Pond Weeds

2 Comments / Pond Management / By Darrell Rhoades

Pond Weeds and plants can be good and bad for the pond and it’s life cycle. But are they really weeds or plants that have taken over your liquid assets? Certain plants can be beneficial for the pond Eco system while others can be a real pain to manage or get rid of and some are invasive species, ( more about invasive at the bottom).

The good and bad about pond weeds and wanted plant is they are part of the cycle that helps to reduce the life expectancy of the pond. Let’s take a look at the four seasons. Starting with January we know that ice and snow have covered the pond, which is actually smothering the pond in a sense that no sunlight can get in, no toxic gasses can escape and any plant life that was in the pond is dying, decaying and creating those toxic gasses.

The Good part about pond weeds is when they are in bloom or growing which help provide some oxygen, absorb nutrients and provide habitat for the fish, wildlife and insects.

Moving into spring we see those plants are brown and slowly decaying, this process takes time to completely decay but during this time new growth is already begun where the plant has died. Once the plants are decayed so tot speak they become Muck and nutrients for this years growth and next year. Plus the slow filling in process of the dying pond.

Summer finally gets here and the weeds / plants are in bloom, looking good and the small fish have a place to hide from the predator fish and grow. If the plants are flowering type like the pickerel then the pollinating insects are thriving as well.

Now we come to the fall season, everything is starting to turn a little brown, the blooms are not as brilliant and the air and water temps are dropping. What happens next is the set up for next years muck, nutrient loading and more toxic gasses. Once Fall has changed to winter and the pond is covered again.

To help save the pond, cut these plants/ pond weeds out of the pond. This includes the submerged and shoreline pond weeds and plants and remove them from the pond. This way we have taken the the mass of plants out that will become Muck, nutrients and toxic gasses out of the pond.

Getting these weeds out of the pond can be a lot of work but well worth the effort for the ponds sake. One option is the Pond Rake and Weed cutter, cut the weeds and rake them out. Next we have a semi submersible weed cutter used from shore to cut items like cattails, pickerel and shoreline submerged weeds which does not fling the clippings into the pond like typical weed whackers. In the open water we have our Lake Mower, 48″ width of cut up to 7′ deep.

For shore line weeds and submerged use the contact page and let us know the pond address and type of weed to be removed, we’ll get a quote out to you and work with you to help save your pond.

Erie, PA local pond owners we are starting a new program where you can rent the Pond Rake and Weed Cutter weekly,. Contact Us Today to get on the list for rental.

If you are struggling with Muck, Water Clarity and Odors check out our Pond Supplies.
As mentioned above about the invasive species we have a download for the Guide plus the aeration report and types on pond management via email, check out our Pond Aeration 101 page for details.

2 thoughts on “Pond Weeds”

david l johnston
June 18, 2016 at 7:17 am

I have about a 3/4 acre pond.Very Very clean and swimable. It also has alot of stunted bass 10 years old and only 8-10 inches. I have one row of weed on the opposite bank. My fatherinlaw insists this is what is stunting my fish. do you agree?
Darrell Rhoades
June 22, 2016 at 4:27 am

If the pond is clean, very clean like being able to see more than 18″ in depth the water may not have enough micro organisms to support the food chain.
Starting with, example zooplankton then up the food chain to minnows and small fry which in turn feed the large fish. It is possible the feeder fish like the blue gill are too large now for the bass to consume or they are not spawning. The weeds should actually help with the population giving a place for the feeder fish to hide and a place for the predator fish to ambush from. There are times that weeds in a pond can become a problem like if the entire pond is covered, then the fish could be stunted since they are able to hide well and the predators can’t find the feeder fish.

Here is an article about Fish Habitat . Habitat can be as simple as stacking a 4-6 pallet on top of each other, tie them together and sink them with cement blocks. Place them in a triangle 3-5′ apart.

Hope this helps
Darrell

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Pond Weeds

Pond weeds can become unsightly, choke out the pond view, stunt fish growth, eliminate swimming and even fishing by getting caught up in all the weeds. Excessive weeds can also be dangerous if you should fall over board and become entangle in the weeds. Most of the time we start off on the right track by adding plants for habitat, shade and our visual pleasure, but we tend not to manage them, they get out of control and can take over the pond. At this point we are disgusted and call them weeds. Don’t get me wrong but geese and other water fowl can bring in the unwanted weeds, wind and animal movement, boats, waders and unwanted aquarium contents can get weeds started in a pond or lake too.

It seems the first thing that pops into our heads is to kill the weeds, what chemical can we use to kill these weeds? This is the Reactive approach to unwanted weeds is by the use of chemicals which depends on proper weed identification and choosing the proper chemical for that specific weed. Every chemical has Caution on the bottle, for your safety and the environment safety s well. Only 1/3 or 1/2 of the pond can be treated at a time due to the mass of dead, decaying weeds consuming oxygen in the pond leaving a greater chance of a fish kill. Then this mass of plants/weeds are now adding more muck and nutrients to the pond.

Once a reactionary method has taken place look towards a Proactive approach by installing the proper sized aeration system, beneficial bacteria’s, Muck and Sludge Remover to reduce the mucky bottom even our pond dye for a pleasant color of water. Ideally it would be a good move to add the proper aeration system first to keep oxygen in the pond while the weed decay.

Non chemical approach includes the use of the tri ploid grass carp, which in many states are regulated and permitting process must be sought out first before obtaining these fish. They do a decent job on eating the weeds but also weed identification is important as some species of weeds are not on their dietary list.

Let’s get physical in removing pond weeds. This part of pond weed control is hard work, I’ll say that up front so there no mistake. Yes there are tools to help make the job easier but using a weed cutter and raking them out of the pond can be a good work out, but the weed will come back, picture this like mowing the field we got the main bulk of weeds cut down but will grow back. The main tool here are a weed cutter and floating rake and each have an extension so the handle is 11′ feet long, tie a rope on and get out even farther in the pond.

Still working with physical tools so to speak is the Lake Mower, a 12 volt 48″ wide sickle bar able to reach down 7′ of depth and cut the weeds from a boat(pictured above). There are options for a boat mounted rake to push the cut weeds to shore but still physical to get them from shore to the dump site. But if you tried to manually cut weeds for a day the Lake Mower will still be a lot less strain on you.

Another tool for weed control is the Lake Bottom Blanket, all blankets are 10 3/4′ feet wide and start at 20′ in length. 3/8″ diameter re-bar needs to be purchased and cut on site, since shipping heavy steel is quit expensive. The process is to cover the weed area and allow the blanket to suffocate the weeds, but not suffocate the floor of the pond harming the smaller life. Non toxic easy to use and minimal maintenance, but effective in killing the weeds.

Algae

30,000 different species, some are toxic, killing live stock, dogs and close beaches. But on the other hand there are algae that are beneficial for the pond to sustain life in starting the food chain.

With the thousands of weed species we group them below in a classification of how they grow and where they grow. Also listing a few invasive species too.

Floating Weeds

Emergent Weeds

Submerged Weeds

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