May

EASTERN IO WA
PO ND SO CIETY,
INC
Beneath The Surface
A Compendium of Facts, Fancy, Tidbits, Tips
Visit us at www.eips.org
M ay, 2010
2010 Officers:
President
Thursday, May 13
Bob Bisenius
319/366-5082
Program 6:30 pm
meeting to follow.
eipsprez@live.com
Vice President
Jeff Garner
319/550-6893
jgfile@aol.com
Secretary
Kathi Albrecht
319/362-6653
wanabskt@aol.com
Treasurer
Jackie Allsup
319-934-3665
cedarserviceja@aol.com
Volunteers
Cedar River Garden Center in
Palo IA
Bring your chairs
If it rains, it will be held at
Greg’s home
3653 Toddville Rd
Toddville, IA #378-8961
Pond at Cedar River Garden Center
Greg Bickal will be speaking on filtration and
installing the pond at the garden center.
Thinking of changing your filtration or installing a pond?
This is one program you don’t want to miss.
Any questions on location that day, call Monica 294-4866
Editor
Monica Morley
Saturday, May 22
319/294-4866
mespringcove@aol.com
Co-Editor - Maria Hamilton
Webmaster
Josh Spece
319/334-6593
josh@inthecountrygardenand
Cecy & Bob Bisenius
1028 Milstead Dr
Hiawatha IA
#366-5082
Topic: Open Discussion
gifts.com
Librarian
Herman & Rosie Michel
319/366-1789
conner173@mchsi.com
5:30 pm Dinner ....Host providing maidrites, chips and drink .
Members bring a dish to share.
Meeting Minutes…...April 8, 2010
P age 2
The April 8, 2010 meeting of the Eastern Iowa Pond Society was called to
order at 7:53 p.m.by Vice-President Jeff Garner. The meeting was held in
the home of Gil and Monica Morley and Elena Murillo. A wonderful meal
and social gathering of 18 members preceded the program and business
meeting. Vice-President Garner thanked the Morleys and Elena Murillo for
hosting the meeting and for providing the delicious meal. Prior to the business portion of the meeting, Master Gardener, Deb Walser presented an
interesting and informative program entitled “New and Unusual Annuals
and Perennials For 2010. Jeff thanked Deb for her power point presentation, talk and question and answer session.
The minutes of the March 27, 2010 meeting were approved as printed in
the April EIPS newsletter.
Under New Business, Monica Morley reported that the 2010 Pond Tour Committee would meet on
Monday evening, April 12. Committee members and pond tour hosts were welcome to attend.
Jeff reminded members that he is putting together a road trip to Josh and Sue Spece’s Garden Center
and Greenhouses, In the Country Garden and Gifts near Independence.
Kathi Albrecht announced that copies of the 2010 Membership List were available to members and
were passed around. Kathi thanked Tom Coyle for volunteering to join the Pond Squad as the Do-ItYourself (DIY) “Go-to-Guy”.
Monica presented a free bag of Sera koi food to each household in attendance, compliments of AZ
Ponds. Sera food is manufactured in Germany. Thanks to AZ Ponds for their generosity. Monica received a call from Joe Olson suggesting that we put together an article, “Things We Would Do Differently” to help those considering putting in a pond. Joe would like to put the information on the website and also have it available to hand out during the Pond Tour. EIPS members are encouraged to contact Joe or Monica if you have something you would like to contribute. Most members had plenty of
suggestions and most agreed that they would build their pond bigger if they had it to do over again.
Hopefully, others can learn from our mistakes.
The April 24th meeting will be held at the home
of Ed and Connie Railsback. Please email Ed and
Connie with your RSVP. With no further business, Jeff adjourned the meeting at 8:27 P.M.
Respectfully Submitted,
Kathi Albrecht, Secretary
P age 3
Meeting Minutes…….April 24, 2010
The April 24, 2010 meeting of the Eastern Iowa Pond Society was called to order at 6:47 P.M. by
President Bob Bisenius. President Bisenius thanked Ed and Connie Railsback for hosting the meeting
in their home and providing a delicious meal for the group. 41 members and 3 guests were in attendance.
Minutes from the April 8, 2010 meeting were read by club secretary, Kathi Albrecht. In her monthly
report, Jackie Allsup, EIPS Treasurer reported that the club’s total cash in the bank as of April 21,
2010 (checking plus savings) was $3378.30.
Bob and Stephanie Geers, Community Relations Chairs, announced the silent auction of a UV- Clarifier donated by Sunterra. They also announced that Sunterra has requested the email addresses of
willing club members to fill out a product survey. After some discussion, it was determined that Bob
and Stephanie will personally email club members regarding this request.
2010 Pond Tour Chair, Monica Morley reported that this year’s tour of 7 area ponds is scheduled for
Sunday, July 11 from 11:00 – 4:00. The Pre-Pond tour will be held on Saturday, June 28. Monica asked
members to consider volunteering to serve as pond sitters during the Tour. The first shift will be
from 10:00 – 1:00 and the second shift will be from 1:00 – 4:00. Monica reminded members to keep
the Pond Tour’s Plant Sale in mind when dividing your plants, this spring. Members’ donations are
crucial to the success of the sale.
