Casey Coke

Turfgrass Fungus—Causes and Remedies

One of the most frustrating things for a meticulous gardener and homeowner is for their lawn to have problems with fungal diseases. Lawns are particularly susceptible to problems because they are monocultures-millions of the same plant in the same place, ... Read >

Composting Kitchen Scraps

There is no need to let kitchen waste go to waste! Gardeners can spend lots of money buying good soil or compost to make the garden grow. There is, however, no need to do that if you eat at home more than once a week! Composting kitchen waste solves sever... Read >

Tips for Keeping Your Koi Healthy

When you built your pond, you probably spent a lot of time planning its design. You made sure every plumbing piece was in place. You carefully selected your filter and your pump. Everything seems perfect. While everything mechanical is in place, did you k... Read >

Maintaining Good Oxygen Levels in a Koi Pond

When browsing through your local fish store's medicine and testing aisle, you probably won't find a test for oxygen. The importance of sufficient oxygen in your pond water is often understated, and misunderstood. While most fish owners understand the impo... Read >

Selecting the Right Koi

The success of your pond fish has a lot to do with where they come from. As always, we recommend buying your koi from your local reputable breeder rather than buying from a pet store or a national chain. Koi that come from a national chain usually endure ... Read >

Aquatic Weed Control Methods

Aquatic nuisance weeds and algae can become very problematic if left uncontrolled. They can quickly take hold of any outdoor fish pond, becoming increasingly difficult to remove. Proper pond maintenance and filtration goes a long way to controlling the ... Read >

Types of Fish Food - Floating, Sinking and Crumbles

When it comes to feeding your Pond fish, there is a vast array of commercially available foods. With many different companies now producing a plethora of food choices, it is important to educate yourself on the nutritional requirements of your fish. In ad... Read >

Koi Feeding Tips

Koi feeding is an often overlooked facet of the outdoor pond hobby. Koi kept in northern climates will require special care before and after the hibernation season. Although not as important in warmer areas, the role of temperature in Pond Fish feeding ... Read >

Soil Bacteria's Role in Soil Conditioning

Bacteria are the unsung heroes of gardening. Without bacteria, gardeners would not have the rich, loamy soil in which plants grow without bounds. Bacteria are single-celled organisms that chemically digest organic matter in soils into smaller nutrient com... Read >

Humic Acid Benefits on Sandy Soils

Sandy soils have almost the opposite problems of clay soils. That would stand to reason, as clay soils are made up of very small particles and sandy soils have larger particles. Particle size makes a huge difference in the way water, air and nutrients mov... Read >

Humic Acid for Clay Soils

The bane of every gardener's existence is clay soil. In addition to feeling like you are gardening in your driveway, clay soil makes ordinary tasks like watering and feeding plants a major problem. Soils with high clay content hold water and do not drai... Read >

What is Pond Stratification and Its Effects on My Pond?

Anyone who has been swimming in a lake or deep pond in the summer has probably felt noticeably cooler water around his or her legs. This sensation was most likely caused by stratification of the water. Stratification means that two significantly diffe... Read >

Facets of Koi Pond Maintenance

Imported from Japan to the western world is the Koi pond. Koi are a form of carp fish that look like giant, majestic goldfish. When these fish are added to a beautiful and artistically crafted pond, Koi can truly make the exterior of a property look incre... Read >

Pond Aerators vs Pond Fountains

Have you ever walked past an office building and noticed a pond on the property? If so, have you also noticed water fountains in the pond? You have probably also taken a mental note of how these fountains add a unique visual allure to the pond. That is wh... Read >

The Steps in the Pond Nitrogen Cycle

Did you know that manmade ponds rely on the same ecosystem principles that natural ponds do? Yes, for any manmade pond to thrive it must mirror the ecosystem of the natural world. One aspect of this is a pond nitrogen cycle. Understanding how this cycle w... Read >