Today we will learn how to properly install a preform pond.

What is a preformed pond? A preformed pond is a hard shell pond liner that has been pre-molded into a particular shape. Often times they are constructed out of plastic or fiberglass. They are useful for locations with loose soil that would otherwise collapse if had used a flexible EPDM liner.

Planning

First, you will want to think about a location. Consider the space available as preformed ponds start from about 2 feet in diameter and go up. Opt for a sunny location that receives at least 6 hours of sunlight per day. Ensure that the location is away from trees so as to avoid falling foliage and roots. Also, be sure that the location is level, is not in a low point in your yard, and that there aren't any electrical or irrigation related materials underground.

Next do some research into local prices while keeping your budget in mind. Many major home improvement stores will carry preformed ponds. Your local pond supply store many also carry them. When in doubt, choose the largest possible pond as you'll be much happier and maintenance will be easier. When I was a hobbyist, I acquired a 160 gallon preformed pond from the Home Depot.

Now gather the supplies. You'll need some shovels, a level, a friend, etc.

Preparing the location

Place the pond in the spot where you plan on having it installed. Try different positions and choose the best view for you. Where will you be sitting? Did you want to view the pond outside a window? Once you are satisfied, use a garden hose to outline the shape of the pond; you could also use turf spray paint. Then set the pond aside but keep it nearby.

Digging the hole

Think about a few things before you start digging. Is there good grass in that spot? Could you repair areas of your yard using that grass? Next, where will the dirt go? We recommend getting a tarp to put the dirt on. Remember that you'll need some of the dirt to back fill around the preformed pond but the majority can be used elsewhere in your yard.

Now it is time to start digging. Start from the middle and work your way out. Remove any thick roots or rocks or foreign objects that could cause a headache. Every now and then you want to place the preformed pond in the hole to check your accuracy. If there are ledges, keep those in mind. If there are issues with removing rocks, carpet padding could be useful. Remember that you will need to ensure the bottom is level. You could use sand to help you with any leveling troubles.

Installing the preformed pond

Once the hole bottom is level, place the pond in the hole.Next, get a hose and turn it on low and place the end in the pond (do not be concerned with dirt falling in pond--you will need to drain and refill after completing installation). Simultaneously as the pond is being filled, you will want to use the dirt to firmly back fill while ensuring the entire pond is level.This is why you should have the hose on low and work slowly and carefully. If needed take a break so your mind is clear and you can be re-energized!

Post installation

After the pond is completely filled, you'll want to leave it for a couple days to settle. During this time, you'll want to think about if you will want a fountain. Is there a GFCI outlet nearby? If not you could bury an outdoor extension cord that runs from a covered GFCI outlet to the pond. If this is not possible, all hope is not lost as there are solar powered fountains. You can also move most of the remaining dirt to other locations in your yard. After this waiting period, back fill the pond with remaining soil if needed. Next do your best to remove the dirt that has fallen into the pond--a fine next should work well. Then drain the pond completely and refill and all to sit for a day so the chlorine will disappear. Alternatively, you could use a product to remove the chlorine quickly.

Making the preformed pond your own

If using a fountain / filter, you may now connect it. Next you'll want to accessorize. Add some landscape rock. We also added spillways to help with circulation.

Help the preformed pond cycle!

All new ponds go through a cycle stage of green water but you can minimize this by adding plants right away! Head down to your local pond supply store or order some plants online. You'll need to aim for 60-70% surface coverage. Examples of aquatic plants for your preformed pond include:

• Tropical water lilies: N. 'Star of Zanzibar', N. 'Foxfire', N. 'Alexis', N. 'Blue Aster', N. 'King of Siam', N. 'Avalanche', N. 'Lindsey Woods', N. 'Ambrosia', N. 'Albert Greenberg', N. 'William Mclane'
• Submerged plants: Anacharis, Najas Grass, Cabomba, Hornwort
• Marginal/Bog plants: Dwarf Egyptian Payprus, Lime Zinger Taro, Corkscrew Rush, Umbrella Palm, Spider Lily, Bluebell, Parrot's Feather
• Lily-like aquatics: Mosaic Plant, Floating Heart, White Snowflake
• Floating plants: Water Lettuce, Duckweed, Frogbit, Sensitive Vine (large leaf), Water Hyacinth

Note: Please check your local regulations regarding aquatic plants. Some are illegal in some states!

