Tootfinder

One of my earliest memories is collecting cherry tomatoes in my shirt, then walking around the garden eating them. Never gets old. #tomatoes #gardening

The first of our onion crop is off the drying rack (though we’ve been stealing from it daily) plus our sad garlic crop for the year. Don’t feel bad for us though, we got dozens of heads from a single bed last year. 🧅 🧄
#gardening #oklahoma 🌱

Squash Bug War Casualty Report:
Adults: 0, Egg Pods: 0
I know I’m lacking on Dad humor missives, but it seems we’ve come to a cease fire in the war. Two days now and only one egg pod to show for it. Going to go quiet until they return. I know they are out there somewhere.
#gardening #oklahoma

Give your friends a zucchini; give your enemies two.
#AncientGardeningProverbs #gardening

Bu ağacı bahçeme yabani armut (ahlat) diye ektim ama sanırım o değil. Ne olduğunu bilmiyorum. Bilen varsa ve yardımcı olursa bakımını ona göre yapayım
#garden #gardening #garten

This feels very much like a Fediverse thing…I’m looking to re-wild my backyard.
Anyone know someone in Metro Vancouver who could help me?
Boost for each please.
#gardening #rewilding #vancouver

We’ve been getting a handful of blackberries everyday now, but it appears after last nights rain, we may soon be on track for a blackberry explosion. Jelly and Jam time!
#gardening #oklahoma

Squash Bug War Casualty Report: Adults 0, Egg Pods 0.
No enemy contact, but I know they are out there, it’s like they are taunting me . . .
“Hallo, you tiny-brained gardener! You frighten no one! Today we did not come, because we did not feel like it!”
#gardening #oklahoma

Visited Burpee's Fordhook Farm yesterday in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. I couldn't stop gazing with envy at the tomatoes. Almost all in the 8-foot range, packed with clusters of huge fruit, and showing zero signs of senescing. I'm assuming the automatic watering system is the secret. #tomatoes #gardening #burpee #doylestown #pennsylvania #seeds

Good morning Oklahoma.🌻
#oklahoma #gardening #sunflowers 🌱

Upon learning that we had harvested the very last cabbage for the summer, an overwhelming, undeniable Teutonic command came welling up from within me demanding immediate fermentation activities.
#gardening #oklahoma 🌱

a little double pipe action?
i was originally going to use IPEX white solid pipe for this part of the plumbing, but it stuck out like a sore thumb and was difficult to conceal.
Luckily, I got a bonus 50ft of flexible 2" black pipe last year after Amazon sent me it even though I had cancelled and refunded the order. I thought I might sell it but never got any bites. So here we are!
#poolpond #pond #gardening #diy #electrical #pandemicpond #backyardProject

I've been #gardening this morning, mainly seeing to the veg plus feeding the olive tree. The garden is really putting on a show. It's a shame Mum's not here to see it, as she's the one behind it all. The sage flowers are in reality a glowing violet colour, just gorgeous. #bloomscrolling

Squash Bug War Casualty Report:
Adults: 1, Egg Pods: 2
Too tired to attempt dad humor tonight, but feels like we have reached a equilibrium. Great news is the it’s in our favor, we got 4 more squashes and zucchinis tonight.
#gardening #oklahoma

Today's harvest.
#gardening

We had a leek escape our notice and we are letting it go to seed. They make such an interesting flower structure.
#bloomscrolling #gardening #oklahoma

My men are working in the garden.
#Grandparenting #Gardening #Canberra

#raspberry #gardening

Had a productive morning in the garden. Got all the beds weeded. Said bye to some old friends. Harvested the last cabbage. Pulled our garlic crop which was pretty much a failure this year. Started harvesting the onions, which did great this year. Out with the kale too. 🧅
#gardening #oklahoma

Hot peppers are on their way. The Thai Chilis are the first to appear this year. 🌶️
#gardening #oklahoma 🌱

