THE LILY POND

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 October 1940, Page 9

THE LILY POND

GIVE IT A SPRING CLEAN. An established garden pool should have a spring clean when necessary. A well balanced pool, one which has been constructed for several years and is well stocked with an assortment of fish and aquatic plants, will require little attention. If the water is covered with a scum, or gives off an odour and the weeds are connected with a broad, olive green ribbon, then an overhaul is, needed. A scum on the water is easily removed by first hosing the surface under high pressure. The hose should have a rose attached. The little which remains can be controlled by spraying the surface with a solution of bluestone (copper sulphate) ljoz per gallon of water. One spraying should put an end to the scum, but should it return, give another application. An excess, however, may harm other aquatic plants and fishes. Aquatic growth, which takes the form of a broad band of ribbon-like substance about two inches in diameter, sometimes spreads over the surface and connects with the growth of the water weeds, gives off an objectionable smell and impregnates the water. The water, however, if properly balanced, should not be drained away. Remove every portion of the green ribbon and spray with the copper sulphate. Water may also give off an objectionable odour if leaves lie rotting in quantity at the bottom of the pool. These can be removed by dredging with a fine tooth rake. The water, cloudy at first, will clear in a few days. Water lilies, irises, Butomus and other pool plants thrive when lifted and divided every third season. The same applies to some of the rapid growing under-water weeds, such as Anacharis and Myriophyllum. Water lilies in small pools usually grow extensively, so that the leaves almost cover the surface of the water and thu plants produce only a few poor quality flowers. The muddy stool of roots should be dragged from the bottom and the hose directed upon it with force enough to wash away the mud. This will facilitate division. The best portions for replanting are the fat crowns surrounded by tufts of rising new growths. The clumps may be divided by thrusting in two garden forks back to back and then levering them apart. The flowering crowns and their attached roots can then be removed by cutting through the rootstock with a stiff, sharp knife. Plant one or two good pieces in baskets of soil and sink to the bottom of the pool.