Pond Weed Taking Over [Archive]

CastIronCook2

08-10-2009, 09:14 AM

Our six-acre mountain lake is being taken over by American pond weed. We've been told (by a business) that to eradicate it will cost $7,000, $6,000 of which is for the chemicals.

Has anyone had any experience with getting rid of this weed short of taking such draconian (and costly) measures?

rAcErRicK

08-10-2009, 10:11 AM

I'm by no means an expert on this, but where I live, weed control in ponds is a necessity. What I can do is give you some direction in perhaps finding the solution on the web. There are several vegetarian fish that can likely be a great help in controlling your weed problem. Some species of carp are used here as well as one called Nile perch, or talapia, which some folk like to eat as well. I have seen the carp purchased through the game an fish commission, and they are even sterile so over population doesn't become a problem. Hopefully google search will help positively identify your weeds, and shed some light on the vegetarian fish in your area. I would also phone your game commission and inquire into the availability of these. Life has also taught me to have a great respect for people who are native to any area, particularly the older ones. There are very few problems they have not sucessfully learned to deal with. I would stay away from poisons and fertilizers for obvious reasons, if at all possible. Good luck with finding a solution.

My state, (Fl.) has even put the talapia into creeks and rivers to help control the vegitation, with no ill effects I am aware of. Many folks also catch them to eat. They are not bad at all, and very mild.

CastIronCook2

08-10-2009, 10:38 AM

From Arkansas: "Looking into the option of whether or not they should recommend tilapia for weed control. Currently tilapia can be stocked in ponds as bass forage, but not for sure if they want to extend the recommendation towards weed control." http://www.sdafs.org/sic/projects.html

Hmmm. Bass forage. Our lake is presently overstocked with bass (some catfish). Wouldn't the hungry bass eat the tilapia?

CastIronCook2

08-10-2009, 10:43 AM

Also, we have had the weed positively identified by an expert. It is American Pond Weed.

We've heard about a fish that is said to do a good job eating these weeds, but unfortunately it is illegal to use them in California. (Along with selling to any California purchaser a pair of kangaroo boots. Go figure.) (Of course, in this nutty state it's illegal to shoot a cougar, too.)

oeb

08-10-2009, 02:28 PM

Hope this, from a search, will be of some help:
http://www.dunnsfishfarm.com/americanpondweed_84_ctg.htm

Also, ducks eat the stuff according to this website:
http://aquaplant.tamu.edu/database/submerged_plants/american_pondweed.htm

This also turned up:
http://www.thepondguy.com/category/112

If this is the same stuff we've always called duckweed it is named that for a reason. The web footed friends will gorge on it. Anyhow, good luck with your tasks.

Otis

CastIronCook2

08-10-2009, 02:55 PM

Very interesting. Thank you, Otis.

We do have ducks, but apparently not nearly enough, LOLOL.

08-10-2009, 04:20 PM

Very interesting. Thank you, Otis.

We do have ducks, but apparently not nearly enough, LOLOL.

Ducks and geese poop in the water, and make the weeds grow even faster...

DM

CastIronCook2

08-10-2009, 04:55 PM

So do the fish, and we have too many of them. Anyone wanna come and do some hook-and-cook? ;)

NCLee

08-11-2009, 01:26 AM

Re: Too many fish....

If you have a suitable area around the pond, contact your local Scout leaders. Let the boys and girls fish to take down some of the population. Hook em, cook em, eat em.

Around here bass ponds are normally stocked with both bass and bream. From what I understand this combo helps keep each one in check. Perhaps there's a native species that you can introduce without having to fight with ... I'll leave that part unsaid. :)

Re: Ducks & weeds....

I know nothing about the how-to, but am wondering if you can grow and market ducks? Let the ducks feed on the weed, then folks feed on the ducks.

Just some thoughts this morning.

Can't remember now who it was, but someone always ended their TV show with the statement,

Take a kid fishing.
Lee

08-11-2009, 05:34 AM

So do the fish, and we have too many of them. Anyone wanna come and do some hook-and-cook? ;)

True story, but the duck/goose poop makes those weeds grow a lot faster than fish poop does.

I have ponds, and weeds are a PITA, the folks over this way buy some kind of pellets to control the weeds. The pellets don't hurt the fish or other animals, but they really do control the weeds. My brother lives on a lake, same story there...

DM

CastIronCook2

08-11-2009, 07:08 AM

CastIronCook2

08-11-2009, 07:14 AM

True story, but the duck/goose poop makes those weeds grow a lot faster than fish poop does.

I have ponds, and weeds are a PITA, the folks over this way buy some kind of pellets to control the weeds. The pellets don't hurt the fish or other animals, but they really do control the weeds. My brother lives on a lake, same story there...