#garden #garten #gardening

my least favourite part of our garden is the hedge we share with the neighbour (who are extremely nice).
Thus, when I do maintenance of it... I tend to be a little more brutal.
like say.... cutting any branches on our side down to the stump.
it grows so fast! it also harbours evil ivy and holly bushes
#gardening #portalberni

A diurnal firefly on my parsley - #wildlife #gardening

Exhibit A for the "plant basil around your yard to repel mosquitoes" assertion. #mosquitoes #basil #gardening

SQUASH BUG WAR CASUALTY REPORT
KIA: 0, Egg Pods Destroyed: 0
No contact with the enemy today. Not one bug. Not one egg. The leaves are still. TOO still.
This is not a victory. This is a TRAP.
#gardening #oklahoma

Is it too early to plant beans? Probably a little. But I did anyway. I also mixed all the seeds up so I'll end up with a wall of vines with colors scattered everywhere. Hopefully. No guarantees in gardening. #gardeningthoughts

Our Espresso Gladiolus have started blooming.
#gardening #oklahoma

BATTLE REPORT: 2 adults eliminated, 4 egg pods destroyed, 1 enemy escaped.
Comrades! Today we struck at the squash bug bourgeoisie — even catching two saboteurs in the shameless act of expanding their counter-revolutionary forces! They were dealt with accordingly.
#gardening #oklahoma

Well, this was a chore I have been kind of dreading since last fall! Cutting, splicing, crimping and ultimately connecting and lengthening the cable for the water pump for the #poolpond. I did it, but I am tired and my hands hurt. 😂 😭
It’s a pretty straightforward thing… you cut the ends off the extension cord, cut it to length, cut the part of the pump cord you want to extend in two, and then set about stripping, crimping, heat shrinking, and taping, the two cables together.
But I knew it wasn’t going to be one and done. I started this at 4PM. Thought I had it almost done by 4:30 and then realized I forgot to thread the heat shrink tubing on first. 😣 doh
So I started over.
Then I got half way through try#2 and had to leave….
Came back to it just after 9PM… and spent the next two hours doing, and redoing, it. Until it was, I hope, good.
Won’t know for sure until I plug the pump in tomorrow.
Slightly nervous. 😬
I’ll update you tomorrow! Probably first thing! 🤞
#pond #gardening #diy #electrical #pandemicpond #backyardProject

Weeded the front flower beds in the hot sun while listening to the latest Murderbot installment from Martha Wells. Lost a little blood during an engagement with several thornless honeylocusts that had hacked their programming and in fact had plenty of thorns (don’t get me started). #murderbot #books #gardening

I'm sitting outside with a coffee, amid the garden Mum planted so skilfully, and which I maybe didn't appreciate while she was alive, and the various things we've stuck in pots - walnut, fig, olive etc - and have just ordered a hazel tree and a cherry tree from The Woodland Trust. Mum had several big ceramic planters that are now empty or full of scrub and they're just right for young trees that are just a twig and a leaf 🌿

Dispatch — Squash Bug Front
Casualties: Adults 0 | Eggs 4
After last night's slaughter, both sides withdrew to their lines. No sentries crested the trenchline. Scattered egg fire at 0600 — harassing only, a reminder they still hold the zucchini salient.
#gardening #oklahoma

Evening Squash Bug War: Casualty Report
10 adults KIA, 4 egg pods destroyed.
O cursed stinkèd foe, thou crept upon my vine!
But lo — my thumb of justice, swift and firm,
Hath crushed thy copper eggs and broke thy line.
The Union garden stands. Begone, thou bug.
#gardening #oklahoma

#Annabelle #hydrangeas going nuts this year!
#gardening #garden

I recommend getting an #aronia shrub.
• you don't have to do anything about it most of the year
• after a few years it gives enough fruit to add to ice cream the whole year round
• the fruits come in large bunches and have relatively tough skin, so it's easy to collect
• most of people are prejudiced against it, so you have it all to yourself
#gardening

Morning Squash Bug War Casualty Report: Adults 1, another adult was able to escape. Egg Pods: 0
#gardening #oklahoma 🌱

