Pond weed management

[LD1]

Just wondering what everyone is using to AFFORDABLY control weeds in your pond

My pond is ~0.8 acres and ~5' average depth. About 1.35 million gallons....or about 4 acre/ft of water.

Most of the stuff is stupid expensive. Like anything with the active ingredient Fluridone....(trade name sonar). I would need about a quart of the stuff.....at $500

Endothall (aquatholl trade name) is another. Granular or liquid form would be $1000 at the dosage levels I need.

Diquat Dibromide (37%) I would need ~2 gallons of....and at $200 is more reasonable.

Triclopyr as labeled for aquatic uses the strongest I can find is 44%. Would take 6 gallons at ~$100/gallon. But labeled for general AG usage ir can be had in 61%, which would only require 4 gallons.....and about $250.

There is also 24d granuals but would require ALOT to treat the area. Like $1000 worth yet again.

The different versions of copper complexes and copper sulfate seem the cheapest, but an reading mixed reviews on how effective they are on weeds, as their primary target is algae, which I have very little of.

Pond has little to no outflow, and is not used for irrigation or human swimming. However the dogs swim and drink. So I want an affordable solution to my problem that is gonna be safe for the dogs.

The three weeds as best I can identify are coontail (about 60% of the weeds), Milfoil (20%) and curly-leaf pond weed (20%).

Any advise or suggestions from THIS forum. I dont want to join pondboss or any other forum.

 

[LD1]

Oh. And I put in a dozed 10-12" grass carp 3 years ago. They have gotten big and fat...probably 26-28" long now, but haven't made a dent in the weeds

 

[Diggin It]

Fish was going to be my suggestion, but .....

Do you ave any kind of boat/skiff that could drag a rake?

 

[LD1]

Fish was going to be my suggestion, but .....

Do you ave any kind of boat/skiff that could drag a rake?

I have tried mechanical removal before. Weeds just come right back and its labor intensive and makes a mess.

$50 buys enough chemical that I could turn my entire 8 acres brown if I wanted.

Just want something similar and affordable for a small 0.8 acre pond.

 

[rekees4300]

Oh. And I put in a dozed 10-12" grass carp 3 years ago. They have gotten big and fat...probably 26-28" long now, but haven't made a dent in the weeds

Mystery why you still have weeds. :confused3: 2014 I put 1 dozen Grass Carp in my 1 acre pond covered with Pondweed and Cattails. Now ALL the weeds are gone.

Grass Carp for Weed Control | Missouri Department of Conservation

 

[Newtocvt]

Aquacide

 

[oosik]

I'm, likewise, surprised at the poor showing of the grass carp. Fish & Game introduced grass carp into a lake about 25 miles south of me. It's a typical lake for here in the Scabrock lands. Long, narrow and VERY deep. It's seven plus miles long - a mile wide - 375 feet deep. Rock Lake is the biggest lake in Ea WA.

Anyhow - it didn't take long and the carp have cleaned up all the pond weeds and standing weeds in this lake. You are not allowed to fish for them and if caught you must release.

I've seen these carp - all of three feet long. And they make a holly mess of the shoreline as they dig & root there. I don't know that they so much eat the pond weeds - I think their continual digging and rooting dislodges the weeds and they simply die.

 

[LD1]

Aquacide

I already mentioned that wasn't affordable, therefore not practical. I'm NOT spending over $1000 on chemical

 

[LD1]

I too am disappointed in the carp performance. I do see them eating from time to time. Usually 2 or 3 at any given time I can see just by walking around the pond.

I assume all 12 are still active. But who knows....maybe all but 3-4 died?

 

[Liquidsilver]

Sorry I can't help. Grass carp ARE doing the job on my weeds in my 10-acre lake, but they are NOT working on the silver-dollar lilly pads I have all over the lake. At least Glyphosate/Roundup should work on those, I just have to get a trolling boat out there and surface spray the whole lake.

I wonder if a surface spray of glyphosate would help with your below surface weeks? I had giant lilly pads in a small pond and glyphosate shrivels 'em up like the wicked witch of the west. (very satisfying)