DM

Sure would like to know what those pellets are, DM.

Hubbest was told by a pond man that if we didn't already have bass in the lake, they would introduce minnows and crayfish, which would take care of the weeds. Originally, an earlier owner had put trout in the lake, which worked fine until he or someone else introduced bass, which promptly ate all the trout. Now the bass are totally overpopulated--you can't put in a line without pulling out a fish--and we are stuck with them.

It's the same old story: the law of unintended consequences.

PaulNKS

08-11-2009, 01:09 PM

CastIron,

What's wrong with bass? That's some of the best eatin' next to catfish. The main problem is that when bass become overcrowded their growth is stunted. If you delete some of the bass population, they will do great. The majority of ponds in this part of the country are stocked with bass and catfish... some carp.... but the carp don't reproduce in farm ponds for some reason... only in larger lakes.

08-11-2009, 01:32 PM

My brother is going to get some, when he does i'll find out the name and let you know... He told me they were expensive, but they work very good...

DM

CastIronCook2

08-11-2009, 01:43 PM

My brother is going to get some, when he does i'll find out the name and let you know... He told me they were expensive, but they work very good...

DM
Thank you, DM, we'd really like to know. As it is, the weeds are taking over. If we don't get the upper hand, we won't have any clear water visible a year from now.

Paul, the bass are good eating earlier in the year. Long about now they get to tasting brackish. And there are just too too many of them; all are stunted because they're so overpopulated.

Sometimes folks who want to come fly fishing think they're doing us a favor by doing catch-and-release. We tell 'em, heck, if you catch 'em, you kill 'em. We need to reduce the population, not play with it. If nothing else, put 'em in a bucket for the bear to eat.

MooseToo

08-11-2009, 02:13 PM

So do the fish, and we have too many of them.

and why do you think God created dynamite ?

CastIronCook2

08-11-2009, 03:03 PM

and why do you think God created dynamite ?
omg, MooseToo, that's all the excuse my bang-lovin' hubbest needs!

Thyme

08-15-2009, 08:41 AM

http://www.thepondguy.com/category/pond-and-lake

CastIronCook2

08-15-2009, 11:12 AM

Thank you, Thyme.

08-15-2009, 06:39 PM

Thank you, DM, we'd really like to know. As it is, the weeds are taking over. If we don't get the upper hand, we won't have any clear water visible a year from now.

Paul, the bass are good eating earlier in the year. Long about now they get to tasting brackish. And there are just too too many of them; all are stunted because they're so overpopulated.

Sometimes folks who want to come fly fishing think they're doing us a favor by doing catch-and-release. We tell 'em, heck, if you catch 'em, you kill 'em. We need to reduce the population, not play with it. If nothing else, put 'em in a bucket for the bear to eat.

I was at my brothers today, and here's the website to the company where they get the pellets... http://www.killlakeweeds.com/

DM

CastIronCook2

08-15-2009, 07:30 PM

DM, got it bookmarked and will look into it. Thanks!

MissouriFree

09-01-2009, 02:34 PM

Not sure what the rules are in Kalifornia but I have heard that there is a Hyrbid sterile grass carp that works wonder in controlling pond weed.. Personnally I would go with some thing like rather than introduce any chemicals in my pond.

jmho

CastIronCook2

09-03-2009, 07:12 AM

Right you are, and that is what we also would choose, but our grand and magnificent laws in California (the same laws that don't allow me to buy a pair of kangaroo boots or shoot a varmint cougar) prohibit the importation of such beneficial fish, even when they have been sterilized so they can't reproduce. Go figure!

Ya know, this is a beautiful state, but its environmental laws are, in my personal opinion, overly restrictive and counterintuitive. (I'm being polite; read between the lines.)

PaulNKS

09-03-2009, 08:14 AM

Has the grass carp been bred to be sterile? I had been told that grass carp aren't sterile but that they just don't produce in small farm type ponds. Either way, they are a great help.

You might check with some fish farms in your state and see if they have the grass carps for sale. I know that here in the midwest and in the southern state, you can buy grass carp with no problems.

CastIronCook2

09-03-2009, 08:50 AM

Paul, one of our good friends is a biologist with California Fish and Game. She has visited our mountain place and has seen our weed problem. We've asked her what could be done. She acknowledges that grass carp can handle the weeds for us, but she tells us that since our lake drains into a local river used by fishermen, according to the regulations of California it would be illegal for us to import these grass carp. She recommends we drain the lake and pull out the weeds by hand, hardly a feasible solution since the lake covers more than six acres and is fed by year-round springs. As it is, the weeds are taking over; give them another year or two and we won't have any clear water left. Obviously we are very frustrated.

