I have a bunch of this growing in patches a few feet off shore in 3-4 feet of water. Anyone know what it is?

I have not seen this plant in person, but it looks like Parrot's Feather.

I should mention that this is all growing below the surface. Most of it is about a foot below the surface. I've got some that's only a couple inches below.

In my opinion it is either Eurasian Watermilfoil or Variable Leaf Watermilfoil.

https://aquaplant.tamu.edu/plant-identification/alphabetical-index/eurasian-watermilfoil/


https://aquaplant.tamu.edu/plant-identification/alphabetical-index/variable-leaf-watermilfoil/

https://aquaplant.tamu.edu/plant-identification/

Looks like coontail to me

https://njaes.rutgers.edu/fs1236/

http://www.plantsrescue.com/tag/coontail/

It has a reddish stem so it is not coontail. My dad's old pond had both Eurasian Watermilfoil and coontail, although they look kind of similar they are easy to tell apart looking at them side by side, stems are different color and the leaf pattern is very different. Coontail won't be rooted to the bottom and will be thick from the surface to the bottom of the pond. Milfoil will be rooted to the bottom and "leafy" on the top half only, the bottom half is all stem. I'm thinking Eurasian Watermilfoil.

gotcha shorty....i will plead my color-blindness

Great picture. Eurasian Milfoil - non-native - invasive - grows and spreads pretty fast.

Thanks. Any advise on the best way to control this? I've read that 2-4-D is effective against watermilfoil, but how toxic is this stuff. My kids regularly swim in our pond. If I keep them out for a couple weeks after a treatment is that generally safe?

IMO a safer herbicide for milfoil and one that degrades faster than 2-4D is diquat sold as brand names of Reward, Harvester, Tsunami DQ. Do your homework for speed of chemical degradation and effectiveness. Killing lots of vegetation that will decay in warm water risks a high danger of an oxygen shortage and fish kill.

Kramedt,
I had a bad outbreak of the Eurasian milfoil too. Nearly choked out the pond. Not sure if it came in the water with some forage species that I stocked or if it transferred on a bird but it is not nice stuff. It did make my water very very clear while it was growing though! (It was spreading rapidly in this picture)



I used Sonar (pricey, and have some left if you want a good deal) You have to use it on a body of water that has stable amount of water (limited rain and limited flow in and flow out of water) to keep stable concentrations for 30days. I can't speak to what happens if you swim in the pond. Some of the pond experts here can talk about proper use of Sonar.

It worked great and no dead fish. I did late summer application and then a reapplication in the spring to catch any that would try to grow again and have had none since. I have a small pond so didn't need very much at all and would love to get what I have into the hands of someone else who needs it rather than store it on my shelf for years and years.

Sonar is good because it kills the plants slowly and decomposition is slow, gradual thus a slow steady DO loss occurs rather than a rapid DO loss. Good homework and advice is important for deciding which herbicide or method to use. Plant eating grass carp are not approved in MI so one is 'pushed' toward chemical use.