Bob asked Monica about the Brucemore Garden Show and there was some discussion about the
club’s participation in this annual August event. Monica reminded members that volunteers will be
needed to man the club’s booth.
Following Committee Reports, Bob announced the addition of two new members, John and Janice
Ford of Hiawatha.
At this point, the business meeting was temporarily suspended to allow Ed Railsback to present his
program and power point presentation on Water Lilies. Ed culminated his interesting and informative
program with the announcement of a Thermoplanter promotion. A Thermoplanter is an insulated
heated planter pot for tropical and hardy water lilies. The inventor of the Thermoplanter has generously put together a special promotion for EIPS club members, as follows: 1 Thermoplanter, soil mix
and a tropical water lily (choice of color) for $37.99 + $12.00 shipping & handling. The Thermoplanter
normally retails for $49.99. Ed also reported that the Thermoplanter is available through the Drs.
Fosters and Smith catalog for $29.99 on clearance ($9.00 shipping & handling).
The business meeting reconvened with the 3Ps (Products, Plants and Problems) question and answer
segment led by Dave Bell. With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:30 P.M.
Respectfully Submitted,
Kathi Albrecht, Secretary
Have you ever considered a Miniature Garden?
P age 4
For the June 12 meeting, three of our own members will be
presenting a program on this new and upcoming way to garden.
Learn different ways to express your creativity. Anything goes….
Fun, Fun, Fun.
Take a look around your house. What do you have to add to your own mini garden.
Bring it with you. Let’s see all the different objects that people bring.
See more about Miniature Gardens at
www.twogreenthumbs.com
Permission from Janit Calvo for use of
photo’s
From the Editor : Monica Morley
P age 5
A big E.I.P.S. Thank You goes out to Ed and Connie Railsback for their
hospitality hosting and serving the main course for the Saturday night meeting. Despite the raining night we had a packed house. Ed had prepared a
power point presentation and had handouts for reference. What a great
night for learning about Tropical Water lilies.
If you were disappointed not hearing about Ed’s indoor and
outdoor pond at the meeting.
Guess What…..
Watch for Ed’s article on his outside and inside pond he designed
and constructed himself in the June newsletter.
Ed Railsback, speaker
for the night
Their pond was built in
2008. Size: 10’ x 14’ x 3’
around 2000 gallons. Home
to several beautiful Koi. It is
easily viewed from indoors.
Their indoor pond, constructed by Ed Railsback
Pictures by Maria Hamilton, Co-Editor
Members checking our the indoor pond
Fishless Ponds….going to all goldfish…What’s with all this talk?
By Jackie Allsup
P age 6
With the coming of Spring and the disappointment once again of dying koi, I’m hearing people talk about
returning to only plants in their ponds or only keeping the cheaper and supposedly easier to maintain
goldfish. Many pond owners are looking for something different for visual interest. Color still seems to
be the main focus, however. Local wild fish such as crappie, bluegills, bass, catfish, and the wild carp will
all survive nicely in your pond, however they are hard to see and don’t supply much “bling” for the pond.
A wide variety of tropical fish can also be put in ponds (during the summer months only). But they are
generally small, provide little viewing interest, and must be netted out before the water gets cold.
So what else is out there? In Patricia Morris Buckley’s recent article in Water Garden News, she
suggests Sarasa Comets as well as Shubunkins to provide a variety of different colors. They’re flashy and
inexpensive. The Sarasas are usually red/orange and white in color and like the Shubunkins can grow 1012 inches long. Shubunkin translates to 5 colors. Their different lengths in finage also make them appealing.
Rosy red minnows or flathead minnows are light pink or orange. They get the same size as mosquito fish, 10 inches, but are egg bearers instead of live bearing like mosquito fish. Best of all, they school.
It’s fun to see dozens of them swimming together. Rainbow dace is a river minnow that can handle cold
water and they school. The male is blue with bright fins and tail. People buy them instead of mosquito fish
because they eat mosquitoes, they’re pretty and they can handle the cold. Albino catfish are another
popular fish. They can grow quite large, and they have interesting personalities. They have to be watched,
though as they can become aggressive. Chinese high fin banded sharks, which are not truly sharks, are
another unusual alternative. They are more of an aquarium fish that can grow up to 10“ long. People like
them because they can handle cold water and eat algae.
Red-eared slider turtles and tadpoles are also critters that can be introduced to a pond for interest. Kids and Grandkids delight in watching the tadpoles turn into bullfrogs. The majority of pond owners installed them “for their beauty and the relaxing sound of water”. Not, for the fish. There are hundreds of beautiful flowering pond plants out there,also. So before you decide to “shove the whole thing
in” because you’ve lost a few koi, perhaps consider redirecting the purpose of your pond back to its
original intent – beauty and sound. Experimenting with alternate fish and wildlife can be just as rewarding
as viewing the beautiful koi. Koi can be very labor intensive as they grow and like my husband continues
to remind me: “ A person has to know their limitations.” (Emotional and physical)
RAINBOW DACE
ROSEY RED MINNOWS
Have questions, need advice call the……..