Evening Squash Bug War Casualty Report: Adults: 9, Egg Pods: 3.
After several days of light contact, the enemy returned in force. Much squishing was inflicted and some good leaves were lost. But we survive to harvest another day.
#gardening #oklahoma 🌱

I’ve been neglecting my duties in the garden and it shows. Had to say bye to two zucchini due to vine borers and another has a bad infestation of squash bugs. That said, the garden is producing nicely. Best harvest tonight of blackberries yet this year.
#gardening #oklahoma

The onion crop is getting close, very excited. #gardening #oklahoma 🌱

2/2 Along the same plumbing lines... I am also preparing the pumps themselves.
One major thing to do was to splice in an extension cord to the cord for the pump. Obviously this is a "break the warranty" situation, but there is no way around it really. The included cord is only about 6ft to the electronic controller unit and AC/DC transformer. It needs to be much longer to reach even just the shed beside the intake bay where the main pump lives.
I do have two of these pumps so I am holding off extending the second one until I know this first one is successful and happily pumping away in the pond.
The second one will take water directly from the bottom of the main pond as opposed to the intake bay, but it is only additional capacity and isn't critical. Ideally I will have both on at half power normally. But for now, we start with this one!
Need to get butt connectors and heat shrink tubing tomorrow. Ill probably do this electrical work on Thursday or Friday night so I can test it out hopefully Saturday!
#poolpond #pandemicpond #backyardProject #portalberni #gardening #diy

Morning Squash Bug War Casualty Report: Adults: 0, Egg Pods: 1. Suspect enemy has retreated into hiding to regroup and resupply.
Will need to increase our sentry duties in preparation for the next attack wave. #gardening #oklahoma

Evening Squash Bug War Casualty Report: Adults: 0, Egg Pods: 6. This is starting to feel less like a war and more like a scene from Alien. On the plus side, we did get to harvest our first squash, albeit a small one. #gardening #oklahoma 🌱

1/2 #poolpond update since my last post got unintentionally deep-sixed and now there is further progress!
on Saturday and Sunday we got supplies and I installed the irrigation box. It involved digging Yet Another Hole, plus small trenches on three sides to accomodate pipes from the main water areas.
Convincing the valves/manifold to fit into the box was a chore, but we got there!
Also fed the main pipe line through the box which yes, involved disconnecting it from the filter pond end, and basically feeding the filter box along the pipe, back to the hole.
In all it turned iout well. I will be removing/rearranging the stream near the tree and adding another layer of liner just for that doversionary stream so I can contain/isolate it fully if I want and also feed the two pipes exiting toward the big pond under the stream so it is less visible in the end.
Sometimes I feel like as this goes I think up more things to do and it makes it all interminable, but really, it just makes it better!
but wait there's more after the pictures...
#pandemicpond #backyardProject #portalberni #gardening #diy

Tonight’s Squash Bug War Casualty Counts: 6 adults, 2 In flagrante delicto. 4 egg pods. #gardening #oklahoma

I had a mad idea this spring to allow all of my volunteer sunflowers to grow in the yard. I hope this pans outs into something magical because right now mowing is difficult and I am afraid I might get lost in my own yard.
Music by the genius Kristy Kruger. #gardening #oklahoma 🌱

For probably the 100th time I've pruned the neighbor's border privet (Ligustrum obtusifolium) that was planted right along the property line. Always makes me grumpy. #invasive #noxious #privet #gardening #ligustrum #oleaceae

My Sisyphean battle with the squash bug has begun. I face this battle with resignation in my heart. On the plus side though, there are blackberries. #oklahoma #gardening 🌱

Princess pumpkin watch continues.
#oklahoma #gardening

If anyone needs a gift for a vegetable gardener, I just love my folding Opinel harvesting knife. It's especially useful when the zucchini plant is crowded with stems, flowers, and fruit. #garden #gardening #allotment #zucchini