After allowing plants to settle, you may now put some fish in. Goldfish are highly recommended. Koi are not! These ecosystems are far too small to support koi.

Enjoy Your Investment

You'll find yourself changing things about the pond. You may wish to add accessories such as lighting--just be sure you do your research so you don't waste money! Join online water garden forums and connect with fellow pond enthusiasts and water gardeners across the world.

Recently we've noticed that there has been a significant increase in the marketing for commercially prepared aquatic plant soil. While different companies are selling this product, the basis is that it's ingredients are inert and natural and are kiln-fired.

Several years ago when I was just getting into this hobby, I happened to get a small bag of Schultz Aquatic Plant Soil from the local Home Depot. It made several promises but these were the best ones:

• 100% natural ceramic granules that are kiln-fired
• No peat or compost materials (will not cloud water)
• Holds oxygen and nutrients for aquatic plants to utilize
• Creates an environment for fish to lay eggs
• Neutral ph
• Hold plants firmly in place

At first glance, the product looked just like kitty litter! In short, both the marginal & bog plants as well as the tropical water lilies barely grew. In fact some failed to grow at all. Furthermore the product was very light weight and could barely hold the plants in place.

Our recommendation is to avoid these products altogether!

Selecting the right type of soil

Now what do you need to look for in a good soil? Tropical water lilies naturally grow in a loamy substrate. This soil is continually changing because things that were once living biodegrade to provide nutrients. Whats the next best thing? Well have a look in your backyard.

If you have clay, sand, or another heavy garden soil, then you are in luck! You should be concerned with using your local soil if you know that it is contaminated with products such as pesticides. If that is the case, then you can head to you local garden center and pick up "play sand" or "plain sand." This is the same substrate that we use to cultivate our tropical water lilies. Even our wholesaler uses sand! We favor this substrate over others for the following reasons:

• Economical; a 50lb bag is $2 and change
• Free of contaminants
• Holds plants securely in place
• Reusable and allows for easy repotting

If you plants aren't growing so well, or you plan on repotting, or your just planting new tropical water lilies try changing your soil and provide the appropriate amount of fertilizer and watch your plants flourish!

Capturing beautiful shots of tropical water lilies can be very satisfying. You can share this photos with friends and family and even someone on the other side of the world!

In this article we will be focusing on the use of digital cameras although some techniques may be applied otherwise.

Adjust digital camera settings

When initially turned on, most digital cameras often default to the 'auto' or 'point and shoot' mode. If you try to take a photo in this mode you'll notice that the camera attempts to predict where the focus of the image is and unfortunately is typically wrong. First, check if your camera has a manual mode. If is does then enter that mode. Now go to the camera menu.

• Disable auto focus. This will cause the camera to focus in the very center of the lens so you have complete control.
• Disable red eye. This feature is not needed.
• Enable Autofocus assist beam. Helps camera with flash.
• Disable digital zoom. Digital zoom will cause your photos to look awful. Your camera will be fine with just its optical zoom.
• Enable image stabilization. Helpful for getting sharp pictures.
• Be sure exposure is set to 0. This is the default setting.
• Set white balance to automatic. Camera will adjust if it is sunny or cloudy, etc.
• Set metering mode to evaluative. Camera will consider all objects in frame and is more accurate than other modes.
• Set image quality to the highest such as superfine. As for image size, anything above 640 x 480 is good as it will allow for cropping. Do not set image size too large as your photo file size will be very large and it will be difficult to share. We use 1600 x 1200.

Taking photos of tropical water lilies

Great! Now your ready to start capturing memories. We will assume that it is sunny outside. If you want to capture foliage as well as blooms--approach the plant and check your LCD to see that most of the plant is in the photo. Now press the shutter! Your done!

