Yahoo! Yea! Yippee! It’s Spring here at the Pond Pro Shop and you know what that means...we have fish and plants. I know I’ve told several of you that we would have them all available on the May 14th class weekend but the weather has cooperated and we will begin sales of both fish and plants this Saturday, April 30th. Come see the nice selection of plants we just received. We’ve had the fish for three weeks now so they are out of quarantine, acclimated and ready to go to a new home.

As we go into this busy time of the year for ponds, I want to remind everyone that the Blue Her-ons are now making their way North after a pseudo-winter spent in the Southern part of the U.S. I’ve al-ready fielded several calls about how to ‘protect’ fish from these predators. The only surefire way I know of is with a net covering the pond and that is not foolproof. I have been told of Heron’s spearing fish

through a net with large openings. There are decoys available that have met with mixed reactions; some say they work, others say not so. We get the same reaction with the “Scarecrow” product that squirts water when a motion sensor goes off. People tell me the birds eventually learn to just walk around it. Another workable solution is a hiding place for the fish, a tunnel, a slab of rock, a cave, any place where the fish can get away and the bird can-not reach them. Some say to string fishing line around the perimeter of the pond to trip the bird up.

Our salsa garden is coming right along. You should stop by and let us show you how it works. We’re always exploring new ideas, looking for things you’d like to add to your backyard lifestyle and this one is going to be a hit with gardeners. On the reverse side I have shown the original picture from last month’s newsletter of the garden when it was built on 4/6 and the one I took today 4/28. It’s amazing to me how much the plants have grown just in those three weeks. Get the chips ready for some salsa! You can start feeding your fish if you haven’t already, our ponds are

holding above 60 degrees now and we are feeding about every other day. I still want them to graze on all the stuff in the pond instead of relying on us to feed them. That cuts down on the amount of waste and the amount of uneaten food our filters have to take care of. In another week or two the bacteria colony will be

large enough to handle what’s going on but until then, we’re going to feed lightly. ~Mike

Mike's

Minutes

May 2016

Tips and Tricks We’re already getting spawns in our ponds, have you? You may see fish seeming to chase others around and around, bumping up against them, knocking them around. If you do, chances are you have a male chasing a female, or several males maybe. It’s perfectly natural and they are not fight-ing as some of our customers have told us. In the past we haven’t had any until later in May but it seems the warm weather may have speeded up the process a little. If your pond has rocks in the bottom or a growth of string algae or plants already the fry (baby fish) may survive.

Classes - SPRING/SUMMER 2016 SCHEDULE Check the

schedule for start times. All classes are free and open to the public. No advance registration required. More classes added each month. Ten Pond Dollars awarded for each class. We train rain or shine in the only indoor pond training facility in the U.S.

Water Garden Club Meetings Tulsa 2nd Tuesday @ 6:30pm Tulsa Garden Ctr www.gcwgs.com for more info OKC 1st Tuesday @ 7:00pm NW Church of Christ www.wgso.org for more info Stillwater Meetings on hold until further notice www.stillwaterwatergardens.org for more info Duncan 1st Tuesday @ 7:00pm Red River Tech 580-595-0842 for more info If you have a water garden club let us know so we can advertise it here for you.

Valid for retail store

purchases only.

Not valid with any other discount

Only the largest discount will apply.

Build a pond today! We’ll show you how!

Get the latest information on our Facebook page. Facebook.com/pages/Pond-Pro-Shop Please note: We are on Summer store hours, open : Tuesday thru Friday 9:00am-6:00pm and Saturday 10:00am-4:00pm. Closed Sunday-Monday. Phone 405-273-8363.

April 30th 2016

10:00am

Pondless Build Some of you want the sounds and beauty of a waterfall but don’t want a pond at the bottom. We can show you the magic to make a truly disappearing waterfall happen in your yard.

May 14th 2016

10:00am

Plants, Fish and Algae We’ll discuss what you should be doing for your plants and fish this time of year, how to care for your plants and give them a head start into spring and finally talk a little about algae since we know you’ll have it by then.

June 4th

2016 10:00am

Pond Build This one will be outside, weather permitting and may take longer than normal to complete. We’ve demolished a pond in the display yard and need to rebuild it with new equipment. In the event of rain, we’ll move indoors again.

If you have an idea for a class, please share it

Military (Active or Retired) and Water Garden Club members

receive a 10% discount

(If you remember to tell us up front! Not after you’ve already paid.)

Valid for Pond Pro Shop purchases only

May is Atlantic Water Garden Month. All AWG skimmers, Tidal Wave 3 pumps, and filterfalls are discounted 20% this month. .

AWG Month Crystal Clear D-Solv 9

Crystal Clear D-Solv 9 is the fastest and most efficient water clarifier on the market today. It is designed to clear the water in all sizes of ponds, fountains and streams. Vigorous aeration is recommended during hot months. Follow directions care-fully. Do not over treat your pond. Valid thru 5/31/16

15% off

You need it now!

20% off

The EPIC Salsa Garden We’re using sand hydroponics to grow ci-lantro, onion, peppers and tomatoes. This sys-tem will use much less water and produce much more than standard dirt based planting. Through capillary action, the water is wicked up the sand to where the roots are which makes it more efficient.