Starting to get a little spicy in the garden. Squash bug war is heating back up, but still no plant casualties. 4 adults tonight, but 2 in flagrante delicto.
#gardening #oklahoma

Quick update on my quest to rid my yard of plants I dislike. Bamboo, privet, and English ivy are 100% gone, though latter still tries to creep in from neighbors' yards. Hosta, wisteria, garlic mustard, and unidentified invasive bulbs are next on the list. #garden #gardening #weeds #bamboo

I love a huge harvest as much as the next guy, but I really enjoy the variety picks during the seasonal transitions. Finding little surprises hidden around the garden is a such pleasure.
Had some storm damage, may have lost a zucchini, but I never regret rain in Oklahoma.
#gardening #Oklahoma

Sharing my solution to squash vine borers (Eichlinia cucurbitae), the larvae of which burrow into the roots and eventually kill the plant: inject Thuricide Bt into stem wherever you see frass accumulating. This is easier to do if you train your plant vertically so that lower parts are visible. I also regularly police for eggs. #garden #gardening #squash #zucchini #vegetables #allotment #insects #lepidoptera #moths

I make dark light of my battles with the squash bugs but on mornings when I head out and find such lovely vegetables, it makes it all worth it.
#gardening #oklahoma

4/4 Spent the day today with @… turning the water on and off, and the pump on and off.. watching how the water comes out of the bog filter and down into the poolpond. Pump is only at 25%, which is more like 15% as there will be a second pump as well in time.
Shifted some of the flat stones around and got them in a nice place. I had to do some hand digging under the lining near the tree. I am pretty sure the berm is too low there for when the pumps are at full force, but I am ok with where things are now. There is lots of opportunity to build the edges up if need be.
For now, I am going to work on sealing the rocks along the edge in to help direct the water.
I also need to splice in an extension cord into the pump wiring so that I can run a long enough distance to have the power supply and controller in the small shed and not hiding under the liner at the top of the pond. 🤣
#pandemicpond #PoolPond #gardening #portalberni #home #yard #bloomscrolling #BackyardProject

We lost a few sunflowers in last night’s storm, but the Zinnias seem to have loved the rain. Don’t worry, we have plenty of sunflowers left. 🤣
#bloomscrolling #gardening #oklahoma

One of the shelling peas grew up on the wrong side of the bird netting. Sad, but a nice reminder that all the effort setting up the structure was worth it. #peas #sparrows #gardening #pisum #birds #allotment

We sadly missed an egg pod on our avocado squash. We killed a bunch of adults and nymphs, but we will see if the ones we missed can kill it. In the mean time, we harvested all that we could plus some zucchini and blackberries.
#gardening #oklahoma

Squash Bug War Report:
3 adults, 2 egg pods, 10 nymphs. Total: 15.
Yes, I killed them. The adults were soldiers. The egg pods were weapons caches. The nymphs? The tribunal calls them children. I call them future war criminals in soft exoskeletons.
. . .
#gardening #oklahoma

PS.
Here are the two outlets. This is probably not how it will look in the end, but just a starting point. Once I have the water flowing how I want it to, I will use pond foam sealant to lock the rocks into place and force the water into its final channels and patterns but as you can imagine there is some trial and error to be done before that big step.
For noe you can see there is a fold of liner sitting vertically betwewn the rocks to split the channel. I really have no idea where the water will get to once at full force so this might be too high, or too low but it should not be too far off.
The main thing is that the water is contained within the greater system around the tree. That's the trickiest part right now.
It is a wonderful tree. We don't want to drown it.
Speaking of which, if you are wondering about water. Yes. This is thousands of litres of water. But at this point I am not worried if I need to fill up and drain the bog filter a few times. All extracted water will go into the rest of the garden anyway, so aside from a little evaporation, nothing will be wasted.
Still waiting on it to fill. Looks like it won't be full before quitting time. oh well! Back tomorrow water experiments!
#pandemicpond #PoolPond #gardening #portalberni #home #yard #bloomscrolling #BackyardProject

