I can give you a partial explanation. I have seen the same kind of deposits in plastic lined tanks, unlined tanks, slow moving natural streams and a large pond and waterfall built during the depression as well as most watergardens and ponds. It is a stew of dirt deposits from the air and rain, mulm, live algae and lots of dead algae, and a few minerals from all the rocks in the stream. You could get rid of it temporarally by sterilizing the pond and seriously scrubbing the rocks but that would mean getting rid of the fish and it will be back in 2 weeks anyway. It usually grows in sun more than shade but will occur there as well. It is more likely to form in still water or in spots that slow the water flow slightly which allows heavier debris to drop out of the flow. The stones you have in the waterfall that get such a pounding are actually acting as a sedimentation tank. Not a very efficient one since the rock layer is shallow but it will trap debris that will feed the algae and other biological stuff that lives in the pond water. You may be over feeding the biofilter. I have never added any bio active material to my five year old pond and rarely have a problem with the Skippy filter. I did buy some today that is designed to work below 50 degrees as an experiment but I expect I could do fine without it. I have no stones in my pond other than the ones that were knocked in by accident and the sides and bottom on the liner are virtually free of any algae growth or mulm but I know it is there. If you lift a planter that sits on one of the shelves or under a plastic crate the fishies use as a panic room you will find the deposits. The deposits occur anywhere the water flow is slowed. Excess food helps it along too. I expect to find similar deposits on the sides of pots as I pull them out for the winter. It will make them very slick or slimey to the touch. Make sure you are not overfeeding the fish, cut down on the microbes and remove some of the rocks at the lowest point. Mulm will collect there for you to vaccuum up and it will make you happy. Increase your filtration material. I use quilt batting on my skippy and a large prefilter on the pump for the UV light box. It won't get rid of all of it but it will reduce it. Sandy

redmoss, I take it that the roots of the zucchini are in a comparatively small area and the vine is spreading out. And that you are checking for moisture etc. in the root area. A certain amount of leaf loss like you describe can be quite normal, especially as the plant flowers and sets fruit. I would be concerned about the young leaves. I would look back to two or three weeks ago and see if any cultural or environmental condition occured to account for the change in the plant. Try the garden center or extension service but this time take one healthy young leaf, one young leaf with early symptoms and two or three others that will show the progression of the symptoms. If you do decide to remove the plant, do it carefully and perform a post mortem or 'CSI Plants'. Examine the roots, the stem at ground level and split the stem lengthwise to see if anything has been ambushing your efforts.

Hi oldalgebra! I haven't put my kitchen on FKB - should I? I'm a newbie so wasn't sure if I was "worthy", LOL. Some details: - Cabinets: Merit cabinets in Whistler style, cherry wood with Truffle stain - Hardware: Ebay (gasp!) These are very heavy, great quality and a fraction of the cost of similar pulls I've seen in stores - Tile: Lunada Bay recycled glass tiles (Sumi-e style in Ohara Natural, 1x2 brick) Don't laugh, but I have more pictures/details on a Rate My Space page. I have a pretty low rating, but that's okay, I still like my kitchen :)

Yes, we have them in DR, one bath, and new Den. As others have said, they are great. You should know that you can get these from Hunter Douglass in a cordless version, you just raise or lower (top or bottom) by grasping the tabs at the top or bottom. Of course these are more expensive. We got ours online for a pretty good price. For the den that we just finished, we went with top-down/bottom-up cellular from Next Day Blinds. These have cords, which do not bother us in this room. None of ours are room-darkening as we wanted to let in some light; all provide privacy. They won't interfere with window hardware as long as you have enough depth in the window to provide clearance for the shades. Talk to your dealer, or have them measure, if you have doubts.