P age 7
Pond Squad
Pond - Water Quality
Hugh Albrecht
319-362-6653
hugmo@aol.com
Larry Thompson
319-377-6481
etlarryt@yahoo.com
Pond Filtration
Pond - DIY
Larry Thompson
319-377-6481
etlarryt@yahoo.com
Tom Coyle
319-265-7983
thomasg64@yahoo.com
Water and General Gardening
Jackie Allsup
319-934-3665
cedarserviceja@aol.com
Jackie Allsup
319-934-3665
cedarserviceja@aol.com
AKCA Koi Health Advisor
Fish Health
LuAnn Jayne
319-373-1134
Ljayne0230@aol.com
Jackie Allsup
319-934-3665
cedarserviceja@aol.com
Becki Lynch
319-365-5857
dax080@hotmail.com
Rose Milden
319-364-4668
mildenjim@aol.com
To Erma and Larry
Thompson
Celebrating on
April 16th
May Birthdays
Curt Moore
Gary Hunerdosse
Rosie Michel
Jim Milden
Cecy Bisenius
Roy Gaddis
May 6
May 9
May 10
May 10
May 14
May 27
Eastern Iowa Pond Society sends
their Sympathy to
Member, Jim Milden, for the loss of
his Mother
Page 9
Eastern Iowa Pond Society—Membership Application 2010
To become a member of the Eastern Iowa Pond Society, complete this form and mail it along with your dues to :
Eastern Iowa Pond Society
206 n. 3rd ST
PO BOX 148
QUASQUETON IA 52326
Dues are $10.00 per calendar year. Make checks payable to: Eastern Iowa Pond Society
________ New membership
_________ Renewal
Name:
Address:
Phone Number:
E-mail address:
Dues will be $10.00 per family, payable November of previous year and delinquent April 1st of each
year. These dues entitle a member to participation in all activities and receive a monthly newsletter.
Spring Has Sprung In T he Country!
Josh Spece
2392 240th ST
Independence IA 50644
www.inthecountrygardenandgifts.com
Come and join us out In the County. Visit with Josh and Sue
and get some fabulous ideas this year for your garden.
Purchase that Hosta you have been looking for. Make your
own Succulent Garden. Plenty of varieties to choose from.
Water Hyacinths & Water Lettuce available May 1st
Tropical Water Lilies & Mosaic Plant available June 5th
Become a Fan on Facebook!
www.facebook,com/in thecountry
Sue Spece
2010 Meeting Schedule
Thursday, June 10th
Jeff Garner & Kerry Shaner
Mini Gardens
Hugh & Kathi Albrecht
Saturday, June 26th
Pre Pond Tour
Sunday, July 11th
2010 Pond & Garden Tour
Saturday, July 24th
Thursday, August 12th
Saturday, August 28th
Thursday, September 9th
Saturday, September 25th
Saturday, October 23rd
P age 9
6:00
Ron & Lois Jungers
Jungers Presentation
Gary & Jo Hunerdosse
6:30
Fish Health
Bob & Stephanie Geers
Master Gardener
Tom Coyle & Daryl Stout
6:00
Open Dissusion
Paul & Gerry Dickerson
Pond Prep For Winter
Monica & Gil Morley & Elena Murillo
Photo Contest
I purchased bare root lilies from a person closing their pond. The colors are red,
white, yellow. I have repotted them, so no idea what color is potted. They will be
available by June 1st for $20.00 each.
Special thanks to Ed Railsback for taking the time to write out the instructions as
to how to repot lilies.
Email me if interested: mespringcove@aol.com
Monica Morley
Non profit organization
Eastern Iowa Pond Society Inc.
Box 148
206 N 3rd St
Quasqueton, IA 52326
Visions
Our Mission Statement
Eastern Iowa Pond
Society Inc.
WWW.EIPS.ORG
We are committed to providing
a social atmosphere for members dedicated
to sharing and learning the pleasure
of water gardening. We are a non-profit
organization.
Membership of this association
shall be open to any individual without
regard to race, creed, national origin or
Sex, who shall render membership dues as
specified in the governing documents.
History
The Eastern Iowa Pond Society
was established by Sharon Weiss in 1996
to encourage and promote water gardening
and ponds.
Meetings
Meetings are held at different
members homes the second Thursday at
7:00PM and the fourth Saturday in April,
May. June. July, August and September.
During Feb., March, October and Nov.
meetings are held once a month on a Saturday.
No meetings are held in Dec & Jan.
Yearly Planning
A plan-the-year meeting is held on a
February afternoon at a central location to hammer out strategies on how the club will conduct
business and to plan activities for the upcoming
year.
Activities
A yearly Pond Tour event involves selected members opening their ponds to the public.
Speakers, demonstrations, field trips, plant and fish
swap, pot luck, and club projects are all activities
that happen during the year.
Dues
Dues will be $10.00 per family, payable
November of previous year and delinquent April
1st of each year. These dues entitle a member to
participation in all activities and receive a monthly
newsletter.