For capturing close-ups or macros--set your camera to macro mode and then approach the plant to a few inches away. Be sure the entire flower is in the LCD. Now press the shutter. That is all there is to it!

Additional tropical water lily photography tips

Be sure you are remain in macro mode!

• Do you want that black look to the water? Reduce the exposure one notch, -1/3.
• Do you want everything in the image to be sharp? Zoom your lens all the way out.
• Sometimes the sunlight may overexpose the image. Simply rotate around the plant until you find the ideal spot. You may also opt for a polarizer filter if your camera will accept one.
• No image stabilization? Pick up a mini tripod for crisp shots!

Sharing your photos of tropical water lilies

Once you download the photos to your computer you'll want to get them ready for the web. Create a copy of the folder with the files--so you have a backup--just incase! Then have a look at the duplicates. Using a basic photo editing program, crop them if needed, resize to 640 x 480, and save as medium-quality JPEG files. Next rename the files to what the actual photos are. For example, if you took a photo of N. Blue Aster, then name the file 'blue-aster'; this will help you keep track of your photos. Now you can quickly email and post your photos across the web.

Did you get a new camera? We recommend first reading several reviews of the digital camera. Then try it out yourself and finally looking at the manual to learn about advanced features. When in doubt, experiment!

Our favorite tropical water lily photos

In this article we will have a look into tropical water lily fertilizers.

Lets first start by looking at fertilizer anaylsis (N-P-K)

• N stands for Nitrogen. It is responsible for healthy roots, vigorous growth, and green foliage
• P is for Phosphorus. Its purpose is to ensure strong blooms.
• K represents Potassium. It aides in helping the plant resist stress.

When looking at fertilizers, you'll notice that there are numbers that are associated with N-P-K. Those numbers represent the analysis and are shown in percentages. For example lets say a bag of fertilizer reads 10-15-5. This means that there is 10% nitrogen / 15% phosphorus / 5% potassium.

Tropical water lily fertilizers come in several forms: granular, tablet, or liquid.

Granular fertilizers for tropical water lilies

Granular fertilizers are typically slow-release and are activated by some element--water or temperature. One brand of granular fertilizer that we use is Osmocote. Although it is not marketed as a fertilizer for tropical water lilies, it actually works very well for tropical water lilies. There are different versions of Osmocote but we use Osmocote Classic which is 14-14-14. This means that means that there is 14% nitrogen / 14% phosphorus / 14% potassium.

• Osmocote Classic: 14-14-14
• Ag-Safe Pond-Pearls: 15-10-10
• Landon Aquatic Fertilizer: 12-20-8
• William Tricker's Praefecta: unknown

Tablet fertilizers for tropical water lilies

Tablet fertilizers are usually quick-release meaning that when they are exposed to water they begin to degrade and therefore release fertilizer into the surrounding area. Most products fertilize tropical water lilies for a few weeks. We use Ag-Safe Aquatic-Tabs.

• Ag-Safe Aquatic-Tabs: 10-20-10
• Highland Rim Aquatic Plant Fertilizer: 10-26-10
• TetraPond Lily Gro: 10-14-8
• Plantabbs Pondtabbs Plus: 10-14-8
• Pond Care Aquatic Plant Food: 20-10-5
• CrystalClear Thrive Aquatic Plant Fertilizer: 10-15-8
• Pondmaster Aquatic Plant Fertilizer: 10-14-8
• Jungle Labs Aquatic Plant Food: 15-7-12

Other fertilizers for tropical water lilies

There are also liquid forms of fertilizers. We do not recommend them as contain low concentrations of NPK and diffuse immediately when applied. Finally there are extended-release fertilizers. Companies claim that they last a year. We do not believe that this is a realistic claim and feel that plants that are fertilized throughout the season will outperform ones that are fertilized once a season. A better option would be to opt for a granular or a tablet form.

