Where's Farmer Smurf? I don't have any secrets. Yesterday was one of the reasons why I am in this business. First up was the second phase of a pond landscaping project. The customer had tried lilies but was not given good advice and they performed poorly. His desire is to give his pond some visual pizazz but also stay within his local setting. Shade some of the pond. Long term might be going with a trophy trout pond.
This was day 6 on a long run of backed up jobs. And long 10-12 hour days. First phase was to get pond drawn down for deepest planting. I try to get some lilies down around 4 feet. This ponds shoreline was totally lined with large round river rock. Lilies just can't excel growing through them. So I picked out 12 different types, all from my inventory in my special soil blend. Prepotted gives the plants a quick start, way better than bareroot into whatever pond bottom you may have. Some are rootbound ready to explode. I planted two points of a triangle spread around the edges at various intervals as to not look formal. I planned for certain spread. But with short term overlap, this customer wants quick results. If they overpopulate we drawdown and dig out excess. Pretty much have to plan for all contingencies.
Yesterdays phase was bring the water up to a foot below the rockline. I could see many of my previous plants almost reaching the surface. So I could triangulate fairly well with same species. I keep precise notes of what goes where. Even though these are much shallower from the surface it will look like a 3 plant patch filling in. Rocks were removed in a half circle with the flat at the lily planting area. I post hole out a hole for one gallon plant and also break loose soil around the hole. I have all of the lilies in water, in ice chests until planting. The special beaver pond bottom, black muck blend just pops out of the pot, roots holding it all together and is placed in the hole. I then place jagged grey rock, 1 1/2 -3 inch around the base of the lily and press it in. Then I take same material, same color but 1/2 and sprinkle that all over the top, not burying any leaves or flowers. This has two main obejectives. One, keeps plants or rhizomes from floating up. Yes, they will float on you. And it will also keep fish from rooting around the new plants, fish hate pointy rocks. I then place leaves in water to prevent wilting in sun and start filling pond for next phase, marginals.
During this lunchbreak I went to visit DIED and finish up fixing his vandalized boat for leaks. He was not home. My fault. Then since I was in the area, I hit a couple of wineries for tasting. They make frowny faces when Farmer Smurf walks in with his coveralls, even though they are high end Carhartts, brown. I am clean and don't stink like mud. Besides I don't give a ff what they think anyway. I drink my fine wines, buy a bottle, have lots of laughs with other customers at the bar and then the same frowny people thank me for coming in because I make everyone laugh and have a good time.
Back to the pond to check fill and make sure no floaters. All is well, 34 plants total, with one triangle of tropicals that I hope will overwinter, and 1 trial plant. A couple of patches of my droughtbuster species, bareroot floaters with lots of leaves and roots, even flowers nubs. I bring along special soil for same quick nutrient fix. I'd say 90% Hardy.
Sun starts going down, owner said fish all you want. I am getting a lot of two pound cc's and also ultralighting for bg with my fresh out of the box FE II 5 ft from Cabelas. Now I have every 1 piece size. Puffing on a fine cigar I get a takedown on a nitecrawler on one of my lite outfits. Fight and fight, drag is ripping out. 7 lb 5 oz cc on my nicest Kistler. Just has the ultimate sensitivity. Okuma VS-30 with matched 8 lb test. Weigh that fat girl and struggle unhooking it because I can't get my normal cat grip behind the fins and that big fat head. Naturally bites the hell out of my thumb, grunting and laughing at me for sticking it in it's mouth, a what were you thinking moment. Lucky lip hook, gently set back in water and away she swam.
Probably one of the better days in my life and I am working. On days like this I count my blessings and give the customer an additional 10% off just to let me fish, without being asked.
Next up, marginals.
