie Allsup
More Minutes... Saturday, June 26th was the date of our second monthly meeting. Another large number of members showed to walk threw Edna and Ron Rife’s beautiful gardens. Kacy Novak opened the meeting and introduced Ron and asked him to talk briefly about his pond and landscape. They have spent the last 6 years designing their yards. Ron spoke about his 4 1/2 year old pond, multiple plantings, and recent plight with Dutch Elm Disease, which threatens to wipe out the shade gardens they’ve spent years developing. The Rife’s yard is one of the most lush you’ll see anywhere. The lilies were in full bloom and color was everywhere. They have a large variety of different plantings that makes this landscape one of the most interesting and beautiful in the area. Following Ron’s talk, we went to the business portion of the meeting. A treasurer’s report was given and approved. We voted on and approved to pay to get our web site on an internet listing service which allows several search engines to reference our site. We voted to not subscribe to the Water Garden magazine as a club. Several members already receive this magazine and offered to put their extras in the library for all to read and share. Pond tour chairman, Joe Olsen, spoke about the up coming pond tour. We passed the sign up sheet around again looking for volunteers to man ponds on the day of the tour. (We’re still short people. Please call either Joe or myself if you can help. Please..pretty please!) Joe told members about the mini-tour meeting plans (Sandy Hunter, Washburn -6:30 sharp!) and some details about the after tour party to be held at his home immediately after the tour. He reminded people to BRING PLANTS for our tour! Even if you can’t work, we appreciate your contributions. All proceeds from the plant sale come directly back to the club. So get out there and divide those over abundant plants and help your club at the same time. Hang them posters! It’s time for the full press as far as advertisement goes. If you have an “in” to the media world at all, we’d appreciate your help. We also took a revote as to whether to keep the meetings on a Saturday night. It only takes looking around at the attending numbers to know it’s working better for members. Our speaker fell through for the meeting, so we started an impromptu talk about our ponds. Visitor, Sue Hightshoe, spoke about her continuing pond woes. She’s had leaks and fish dying. Several members tried to give advise and some offered to go out to her home to take a peek at what she had going on and offer recommendations. Kacy passed around a Koi Puzzle she acquired off the internet and offered her services to help others find puzzles of interest. She spoke about trying to form a group of volunteers to do some community work. Sharon announced that Karen Inman was recovering nicely from a recent hip replacement. Get well soon, Karen,and all the best. We spoke briefly about the product Microlift and how some members swear by it’s use in clearing their ponds, while other’s reported their ponds turned greener. Member’s must remember how different all our ponds are. What works for one, doesn’t always work for the next. Experimentation sometimes works. Find a partner and share buying a product. Cost you less to try something new. One of the benefits of going to meetings is letting members help you sort threw all the pond products; what works and what doesn’t. One member noticed a vendor was floating bioballs in their ponds and advertised and sold them as bacteria and bio-filter starters. One member express that an other vendor was selling string algae as a “good” pond helper! That caused a stir in the group. Ron and Edna served up a great bunch of treats, and door prizes where drawn for. It was a wonderfully warm evening to sit outside. Finally! I was lucky and got to check out Edna’s new bathroom daycore. All fishies...supper cool! Felt like I had walked into a “Finding Nemo” movie set. Respectfully,
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There are so many things to be excited about this month but I have to admit I have been distracted since the June 10th meeting at our pond. The very next day, (always the next day) we discovered a Lotus bud on a 6 inch stem breaking through a low leaf, in the 55 gallon barrel Lotus Bog. We were sooo excited. We have not had the 2 year old Lotus bloom yet. Well, it is now June 29th and with all the cool nights we have had, it still has not bloomed. No matter how many times we go out to look. But we also have another bud coming. So we are distracted… Well Bobbie Hershey comes up from Milton, that is almost Missouri, to the June 26th meeting and she has pictures of her pond. One features her Lotus with two buds and a seed pod forming. The blue tropical lily is blooming, the Red Phlox are beautiful. I am thinking these are last year’s pictures. I comment how nice the pond looked last year. NO, she took these the day before!!! THE DAY BEFORE!!! Oh I think I need to move south. Almost to Missouri might be nice. I continue to wait. Carol | |