The same biologist saw a cougar on the other side of the lake from our house, about 225 yards away. It was grooming itself in a very leisurely way, and she thought it was so "cute" because it looked just like a house cat. Her husband fired over its head to scare it away. He did have the decency to tell us about it.

So we're dealing with our lake becoming choked and the deer (pray God not our dog) disappearing, and the laws of this late great state telling us we can't do anything about either issue.

LABeekeeper

09-17-2009, 08:09 PM

You can obtain aquatic herbicides from Forestry Suppliers, Inc., Jackson, MS to control the aquatic plants yourself. May be cheaper as you are not paying someone else for labor.
Website is: http://www.forestry-suppliers.com/

Also, check out Ben Meadows Company: http://www.benmeadows.com/

Both Forestry Suppliers and Ben Meadows have lots of equipment and supplies that can be used on your property covering forestry, forest, fish, and wildlife management, traps, camping, GPS, etc.. Both will send you a free catalog if you request it on the respective websites.

James Henderson
Commercial Beekeeper
Golden Delight Honey
995 N. Leighton Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70806
225-803-5406 cell
LAbeekeeper@earthlink.net
http://www.goldendelighthoney.com
http://www.localharvest.org/store/M14434

Tod

10-01-2009, 07:00 PM

How about coming up with a way to mechanically harvest it and then find a use for it? Compost? Dry for mulch? Surely there is some sort of use for it.

Harvesting: thinking a small barge made of jon boats with something like a potato harvester to rake up the plant onto the deck.

Instead of paying to remove it, maybe it can pay (with some initial investment).

Tod

10-01-2009, 07:09 PM

There are already mechanical harvesters made to get the weeds out of lakes. I've seen them used in lakes here many times. The weeds make EXCELENT compost.

DM

CastIronCook2

10-01-2009, 07:32 PM

This idea of mechanical harvesting is very interesting. Has either of you tried it yourself? How would it work if we have only a small rowboat?

10-02-2009, 06:48 AM

The guys that run the weed harvesters here, they actually have summer jobs cleaning out the worst lakes.

As for personally taking weeds out, yes, i did it as a kid, taking them out of my ponds. We used pitch forks, and also used a one section spring tooth harrow, that dad pulled out of the pond with our tractor. Then us kids would clean it off, and carry it back in. HARD WORK, but it works.

My brother made a "kind of grabble" that he throws out into the lake he lives on, and pulls it back out with his tractor to keep his beach area clean. Looks like they are going to chemicals now though...

DM

Tod

10-02-2009, 11:04 AM

I haven't personally, no, but I have heard of others.

The idea of a ready-built harvester is nice, but it might be difficult to find a unit the right size and price for use on a six acre lake. Commercial units would probably clean the lake out lickety split but cost a lot and end up sitting around too much of the time.

On the other hand, a jon boat and garden rake would provide you with unlimited employment, leaving you no time for anything else.

So, my guess....I could be wrong; maybe there is someone who makes a unit appropriate for you...is that the answer lies somewhere in between.

In any event, it will take some research and planning: how to harvest it most efficiently, how to get the weed ashore, how to deal with it when it is where you want it, how to use it & market it.

It could possibly be a nice little source of income if you are interested.

Maybe if a continuous harvester (conveyor type) doesn't seem feasible, a batch-type: maybe a hay hook suspended from a tripod mounted over a hole in the deck of a pontoon boat? dunno.

Tod

10-02-2009, 11:23 AM

This video brings up some interesting concepts...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoiBg_r5CK4

The speaker says the thing rakes up the weeds, chops them up, and spits them into a pile at the back.

So....for smooth operation, it seems like a continuous feed conveyor (rake) should pull the weeds out of the water and deliver them to a chopper (to make later handling easier & speed up the decay process). Then the chopper would deliver the weeds to some sort of hopper (maybe a separate "barge" or maybe an integral hopper with a discharge conveyor). It seems like a separate barge might be the thing, so you could have more than one running if need be, shuttling weeds over to the landing. Depends on whether you are working alone, I suppose.

Of course, you would want an easy way to get the weeds to a compost windrow....

I don't know if inexpensive existing farm conveyors could be used....

Tod

10-02-2009, 11:43 AM

OooHooo...check these out:

harvesting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPNOluyxRZQ

off-loading:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rwbd26y9-tQ&NR=1

It looks kind of like the machine uses sicklebars to cut the weeds (out front horizontally, and one on each side vertically. Then a single, reversing conveyor? The material drops into the bottom and is more slowly moved aft. Can't quite see what is going on there.