Tips for tropical water lily fertilizers

• Don't place fertilizer in direct contact with the roots of a plant. You could burn the plant!
• Tropical water lily fertilizers can be bought locally and online.
• Fertilize tropical water lilies every few weeks to promote continuous blooms.
• You can start with Osmocote and supplement with tablets or even reapply osmocote (poke a hole in soil, place Osmocote in and seal hole with substrate)
• Are you out of aquatic plant fertilizer? Jobe's tomato fertilizer spikes work well as a backup!
• Are your tropical water lilies lacking blooms? Select a fertilizer with a high middle number.

Remember we include a sample of Osmocote Classic with every domestic order!

We now look at another tropical water lily pest--the tadpole of a treefrog.

Some weeks back, I noticed some tadpoles in one of our stock tanks. It happened to be the one that houses our plant stock for N. 'Charlie's Pride'. We keep it simple here! No state of the art filters, or unnecessary chemicals. We get dragon flies, damsel flies, ladybugs, and other beneficial critters. We also keep wakin in most of our stock tanks so as to control mosquitoes and provide supplement for the tropical water lilies. Essentially we look to nature to manage the ecosystems and therefore, it was a pleasant sight to see the tadpoles.

Recently there has been some significant damage to our N. 'Charlie's Pride' plant stock. Thankfully each tropical water lily variety is separated into their own stock tank so the damage was contained. The damage that occured was very severe--water lily pads eaten down to their skeleton. This damage knocked our entire line of N. 'Charlie's Pride' out of commission for awhile.

The remedy

Upon conducting some research, we were able to determine that the tree frog tadpoles belonged to the 'Cuban treefrog' which is a non-native species. Our only remedy is to remove all plants and then scoop out all tadpoles with a net. We then remove the destroyed foliage, fertilize the plants, and finally return them to the stock tank. Due to the resilience of tropical water lilies, they spring back rather quickly!

Perhaps with a large pond, this damage may be limited or may not occur but with a small to medium sized pond, these tadpoles could wreak havoc upon your tropical water lilies.

A contributor to this article, "DG" suggested that the tadpoles could be used to educate children. We suggest that a pond owner conduct their own research and if possible seek help from an local agricultural extension agency. If the tadpoles are determined to be native species--share tadpoles with a local school so that children can learn about metamorphosis or even relocate to a local pond or lake.

Photo credit: Picture of tree frogs. Craig Presnell of Luster Aquatic Nursery.

Contributor credit: Educate children about metamorphosis with tadpoles. DG.

In this guide, we will learn how to ship a tropical water lily. *This process must be completed without delay and you should work in a shaded location--live plants!

Part 1: The box that we will be using is a USPS Priority Mail (12" x 12" x 8"). This box is ideal because of its dimensions and its also available free of charge directly from the United States Post Office (online or at your local Post Office)!

Part 2: Flip the box so that the bottom faces upwards. You'll want to fold the inner flaps and then the outer flaps to and finally seal with tape. In the photo, you'll notice that there are two blue stickers--those are simply Priority mail stickers that I use to hold the outer flaps down so I can tape the box with ease.

Part 3: Next we will flip the box back over and place newspaper to pad the bottom of the box.

Part 4: Here we have a tropical water lily (N. 'Midnight Embers') that has just been pulled from a pond. You will want to remove decaying foliage, blooms and finally pull the plant from the pot and rinse the roots.

Part 5: After completing part 4 you will have a bare-root plant. At this time, you'll want to tag (label) the plant.

Part 6: Now you will take the tropical water lily and place in a bag in a circular manner. In this case we used a simple clear plastic bag. I usually also place a moist piece of newspaper over the tropical water lily--in short it regulates moisture.

Part 7: Next place the bag in the box and then push out excess air and finally tie the bag to seal it.

Part 8: Pad around the bag with newspaper. Over fill the box with more newspaper. Essentially you are creating a cushion to keep the plant secure.

Part 9: Next you will want to seal the box similarly as you did in part 3. You'll notice that it says "perishable" and "fragile" on the box. This were done with stamps. You may also simply write that on the box with a marker or your local Post Office may be able to stamp them for you. Finally complete the address section and bring to Post Office.

You should keep the package in a cool location until it can be taken to the Post Office. We recommend shipping early in the week so that the package may arrive before the weekend. You can also enjoy a small savings off postage costs by printing postage online.