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By Carol Sindelar At the June 10 meeting of EIPS, members requested I submit an article to the newsletter about Iris since I had already done the research for the meeting presentation. While I was looking at the information there seemed to be more to be said. So here it is. There are several varieties of Iris: Bearded - The biggest and boldest are the Bearded Iris also known as German Iris, Iris germanica. The Bearded Iris is the only one that has the fuzzy beard on the falls. They come in the most colors and combinations of colors and heights, dwarf, standard, table, and boarder. And the newest addition is the reblooming, blooming in the spring and in the fall. Siberian – Often remembered as the tall slender Iris with the smaller flower, but often planted with the Bearded Iris. Iris siberiaca offers new colors every year but are mostly seen in a rich purple, blue or white. Water Iris – The Iris pseudacorus (Yellow) and Iris versicolor (Blue) are both naturalized in North America and especially in Iowa. The yellow is native to Europe and the blue to North America. The yellow is taller (36 inches) and more vigorous than the blue. And I have felt the yellow’s pedals are longer making the blossom larger. These are the ones for the pond, both species like wet feet. Louisiana – This iris is a native to Louisiana and are said to be amazingly easy to grow for zones 4 – 10. They need 4 – 6 hours sun and plenty of water. They also demand fertile, acidic soil. The blossoms are the size of Siberian but flatter, the stands go out instead of up and their colors are more intense, redder reds but still not a true red. They bloom later than Bearded Iris and can extend your growing season considerably. Japanese – Iris ensata is the latest bloomer of all the Iris. They are zone 4-9 and require moisture-retentive soil. The flower also has a flat look with the stands as well as the falls reaching downward and the crest arching up and outward. “Shogun” is a true red. Iris pallida aurea-variegata – Like the bearded but with a variegated leaf. Whether you are keeping Bearded, Siberian, Louisiana, Water or Dutch, all Iris have a basic anatomy for the blossom. Stands – The pedals that stand up forming the top of the flower. Falls – The pedals that reach downward from the center of the flower. Crest – The short, sturdy, inner pedals that lay inside the stands. Beard – The fuzzy strips on the center of the falls. (Only on bearded Iris) Since Iris is from the Greek for Rainbow, the colors in Iris cover the painter’s pallet, from reds and purples to blues, to yellows, rusts, pinks, peach, cream and even black. Although the red of the Bearded varieties of “Red at Night” and the black of “Superstition” are not true black and red, the black is close. There is no true green in any of the iris varieties, yet. Irises have special names for many of the special color combination as follows: Self – The Iris is one color. “Beverly Sills” is a real popular peach colored Iris, all peach. Bi-Tone – The Iris is two shades of one color. “Proud Tradition” is an Iris with dark blue falls and light blue stands. Bi-Color – The Iris is two colors. “Edith Wolford” is an Iris with purple falls and creamy yellow stands. Variegata – The Iris has yellow stands and rust or red falls. “Gypsy Caravan” is a Variegata Iris. Amoena – The Iris is a bi-color but the stands are always white, with contrasting falls. “Dover Beach” is an example of an Amoena. Blends – The Iris in the blends group include the Zebra and Batik group. The colors are streaked or blended over both the stands and falls. Plicata – The Iris has light colored pedals with dark boarders. For Iris, like many perennials, there is an optimum time to plant and transplant and then there is the time that we have. The best time to plant and transplant is one month after they bloom. Around here that is late June. The Optimum window runs through July. This is the time that the Iris is dormant, in the heat of the summer. After this rest, the Iris will sprout new roots and leaves and do some growing of new rhizomes and roots before winter sets in. Iris can be moved anytime but you must remember the move may affect the timing of the bloom that year or the next. Seldom does it kill the plant. Garden centers offer Iris both in the spring and during the late summer. Catalogues seem to think later is better as I have received Iris to plant as late as November, but usually in October. I don’t like them being planted this late. I usually loose a 3rd of the order and attribute it to the timing. And I also think it affects their ability to bloom the next year. But that is just editorial commentary. The