We have a 100 acre lake in Central Texas that is filled with all types of lily pads. Almost too many varieties to name. Anywhere, where the water is 6' or less we have pads. Moreover, we have parott feather coming in with a vengance. We are verifying that it is parrott feather and not millfoil. The good news is the lake fishes well and we catch most size classes of fish regularly; including fish over 10 lbs. The pads stop right at the 6'-7' foot mark and now engulf 50 to 60% of the lake.

We realize you eat an elephant one bite at a time, for both financial reasons and dissolved oxygen reasons.

Is there a chemical that treats both the pads and parrot feather? Is there a chemical that treats both pads and millfoil?

How much can we safely treat a year? How much money per acre whould we expect?

Start with the AquaPlant site and look up each plant and its mgt options. That will put you miles ahead on talking to someone about possible methods of attack.

http://aquaplant.tamu.edu/

You will have to id the pads as there are different treatment options and not all the same.

Down here on Lake Mcqueeney, we cut the lily pads back with the lake mower. The rhizomes aren't even an issue. Its more 'aqua-scaping' than control since the fishermen like a little weeds and the homeowners just want it to look neater.

Ewest,

Thank you for the link. I was fimilar with that site and ironically I spoke to Dr. Masser about another lake today. In the case of all the lillies, parrot feather and milfoil 2,4D is the only active ingredient rated as Excellent on any of the above. In the case of Coontail 2,4D is rated Good. Consequently, 2,4D looks like the best option. The product is generally sold under the names Navigate or Weedar. We have an applicators license to apply.

Are these products the best price or is there a generic that works as well?

How many acres can I treat at a time, before having to wait 2 weeks until the next application? I know waiting that 2 weeks allows the plant to decay some reducing the risk of oxygen depletion crash.


Thanks in advance

You might want to look into a Jenson Lake mower. Then you can cut what you want , no chems and you make up the cost quickly on a lake your size. That is what I would do if our lakes were that big/much weeds. 100 acres is a lot to treat. Plus if you remove the weeds when cut you don't have the DO (O2 depletion) problem.

Jenson Technologies (info@lakemower.com) ask for Annamarie Gervais -- these are great people. Tell them PB sent you.

From the PB web site :


Jenson Lake Mower®

A boat-mounted tool to cut invasive plants such as hydrilla, cattail, milfoil, lily pads, etc., the Lake Mower™ offers the environmentally friendly alternative for aquatic weed control. Affordable yet durable, for both individual and commercial removal projects, the Jenson Lake Mower™ reaches 4 feet wide and up to 7 feet deep. The Lake Mower™ cuts 7 to 10 hours on a 12V deep-cycle marine battery. The Rake™ - 5-feet wide - removes floating weeds like salvinia, hyacinth andcuttings. Satisfaction guaranteed with a 30-day return privilege and a one-year warranty. Request a free video online.


412 Summer Mountain Drive, San Marcos, TX 78666
Contact: Annamarie Mangum
Toll Free: (888) 298-5253FAX: (512) 393-5074
Email: info@lakemower.com
Website: www.lakemower.com

No way in hell I would drench this fine body of water with 2, 4-D. No way. I'd also go Jenson Lake Mower. Lilies are the easiest in the world to cut, and only a few mows will deplete those rhizomes. In this day and age I'd say 90% of my customers flat out state no chemicals, no herbicides and no poisons. I go mechanical almost every job I do now. And I also endorse Annamarie and Jenson as a fine company and stand up people as far as business people to deal with. The Lake Mower makes my job very easy.

No experience with lake mower. If you want some areas rid of the lillies and parrot's feather the 2,4-d granular is the way to go. Applicaitons rate is max rae 200 lbs/acre. Might take 2 applicaitons to rid of watersheild if you have that. So it is pricey. Call me if you like and I can see about prices. The liquid 2,4-d does nto work for us on lilies I do like to mix in a cocktail with glyphosate. 3% glyphosate and 2% 2,4-d liquid and 1 ozs surfactant. This is much cheaper than 2,4-d granular (navigate) but does not seem to do as well for longterm control. For a 100 acre lake you cna treat up to 20 acres of pads at once so don't think you are going to go that high anyway so your fine.

Greg, if I may ask, what surfactant do you use. I'm still looking for improvement there.

There are many ways to skin a cat, or remove lilies. But floaters especially lilies are very tough to get anything herbicide to get them, and it has to be systemic and you require a surfactant. As you know they are practically waterproof. Like a ducks back. And boy do they have tough rhizomes. I'm handpulling some now wider than a baked potato and three feet long before they break. You don't kill those, your whistling dixie.

Personally, lilies are tailor made for the Lake Mower. The weak link to the plant is the stem. And the leaves are for all intensive purposes solar panels to produce energy for the rhizome. The rhizomes expend a load of energy getting those leaves to the surface. You cut a batch of leaves off, just mowing right through all of them. Wait to a weaker second set come up, repeat. Rarely if ever do you need a third cut, rhizomes are depleted and done. I buzz through hard stem bulrushes and cattails. Lilies are a joke compared to them. But it is good to have many different ideas or solutions to consider. Greg, I always respect your input.

leaves are solar panels.. nice anaology. I use one made by cygnet. Comes from bark of trees I believe. We still have boat lanes thought where herbicide gets washed off. i agree about systemtic need.

I may have to look into mowing, so your saying three cuts and you kill the roots, that would be worth it then. i thought it was ongoign maintainence.

They advertise some customers get it done in two cuts. But as usual, it depends on when you cut and the size of the rhizomes. But if you hit it right, and get the Spring bloom, it really drains the rhizome down on that first cut. Then it has to draw a bunch of stored energy to start all over. When you cut that it is usually last gasp all or nothing growth. The rhizome is so depleted it just can't survive another push and either succumbs to disease or just shrivels and dies.

It's a different cut on bulrush and cattails as I want to get them as deep as possible to force them to grow all over again. With lilies you can cut just under the leaves. Real shallow. And about triple the speed, as the soft stem is nothing like those hard stemmed bulrushes.

Immediate results with mechanical and no worries of a D.O. crash if you do the removal.

And Pond Frog is right about those rhizomes. I've seen some the size of my leg in Lake Mcqueeney where they are fully established and have taken over. Early in the growing season is the best time for mowing since they are basically running on empty after the winter.

TPF thanks for the info/ Spraying is more effective in spring also, so point is git er done soon.