Question

Are morning glory seeds toxic to fish if they drop into their pond?

Thanks,

Jon

My guess is probably yes to your question. But I don't know if fish would eat the seeds? Perhaps ...

Tricolor seeds are hallucinogenic and Nil seeds are laxative.Make your choice!

Dany, I'm not growing Tricolor so no worries about stoned fish then. LOL
Becky I don't know if they would eat them or not, as I am planning to stock my pond with Koi I thought it worth asking the question in case someone had direct experience.
Thanks guys at least I know what to use when I need a laxative!

I would think it would depend on the fish (maybe)... the Box Turtles in North America and probably in other parts of the world, are the only turtles that are not eaten because they have toxic properties in them. They eat poisionous mushrooms that humans cannot eat, so, thus the toxicity in the meat., which in turn saves the Box Turtles from being eaten as a delicacy and maybe that is how they save their species from becoming extinct.

Now, here I've seen them take bites out of the fallen spent flowers of the I. purpurea that is hanging over their area, the reason I didn't stop it was that if they have been eating piosionous mushrooms, I figured that the mgs wouldn't harm them. Maybe your fish won't be affected at all as a self preservation tactic.


So, Dany,please tell us what does eating purpureas cause?

LOL! Well, from what I have heard ... you'd have to eat a LOT of seeds to feel any effect. Personally, I wouldn't eat any of them and maybe the critters know not to either. But if it is a concern for you Jon, then perhaps you could plant or place containers in strategic places so the possibility of fallen seeds aren't an issue. Or add a filter system in certain areas to prevent debris from flowing into the pond/stream?

Are Koi expensive there? They are ridiculously priced here.

Koi as far as I know are edible and so I would assume they don't eat toxic seed,
usually. I asked about fish and seed as I'm planning the whole garden including trellises for vines with a pond and stream. All of these features will be permanent, so I need to get this right first time.

Koi are certainly cheaper here than in the UK, they come in a range of sizes and colors, some Koi are common, others are quite rare which is reflected in the prices.
I will begin with the smaller, cheaper fish!

Thanks,
Jon

I have wire netting over the turtle pens to protect them from predators, while the netting does stop the spent flowers from falling in, those holes are not small enough to stop the seeds, so I have to pull out this particular purpurea out of there and get some ferns for their areas.

Recently we obtained a pond also, so I'm getting all the materials needed for a running pond that the turtles can drink out of.. it has to be something really shallow, since they can't swim.. but need to bath and drink fresh water daily. It should prove interesting to say the least having a creek running in a small area here. Got a few more projects going on here too, so, it will be a really busy time this Winter and Spring for me.

Please post photos of yours when you can Jon.

A, Iv'e been busy clearing the whole garden, digging trenches in preparation for my home extension. The pond and stream is my next project, along with decking and trellises. The garden looks more like a construction site right now! LOL
Good luck with your pond project, I would like to see photo's of that too.

Jon

Remember the fence to keep out of protecting your children from approaching the water.
An idea of prices :
http://www.nishikigoi.co.uk/index.php?page=shop.browse&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1&home_style=1

Hey Dany thanks! My kids are my very first consideration and priority, fences will never be forgotten! I am touched by your thoughts and kindness, thank you! Thanks for the link.

Jon

Jon, could a water feature be designed into a garden, initially made of sand or gravel or stone and then later filled with water when kids got older?

I'll be interested to see how your design evolves with respect to fence and/or stone/water timeline, too.

karen

am looking forward to seeing A's water feature and turtles, too.

Hi Karen, I guess so but I would like the kids to enjoy the pond and stream as they grow up.

Jon - How about using pebbles and rocks in the pond and stream until the children are older. Still have flowing water, but it wouldn't be deep enough to easily fall in and drown. As they get older, you can remove more of the stones to allow the water depth to increase. The only problem would be not having fish right away. But you could raise the fish in an aquarium to later release into the pond. Just a thought. Your children are very young and that would be a concern for me of having any deep water they have access to that could pose a threat.

I know how you feel, Jon. Some years ago, we, along with two families to the left, all opened our gardens to each other - that is, we made gates so that anyone was welcome to come and go as they please. These were all extraordinarily wonderful people - we didn't know how lucky we were at the time while they lived close by.

Cindi gave birth to two children before her family moved away, and some mornings, she would bring over her little kids to visit our tiny pond with its fish and toads and dragonflies and whatever else a pond draws. It was so much fun to experience the life of that pond through those little kids' eyes. Cindi didn't let her kids run wild, plus managed her own gate so the kids were in no danger.

Soooo - Dany's idea certainly looks best. Can't wait to see what you do:)

The pond draws raccoons, though, which are quite pesky grr

The pond is to be fenced off with a gate, the stream is to be very shallow with rocks and stones just to create the sound of running water, Becky and Dany have been reading my thoughts! Karen as a kid we had a stream that ran through woods behind our garden, I would play there for hours!

Jon - Sounds like an excellent garden plan layout. You are thinking of everything! I have my little waterfall in my backyard. When the power goes off, I hate all the noise from the traffic and neighborhood. I can't imagine not having the sound of moving water now. I'm such a spoiled gardener when it comes to sounds and scents! LOL! Water has always fascinated me. I'm a Scorpio which is a water sign. Maybe that is why my attraction to water... lol

Ha! I'm a Pisces!

Well ... there you go!!! Water signs ... LOL!