bottom line is, plant them when you can get them. Move them when you have to or a month after they bloom if you have the luxury of scheduling the move. Iris like to have their rhizomes close to the ground’s surface with the roots reaching down into the ground for stability. The best technique it to work the soil in a 10 inch hole then create a ridge for the rhizome to sit on. Allow the roots to extend into the holes on each side. Cover with dirt. The rhizome should be right at ground level. If you have problems with root rot, a gardener in New York recommends surrounding the rhizome and covering the top of the root area with sand. I don’t have this problem but it sounds like a good idea. Another problem is Iris Bores. Fairly common in the Bearded varieties. We have also found them in our Water Iris. The older varieties of Bearded Iris might seem immune to bores but the reality is that they reproduce so quickly, that they keep ahead of the losses from bores. Newer varieties are more susceptible to the bores by not out reproducing their destruction. The life cycle of the bore is much like a butterfly or moth. Eggs are laid on the tops of the leaves in the fall. They hatch out as the bore, which is quite small and hatches out right before the time the Iris are blooming. Brown spots and holes can be seen on the leaves as the bore works it’s way down the leaf to the rhizome. Along the way it eats the leaves and grows in size. By the time it reaches the rhizome, it will be pink and the size of an adult’s little finger. Iris Bores are hard to eradicate. Following are some suggested methods: *Spray early in the spring and weekly until they bloom with malathion or diazinin directing the spray toward the bottom half of the leaves. A little liquid soap or detergent added to this solution helps it adhere to the leaf. *Spray early in the spring and weekly until they bloom with Murphy’s Oil Soap (1/2 cup MOS to 1 Gallon of water). The lady who suggests this technique says she thinks the smell of the soap repels the bore. *Which ever spray you use, it is recommended to remove (burn, not compost) old leaves and stem both in the fall and early spring . Also cut the leaves back to 4 inches after they bloom. This can catch some of the bores as they move down the stem. Watch for signs of their activity. *Squeezing the leaves in the spring can smash the bore within the leaves. So basically, we want to remove the dead leaves whenever we can to get the eggs out of the garden (November, March, mid summer). We want to remove the bores whenever we detect their presence. Watch for browning leaves and obvious signs of the leaf being eaten, from the inside. Whether it be smashing them within the leave in April and May or cutting down the leaves to 3 inches or less if the bore is lower than 4 inches, after the Iris bloom. Cut them down again in very early spring, before they start growing for the year. Dig out the roots if the bores get to them before you get to the bore. When you are transplanting Iris, soak the rhizomes in a solution of 10 parts water to 1 part bleach for one hour, then plant. This will kill off any bores or eggs, and disinfect the rhizome for fungus and root rot. This is especially a good idea when getting roots from friends. Don’t let them bring things into your garden. I like to dead head the stems so the plant does not expend it’s energy on developing a seed pod since they reproduce very well by growing new rhizomes each year. The water Iris germinate quite easily, I have to dig them out of the gravel path along the pond each year. And I know the Siberians have seeded out into my Hosta that are down the hill from them. Watch for them, the seedlings look like a thick blade of grass. They take a couple years before they gain the height and stature of an adult plant. Enjoy your Iris. Experiment with different varieties. Get addicted. The American Iris Society votes on a favorite Iris variety each year and four of the last five years “Dusky Challenge” a Blue Self with Ruffles won this award. This is a beautiful plant and readily available in this area. The American Iris Society web site is: www.irises.org. It is a great source for information, it lists local organizations and has a very nice picture gallery. | |
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We have a NEW web address www.eips.org Isn’t that an easy one! Pass the word. Renewal time: It is that time of year again, time to renew your membership. Fill out the membership form and mail to the PO box or deliver it to Nancy Baldwin at the next meeting.
Remember: the Thursday, July 8th meeting starts at 6:30 SHARP. Please be early. We will be leaving and visiting ALL of the ponds on the tour. before 9:00. We will be hassling.
We're celebrating our 40th Anniversary Aug. 1st from 3-6pm. at our house & the pond club is invited. Bonnie & Elden Happel, 706 Central, Evansdale.
