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ABC’s of Ponds

$39.95 Tax

Product details

  • Hardcover
  • Publisher: Gardenside Publications
  • Language: English

Price: $39.95

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Description

Review

ABC’s of Ponds—A Pond Primer: What You Need to Know for Long Term Pond Success, by Carolyn J. Weise, is exactly the book I wish I’d had in 1990, before our first pond was installed.

It has everything a ponder wanna be needs to know, from types of ponds, filters, pumps, water changes, bacteria, food, bottom drains, stocking, seasonal care, problem solving, among other topics.

Her writing style, reader friendly and clear, is engaging and support­ive, and she includes examples and some wonderful photos. This is a valuable addition to our library holdings.

The book, published by Gardenside Publications in 2011 has an easy-to-follow layout, a clear and helpful table of contents, and down to earth advice about koi and ponds.

This is a book for any koi keeper, but it is especially good for some­one starting out in this hobby. While she includes basic informa­tion about koi health, this is not a compendium of technical health and disease information—we have Johnson, Saint-Erne, and Roberts for that.

As a Koi Health Advisor, I particu­larly enjoyed her comments about new hobbyists, in her section “New Ponder Syndrome.” She writes “We have a problem, folks.  It’s called a ‘little bit of knowledge’ and it’s running rampant across the U.S…..Every pond [new hobbyists] see tells them theirs is inadequate for their fish. Every advertisement for a new filter is cause for great anxiety.  They are gnawing their way through life…They throw chemicals into the pond to solve one problem and create several new ones.  They live in a constant state of unfulfillment.”

She goes on to say that koi keeping and pond ownership, if we follow a few basic rules, should “bring down” our blood pressure, not raise it, and explains exactly what we need to do, with a sense of humor.

Another thing I really liked about her book was her acknowledgment of the various kinds of ponds we might enjoy, from reflecting pools to frog ponds, turtle ponds, water garden ponds to the straight-sided classic koi pond. All offer tremen­dous enjoyment, and she gives suggestions on how to best build each one and what kinds of questions to ask contractors if we are having someone else build the pond for us.

Carolyn J. Weise is editor of the Mid-Atlantic Koi magazine, works in consumer relations for Ecological Laboratories, Inc., and has written for numerous pond and water garden publications over the years. She bought her first koi in 1990, and has been koi kichi ever since.

This is an all around “must have” book; after you look it over, you may want to order one for your­self. I now have my very own copy.

Additional information

Size

4oz (PHINF04), 16oz (PHINS16)

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