Lived Experience Forum

[frog]

Hi @Lonelyhart here's our garden

@CheerBear @outlander @Shaz51 and lots of others hang out here

[frog]

Hey @Adge good to see you about. I've been a bit quiet due to feeling overwhelmed but I love this little corner of the forum. We need a birdbath I think.

[Adge]

Hi @frog A Bird Bath sounds like a lovely idea.

I don't have a bird bath at my place - though my birds do all jump in & have a bath (straight away), when I give them clean water.

I like those Bluebells, or whatever else those flowers are (in your picture)....

Overwhelmed, unfortunately I know that feeling well.

At the moment it's intense Grief (with me) -

Despair & deep sadness about lots of things - not always sure what exactly about.

Adge

[Lonelyhart]

Thank you its blooming already😉

[Adge]

I cleaned & re-stocked my aviaries, this afternoon.

My birds were panting, looking too hot & unhappy.

So I sprayed the roofs of the aviaries, with my garden hose.

I do that when my birds are hot, they love it.

They all lined up along the wire, & fanned their wings out to have a shower - gentle water mist coming from the hose.

My garden is looking rather frazzled & droopy, from the 40 C days.

Adge

[Former-Member]

Love it @Adge 😃👍
🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️🐦

[Former-Member]

Hello everyone in the Community Garden @Adge @CheerBear @Lonelyhart @frog @outlander  @Shaz51 and others.

Hoping some of you gardening guru's may be able to help me with a gardening question?

I have a fish pond in my garden.  I think I posted some pics of this around mid last year on this thread.  I have a couple of mid sized comet goldfish in this pond.  And I have a couple of floating plants in it.  I also had a lovely mauve water lily last year, but unfortunately it died.  I replaced it last month, and it seemed to be doing well.  But now, every time there is a new leaf emerge and open up, something is eating the leaves.  Each morning I check and there are more leaves eaten all the way back to the little stem.  Now there is nothing left but a little stub at the end of each stalk.  I think frogs or turtles like to eat waterlily leaves, but I do not appear to have any residents in the pond except for my 2 fish.  

Any ideas?  @Former-Member  are you are gardener?

I have just finished trimming some of our roses which are being weighed down by lots of now dead blooms and more rain.  In order to make sure no branches break under the strain, I trimmed them back quite a lot.  But oh my ... the mozzies are so bad!  I have been almost eaten alive.  A bit like my poor water lily leaves.  💜

Sherry 

[Adge]

Hi @Former-Member I love Waterlillies, yet have never grown them.

It sounds like it has to be your fish that are eating the waterlilly leaves & stems (from your description).

Especially if it is below the water-line (under water).

I cannot think of anything else that would do that.

I'm not sure about any deterrent, to put on the waterlilly (to stop it being munched) - as that would probably be washed off by the pond water, & you would be worried about that affecting your fish.

Yes, that's dramatic munching in such a short time (poor waterlilly).

You want those lovely flowers, & it won't flower much (or as well) if it's being munched...

Adge

[Former-Member]

Hi @Adge ... yes it will certainly stop any flowers, and even more of a worry .. I'm thinking it will killoff the plant.

Its the leaves as they open up on the surface that are getting eaten.  We have a lot of bees here, as one of our neighbours some 500meters away has some beehives.  Do you know if bees will eat waterlily pads? 

I have also wondered if its perhaps some sort of bird, as a lot of the little pebbles in the top of the waterlily pot are scattered around the bottom of the pond.  But I havent seen any birds around.  Though they could be earlier birds than me of course 🤣 in which case I wouldnt see them.  I am pretty sure the fish are not the culprits. And yes I dont think there is much I can use to prevent anything eating them, without also making the fish sick.  Might just have to forego my poor waterlilys.  Thanks @Adge 

Sherry 

[Adge]

Hi @Former-Member Bees would not chew or eat any part of your plant.

They just collect some nectar from the flowers, & pollinate the flowers (so that they can form seeds).

Birds might be a possible culprit (you guessed) - as they might like the new succulent green shoots. Chooks would absolutely love that (fresh greens).

Scattered pebbles does sound like a clue, as fish would not do that (except on the bottom of pond).

I've seen fish pushing pebbles on the bottom of fish tanks, looking for food scraps.

It's hard, if you never get to see who is doing it (what bird maybe?) to shoo it away.

Adge