Argh, the squash bugs are back after a couple of days of reprieve. Good news is though there are cute mystery melons and blackberries. 🍈
#gardening #oklahoma 🌱

Anyone know what could cause a Japanese maple to suddenly die in the Spring? Leaves are all shriveled but not yet crispy. Not my tree but I'm curious. Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. #maple #trees #disease #arborists #garden #gardening

Squash Bug War Report:
1 Adult, 2 Egg Pods
Too tired for story time, a simple harvest report will have to do. Getting some nice zucchinis plus a handful of blackberries daily. Onions are coming off the rack and harvested our first jalapeño of the year in nice purple hue.
#gardening #oklahoma

Silly gardening tip: before using a hose on a hot day, purge the superheated water into a container for later use. #watering #water #garden #gardening #hose

2/2 Then I moved on to working on finalizing the stream and edges of the poolpond.
After a trial run last fall I realized I needed to do a little more sculpting of the clay at the front of the pond where the bog filter and poolpond meet.
I would like to encourage a long waterfall along the front edge.
So after some peeling back of the liners to reinforce the berm in a few spots near the tree especially, I made a proper ledge at the front and am laying down some of the slate that we also used on the #pandemicpond in the front yard. It'll tie the two in conceptually.
Now I am filling the bog filter with city water (the likelihood of filling from the skies is long gone now) but I will only fill it enough to get a read on where the water is wanting to flow.
Ideally I would like two channels from the bog filter.
The main one will go toward the poolpond, along the front and spill over from there.
A secondary one will go close to the tree to be used if I need to divert the water from the poolpond but still want to keep the filter and system active.
Now I wait... I'm running out of time for today but will be back tomorrow. If I'm lucky, I might be able to get a pump back in and start up the system!
the apple waych strap is hiding a tan line... but it is not just a tan unfortunately lol
#PoolPond #gardening #portalberni #home #yard #bloomscrolling #BackyardProject

this Azalea has a mind of its own. All of the other bushes finished flowering a month ago. Meanwhile, this one is like hey where is everybody?
#Gardening #PortAlberni #bloomscrolling

Backlit corn silk to show off the feathery surface that helps snag falling pollen grains. The stigmatic lobes can grow over an inch per day. #corn #maize #pollen #botany #gardening #allotment #pollination #pollen #stigma

there. watering fill
#poolpond #gardening #pondlife #diy #backyardProject

Stilt roots of maize are really creepy when they are reaching out for soil. #maize #zea #roots #corn #botany #garden #gardening #allotment

achievement unlocked!
just before I got stuck on the curb, I put the trailer back around in the back!
Managed to move and level enough of the dirt to make a spot for the trailer!
Perfect little spot :)
#poolpond #gardening #pondlife #diy #backyardProject

Anyone know the name of these tiny chili peppers? A friend brought them back from Sardinia and is curious. I've managed to germinate a few so perhaps flowers in a month or so will help, but maybe their small size and origin is enough for an ID by an expert. #peppers #chili #capsicum #garden #gardening #sardinia #italy #cooking

i was just reminded that the city water is..... not warm... 😂 🥶
gonna dip anyway!?
it's nearing full, full enough for both pumps to be operating well, but family members are having a shower so filling has been halted until they're done.
The poor banana plant in the back corner got a little dry in the feet 😆 😬. Hopefully it's ok. The first plants in the pond always have the toughest job.
The others are looking ok. Marsh marigold is maybe a little too exposed. I will move it to be more under the hazelnut tree. The bug eating plant is not enjoying life. It might perish. Will do my best to nurse it back to life.
#poolpond #gardening #pondlife #diy #backyardProject

oopsie doodles!
Came outside to do some dirt moving only to find the #poolpond intake bay very nearly empty!
I have not been topping up the water since I filled it about 9 days ago? It has been cooler but windy and the last little bit of rain we got was a few days ago.
It must have just got below the level of the intake bay in the past hour or two as it was on its way to emptying. Luckily i caught it in time.
Water is being added now. I am also going to use the twirly sprinkler to water the flower and blueberry garden and it will also add to the pond at the same time in a nice aerated way.
Adding from the hose is not ideal as all that chlorine goes in at the same time
Anyways, crisis averted and information gained. It is already coming back up nicely.
hopefully it is full in time to have a dip after dirt moving!
#gardening #pondlife #diy #backyardProject

