Pond Boss
Posted By: Jared015 Help identifying weed. - 10/10/19 07:31 PM
Can’t seem to identify this using website.

Brand new pond half full. Just saw two small bunches of these

https://ibb.co/Ssv2CWC
https://ibb.co/F7DddpT
https://ibb.co/hFbrPMZ
Posted By: Quarter Acre Re: Help identifying weed. - 10/10/19 07:37 PM
I'm betting on Chara...Does it smell garlicy or skunky? If so, It Chara. The stuff I had right after my pond was renovated would make you wrinkle your nose up and squint your eyes if you broke up some of it and took a sniff of your fingers.
Posted By: Jared015 Re: Help identifying weed. - 10/10/19 07:38 PM
Is it hornwort?
Posted By: Jared015 Re: Help identifying weed. - 10/10/19 07:39 PM
No it smells like a pond
Posted By: Jared015 Re: Help identifying weed. - 10/10/19 07:40 PM
Originally Posted By: Quarter Acre
I'm betting on Chara...Does it smell garlicy or skunky? If so, It Chara. The stuff I had right after my pond was renovated would make you wrinkle your nose up and squint your eyes if you broke up some of it and took a sniff of your fingers.


It does look like chara though.
Posted By: Jared015 Re: Help identifying weed. - 10/10/19 07:46 PM
Should I kill it with herbicide now while small or is it already too late?
Posted By: Vortex 4 Re: Help identifying weed. - 10/10/19 08:33 PM
Crush some between your fingers and see if it stinks.

Until you know what you have you shouldn't rush to treat it. It might be desirable. If you plan on raising fish you will want to develop habitat.

Plus some of these (like chara) are actually algae and require an algicide while similar stuff (such as hydrilla) is really a plant and must be treated with herbicides. Identification is crucial.
Posted By: Jared015 Re: Help identifying weed. - 10/10/19 09:41 PM
I was rubbing it in my fingers and it just smelled like stinky pond smell. Nothing like garlic or skunk. Unless it’s not that distinct.

Sure looks like chara.
Posted By: Quarter Acre Re: Help identifying weed. - 10/11/19 01:32 PM
Chara has the undeniable smell to it. My next bet is what you said...Hornwort (AKA Coontail). As you can tell...I am not a good betting man. I don't know much about Coontail, but Votex gives good general advice regarding - identification before eradication.

Try this site...

https://aquaplant.tamu.edu/plant-identification/alphabetical-index/coontail/
Posted By: Jared015 Re: Help identifying weed. - 10/14/19 03:51 PM
Originally Posted By: Quarter Acre
Chara has the undeniable smell to it. My next bet is what you said...Hornwort (AKA Coontail). As you can tell...I am not a good betting man. I don't know much about Coontail, but Votex gives good general advice regarding - identification before eradication.

Try this site...

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


thanks ill check this site out
Posted By: Bill Cody Re: Help identifying weed. - 10/14/19 03:55 PM
It is not coontail (hornwort). I think it is Chara or maybe Nitella if the water is more toward the "soft" not hard (low alkalinity). Sometimes Chara does not have the strong odor depending on conditions.
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