Summer & Fall Maintenance Tips for Garden Ponds

• To help prevent debris and keep algae down to a minimum use the beneficial bacteria, ClarityMax™, Biological Clarifier, OneFix , and Pond Balance™ use these regularly follow the directions on the label, usually every two weeks depending on the water treatment (these are fish safe).

• Barley will help control algae.

• For green water use RapidClear™, Algaefix™, Algaeoff, an UVFilter will help control green water too.

• Water clarity use Biological Clarifier™, OneFix, and  Pond Balance™

• Tint water blue to keep pond water cool and to block the Ultraviolet light out.

• Plants help shade the pond and help with nitrites and nitrates levels.

• Maintenance, Maintenance, Maintenance (clean skimmer net, keep leaves, grass clipping, and other debris out of the pond).  Make a regular schedule for cleaning the pond just like weeding or mowing the lawn.

Featured Perennial:
Walker's Low Catmint
by Richard Anderson

Type: perennial, clump
Hardiness Zone: 4 (-30°F)
Size: 2 feet tall and 2½ feet wide
Description: Walker's Low (Nepeta x "Walker's Low') is a mounding catmint. It features loose whorls of small, prolific, two-lipped, trumpet-shaped, purplish-blue flowers that spike atop square, leafy stems

with oval, intricately-veined, aromatic, gray-green foliage. Blooms, 8 to 9 inches long, appear in

spring and can continue to bloom into fall under optimum growing conditions and proper deadheading

of spent flower spikes. Nepetas prosper in average, dry-to-medium wet, well-drained soils in full sun.

Once established, Walker's Low will tolerate hot, dry locations. Nepetas can be cut back in early spring just above the newly emerging foliage. Try this cultivar at the front of the perennial and shrub border, herb garden, naturalized planting, or even the container garden. It combines well with the spikes of Penstemons, the yellows of Coreopsis and Helenium, or gently laced and woven between the blades of ornamental grasses such as Helictotrichon or Pennisetum. It attracts butterflies and bees.

Featured Pest:
Summer Scorch
by Jerry Goodspeed

Each summer, about the time we are all enjoying a nice, hot day on the lake or patio, our trees start to show signs of heat stress.  This is a common ailment of many of our large-leaved trees that struggle with moving water fast enough to cool their leaves. The leaves of such trees as maples, poplars (cottonwoods), horse chestnuts and catalpas will start to burn along the edges. This is known as summer scorch.
Our hot, arid conditions, along with our dry, southwest winds, create an environment where the trees are transpiring faster than the water can be replenished. This in turn causes the edges of the leaves to scorch. This condition is normally not fatal, but can weaken the tree making it more vulnerable to

other pests.  The best treatment is to make sure the tree is as healthy as possible and give it a deep drink every two weeks or so. Water the tree long enough to penetrate the root zone 10 to 18 inches below the

soil surface.  This may require allowing some water to dribble around the base of the tree for a few hours.

Featured Tree:
Common Horsechestnut
by JayDee Gunnell

(Aesculus hippocastanum)
Type: Large shade tree
Zone: 4 to 7 (to -30°F)
Size: 40 to 50 feet tall and 40 to 50 feet wide
Description: This large shade tree provides unique flowers and foliage along with dense, summer shade. The creamy-white flowers, which appear in early-to-late May, are situated upright. From a distance, they give the appearance of multiple perched birds throughout the canopy. These flowers give way to large smooth nuts covered by thick, spiky husks. Though the nut is not edible, it is considered to be very useful to children prowling for projectiles. The large palmate (hand-like) leaves are perfect for offering deep, dense shade during the hot summer months. However, because the leaves have such a large

surface area, the margins of the leaves tend to get scorched during hot/dry summers.

Articles furnished by Utah State University.