Thinned the 🍏 apples from the blushing delight today. It is doing really well. The tree is healthy and growing.
The northern spy has had a much rougher spring. It was infested with caterpillars until we safer-soaped it three times and so it just never got a good start. It is also in a more challenging location more exposed to the wind and rain. Only had a few blossoms and now no fruit. But it is still alive. I will try to nurse it through the summer and get it to winter. Hopefully next year it has a better go!
But the Blushing Delight is looking great. We should get over a dozen apples again!
#fruit #apple #home #gardening

back around to the backyard and the #poolpond project. got one pad levelled and cloth down for the greenhouse (8ftx8ft). Now levelling the pad for the patio/sitting area and paellero / bbq spot (10ftx10ft)
#backyardProject #diy #gardening #home

back into the trenches, literally. I'm continuing to get the trenching done for electrical, internet, and plumbing out to the shed.
If anyone sees this who has experience with home fiber networks I would be interested in their advice. Our home is mostly wired with CAT5 but there are increasingly heavy bandwidth loads over the past few years.
We have 10Gb fibre to the house from Telus. I would like to gradually add a few ports of fibre to key points but it is out of my day to day networking experience.
First question would be, can I bury fibre with the electrical?
suggestions welcome.
here are some pics. I have dug this trench before, almost 20 years ago.. when we first put solar and power to the old shed. 110 and 220V circuits.
different route this time arohnd the ponds, and also more connection points for both 220 solar and 110 home. Only want to do this once every 20 years at most, so now is the time to do it all. 😝
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #networking #fibre #cat5 #gardening #home

one more!
we have had this tall lilly on our outside deck for 5 or 6 years.
it is also tubors so we split it into 3 clumps.
#pandemicPond #PoolPond #diy #gardening #pondlife

2nd #poolpond pump is back up and running!
Spliced in a new (old) extension cord.
But I actually think the previous one was OK as well and I had just misconfigured the controller and didn't know how to reset it because of the --shall we say-- less than English instruction manual 😂
all good.
Onward!!
Main job now: Finish levelling the whole backyard dirt pile and start landscaping!
#diy #backyardProject #gardening #pondlife

finally, we had a small hasta underneath the rhododendron that needed a new home as it was being out competed by two others.
So I removed the whole thing but was surprised to find that it was essentially only growing on top of the fabric! Amazing it was doing as well as it was.
I left behind I little baby it must have just propagated this year and split the rest of the tubar up into 3 to plant in the bog filter. 2 are visible in the picture in the orevious post, this is the third, beside the tall plant and with a new hasta we bought this year.
#pandemicPond #PoolPond #diy #gardening #pondlife

it's a #pandemicPond and #PoolPond crossover day!
I am splitting some of the established plants from the small pandemic ponds to give some love to the backyard!
First up, I broke off a giant chunk of the milfoil (the low spiny/finger looking plant floating on the water). the picture is *after* i removed more than half of the original plant.
I split that chunk into four and planted it in a few little mounds of gravel along the edge of the poolpond.
the water in both ponds is murky because of my shenanigans. Itll takea few hours after I finish messing with things before it clears up again.
#diy #gardening #pondlife

next up I moved over a chunk of the marsh marigold that grows in the bog barrels.
One thing we have learned after planting these guys there... marsh marigolds LOVE full shade. Really any sun and heat at all and they start to wither.
So I am also moving the little new marigold we bought this year for the poolpond from its initial spot near the edge of the backyard bog pond to a spot under the hazelnut tree.
It's the little guy on the left of the -also new- small hasta. The big round-leafed plant beside the hasta is the big marigold from the barrel.
barrel picture again taken after I split the plant. Crazy how big!!
#pandemicPond #PoolPond #diy #gardening #pondlife

