A Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service webinar, “Ornamental Ponds and Water Gardens,” will cover a range of topics related to smaller water features around the home like koi ponds and water gardens.
The two-hour, how-to educational webinar will begin at 6 p.m. Feb. 21. Registration is $35 at https://tx.ag/OrnamentalPondProgram.
Once payment is received, an email will be sent that includes a receipt, registration confirmation and instructions for accessing the webinar.
Program covers ornamental ponds
Todd Sink, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension fisheries specialist, Bryan-College Station, will lead the program. Sink said ornamental ponds have become a popular way to add water and fish features around the home. They can include small earthen ponds, raised tank beds or even stock tanks.
The program will extensively cover location and planning, construction, water sources, water quality, filtration, fish stocking, types of fish, acclimating fish at stocking and fish feeding. It will also cover aquatic plants and potential problems in ornamental ponds and water gardens in Texas.
“Ornamental ponds are a great way to add a water resource to smaller acreage properties and improve fish and wildlife habitat for better wildlife viewing opportunities,” he said. “When done properly, they can add a great deal of wildlife, as well as monetary value, to a property while providing the landowner with an aesthetic view.”
Sink will discuss a range of topics regarding above-ground ornamental ponds and water gardens, including koi ponds and native ponds. Native ponds are smaller water impoundments used to keep native fish from streams and lakes much like a koi pond or indoor aquarium.
He will address general concerns such as water source, substrate, water quality, filtration and location. He will also address more specific concerns about proper handling, tempering, stocking and feeding of fish.
Sink will be joined by Brittany Chesser, AgriLife Extension aquatic vegetation management program specialist and lead diagnostic scientist at AgriLife Extension’s Aquatic Diagnostics Laboratory, Bryan-College Station.
A 30-minute question-and-answer session will follow the program.