Bring your plant donations to Joe Olsen’s the night of the Pre-Tour meeting, July 8th or the morning of the Tour, July 11th… Please have them marked identifying the species of plant, color if it blooms, and whether it is Hardy or Tropical.
Buy Sell Trade Rick Fangman still has 55 gallon barrels. Black, white or blue. FREE ! If you liked the rain barrels Ron & Edna Rife had built, you are going to want one of these barrels to build one, or two. | |
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* The first thing in the morning while going to the bathroom you look out the window to make sure that the pond is OK, that the water has not been accidentally drained during the night or that a pump has not malfunctioned. * The last thing you do at night is look at the pond to make sure that the pond is OK, that the water has not been accidentally drained or that a pump has not malfunctioned. * In the middle of the night you get up, get the flashlight and go outside in your pj’s to make sure that the pond is OK, that the water has not been accidentally drained or that a pump has not malfunctioned. * You go out to the pond to relax and can’t sit for more than 1 minute before you’re up and adjusting something or making sure that the pond is OK, that the water is not accidentally draining or that a pump is not malfunctioning. * You think the term “working in the pond” is an oxymoron. | |
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~Hwy 20 Corridor~ POND TOUR 2004
Sunday, July 11th
Tour includes: * 10 + ponds & gardens from Evansdale, Gilbertville, Jesup & Independence.
Ticket Price: Adults—$5.00
ALL PROCEEDS RETURN TO THE COMMUNITIES FOR BEAUTIFICATION PROJECTS! Watch area newspapers for locations of the ponds on the tour INDEPENDENCE Pam and Ron Black
Joe and Judy Olsen
Bruce and Donna Wehner
Sam and Verna Schweitzer
Gary Buresh
Pat Fencl
JESUP Bill and Mary Adams
Ron and Peggy Neuendorf
Dana Webber
GILBERTVILLE Rick and Marty Fangman
EVANSDALE Elden and Bonnie Happel
WATERLOO Sandy Hunter
And other Tour related information! The plans are in the final stages and we have some final information for you. 1. We need some additional helpers on the day of the tour. Ticket takers for 2 ponds and someone to run the plant sale. Please contact Joe Olsen 319-334-2709 / olywon@indytel.com. 2. The Plant Sale will be at Olsen’s in Independence. If you have plants to donate, mark them with the name of the plant & color and bring them either the morning of the tour or the Thursday of the pre tour. 3. The Post Tour party will be at Olsen’s after the Pond Tour. Please let Joe know you will be attending, either at the July 8th meeting or by phone or e-mail. (see above) 4. Hey, let’s have a fun time talking ponds and meeting the public. Help out with Pond Tour 2004. | |
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The volunteer assignments for the Pond Tour are as follows: INDEPENDENCE Pam and Ron Black - 2083 Kentucky Ave.
Joe and Judy Olsen - 2003 206th Street,
Bruce and Donna Wehner - 314 8th Ave. SE,
Sam and Verna Schweitzer - 2094 Jamestown Ave.,
Gary Buresh - 1875 Otterville Blvd.,
Pat Fencl - 1559 260th St. SW,
JESUP Bill and Mary Adams - 1215 Hawley St., JESUP
Ron and Peggy Neuendorf - 814 Hawley St., JESUP
Dana Webber - 1174 Hawley St., JESUP
GILBERTVILLE Rick and Marty Fangman - 823 17th Ave.,
EVANSDALE Elden and Bonnie Happel - 706 Central,
WATERLOO Sandy Hunter - 715 E. Washburn,
We still need volunteers in Independence, and Jesup. And someone to man the plant sale. Can you help? | |
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Reminder: If you have not paid your dues for the year, this will be the last newsletter you will be receiving. Eastern Iowa Pond Society Membership Application | |
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July
Saturday, 24th Jackie Allsup – Quasqueton
August
Saturday, 28 Tim & Linda Nolan - CR
September
Saturday, 25 Roger and Margie Thompson – Springville
October
November
All locations and topics are subject to change. | |