success!
checked on the pandemic pond this morning and even though it was hot yesterday it is still nearly full!
Very little evaporation loss! Looks like that woody debris on the edge of the water was the culprit.
Woot! IT troubleshooting skills for the win. 😝
#poolpond #pandemicpond #pandemicpond #pondlife #gardening #home #diy #IT #TroubleShooting

impress the neighbours.
use a big level.
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening #ants #anthill

foaming!
I cleaned out the waterfall of gunk and most of the small stones and gravel leaving only the large rocks placed as strategically as I could to leave small gaps for foaming.
1.5 cans worth of landscape foam (DAP). I think I got all of it, but water always finds a way so its probably more like 75% if I'm lucky.
Ill let it cure for 24hrs then Ill trim some of the excess and reactivate the waterfall tomorrow to see what it looks like. It should make a big difference no matter what.
#poolpond #backyardproject #diy #gardening #portalberni

ran out of steam but good progress!
the area in front of the sheds is pretty much level and I got the dirt pile down to level up to the edge of the sheds. I think another 5 or 6 loads cart loads of dirt will finish off the pile and bring then dirt up around the back of the pond!
my back was starting to complain and the sun came out so I stopped and ate black berries poking through the fence!
then I went for a swim. It felt sooo good.
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening #ants #anthill

i think the reason I have enjoyed building and maintaining the ponds so much is because they are kind of like a computer system.
Most of the time they work fine, and when they have issues, which generally manifests as "I'm losing water", it is for a clear reason.
But like computers, getting to and identifying that reason, and fixing it, is the challenge.
Over the past few days, the #pandemicpond has been losing water at an accelerated rate. In the summer, it should be able to go at least 2 or 3 days before needing a top up due to evaporation.
But these past few days it has been very low after just a day.
There has to be a leak/escape of water somewhere.
I also recently (about 2 weeks ago) changed the inlet at the top of the bog barrel to shorten the pipe and make it not stick up as tall and ugly.
Like computers... "have you changed anything recently" is a top contender for the root of the issue.
Shortening and dropping the height of the pipe increased the flow without having to increase the pump power. But that could have also caused a minor overflow on the waterfall, or raised the level of the top pond to where it might be overtopping somewhere non-obvious.
I suspect this increased flow is the main issue.
However, like all IT issues, you should cover the easy stuff first. I checked all the piping from the barrels to the waterfall to make sure there were no joints leaking or drips down the pipes.
All seems fine there. I also did a check around the perimeter of the pond to look for overtopping. Nothing there at low levels, but I have to check again when the system is full.
I wanted to cut the hose down further anyway, so I have done that. Was able to remove over 4 feet of pipe. The height hasn't changed though so the impact on flow should not be large.
Then I checked the pump itself, cleaned out its filter bag, strained the skimmer box and put it all back. Nothing untoward there either. Basically just regular maintenance.
A thought occured to me though, the main overflow for the pond is behind the skimmer. If it rains a lot or I overfill the system, it overflows there into some rocks and drains out under the garden to the sidewalk.
I wonder if when the new posts and gate were installed, the level of the overflow dropped slightly. This would give less leeway (freeboard) for the pond before it gets too low. 🤔
Re-raising the overflow would be tricky. And best done after the rains return in fall. But it is something Ill have to consider if today's investigations don't fix the issue.
I just finished refilling the pond (overfull oops... typing too much)
Time to check for overflows and seeps around the edges.
#pandemicpond #pondlife #gardening #home #diy #IT #TroubleShooting

It's Solstice *and* Father's Day *and* the sun is shining *and* Spain is playing at 9AM here on the West Coast of Canada.
This actually all means I need to get out there and mow the lawn before the game starts so I can have a shower, watch the game, and drink the sangria!
Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!!
#España #Home #Gardening #solstice

ooo. I have a new top candidate for cause of accelerated water loss. Cedar chips.
I checked the whole perimeter of the top pond after the system filled and all was good there. But then I did a check of the bottom pond, which is steeper on the edges and harder to do, so I do it less lol.
Right away I found a problem. The flat stones had slipped slightly into the water (likely due to animal visitors over the winter). Edit: just saw a black (invasive) squirrel on the sidewalk near our house! First time. I wonder if he is the messer of flat stones and stealer of fish from the bottom pond!!
Once I reposistioned them, I realized there were a lot of cedar wood chips that had also slipped down, particularly near the skimmer box and were --- HALF IN AND HALF OUT --- of the water.
They were waterlogged.
This is bad.
Dry wood chips outside the water is obviously fine.
Wood chips floating on or sunk under the water is fine.
Any mass of woody material chips, sticks, logs, or even small gravel on the edge of the water, will act as a siphon. They suck up the water and then give lots of surface area for it to quickly evaporate. It has been a rainy July so the woody debris may have already been wet and not evaporating much, but it has been dry for a few days now, and hot the past two. Any siphoning/evaporatoon action would be supercharged.
In the case of gravel, the surface tension between the rocks can cause the edge of the water to creep uphill and also reach the top of the gravel, enhancing evaporation.
Today I found a whole mass of cedar and dirt along the edge of the pond under the flat stones on top of the liner. It was near the skimmer, likely from the gate work.
Bad news.
So I scooped it all out and up onto dry land, and to make sure woody debris can't get to the waters edge under the flat stones, I added some drainage rock along the edge. This should keep the dry and wet zones better separated!
That was just the near side edge of the bottom pond. I haven't checked the far side by the fence.
I might do that tomorrow, but there has been a lot less disturbance there over the past year, so I doubt it will need much help.
I am pretty confident I found the biggest culprit. If my hunch is right, Ill know later today and tomorrow if the water remains relatively stable. It will be hot today so there will be evaporation, but it should not need an emergency fill tomorrow.
Fingers crossed!
Bonus #poolpond content lol. The milfoil is looking very hapoy. It has settled in and the leafy fingers are vertical poking out of the water which is a good sign that they are continuing on happily in their new location. yay!
#pandemicpond #pandemicpond #pondlife #gardening #home #diy #IT #TroubleShooting

While we were chatting about putting the doors on the shed… two doves flew down for a drink at the #poolpond!
I think they thought we were gone? As soon as we moved too much, they flew away! But we were happy to see them! ❤️ 🐦 🐦 ❤️
#doves #birds #gardening #wildlife

Dove #2 was keeping a close eye on us. 😂
#poolpond #doves #birds #gardening #wildlife

you can cone if you want Rain! i have beaten you!
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening #home #portalberni

when a picture is truly worth a thousand words..... or in this case.... screw caps. 😭
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening #home #portalberni

aaaaaaaaaaaand done!!!
It only took about 10 hours of solid work. 😝
And thats with prior knowledge from assembling one 2 years ago!
@… is happy.
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening #home #portalberni

frame down. first wall next! pray for calm air! 😝 🙏 #poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening #home #portalberni

back at it this morning after sleeping in a little. got a bit of a sunburn on the neck and back yesterday! But all good today.
weather is perfect. Just a little wind and nice partly cloudy cool day.
the roof is happening! this is the easy part... the most annoying is yet to come, the sliding doors 😂
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening #home #portalberni

four corners!
getting that first corner myself was....... time-consuming lol.
going pretty quick now, though!
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening #home #portalberni

they changed the forecast. no wind and we have a wonderful layer of fog keeping the sun at bay! If this can just last for the next four hours I should be able to get the second shed built!!
wish me luck!
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening #home #portalberni

the walls are up! it is (mostly) wind proof now so that's comforting. unfortunately the sun has emerged and it's hot.
taking a break.
Not sure if Ill get the roof on today but we'll give a good college try!
#poolpond #backyardProject #diy #gardening #home #portalberni