I know we have discussed this recently, but I wanted to start a new thread to ask a few questions. I dropped my water 24". this exposed a large amount of vegetation that is carpeting my pond bottom. I have sprayed it with cutrine. The water has really cleared in the last week or so and I am seeing more plants further out. Best I can tell the majority of it is chara. It is a taller brushy looking plant. I really hate to lower the water more for fear of stressing the fish, but I doubt that would matter much.I am here in Alabama where it doesn't get very cold. Every year or so we get a thin layer of ice, but not much.

Questions:
How deep do you northern guys feel like you need for your fish to survive the winter?

Will the chara survive the winter in clear water (lots of light penetration) even in the cold?

Anything I can apply during the colder weather, dye or algaecide? I am afraid if I apply die we will get a big rain soon after and pond will fill and start to overflow and wash the die away.

Will the stuff up on the dry banks die from exposure?

Are you sure it is chara? Chara behaves differently and it would be important to identify if it is in fact chara. I think that 4 or 5 feet should be enough to keep the fish alive. If it is chara it should die quite quickly if exposed to the air. Just my 2 cents.

Job One is to properly identify the plant, as ThePondDragon suggests.

Chara, exposed to dry air, will die. It will turn white and crumbles into dust. But, that plant reproduces sexually, believe it or not. There are male plants as well as females. During the season, zygotes are formed and drop to the bottom of the pond. They sprout the following spring, when water temperatures are right, and new plants start. So, even if you lower the water to kill existing plants, you don't eradicate it. When water covers the bed where tiny "seeds" are, they'll grow.

The follow up to that is this: Chara isn't a 'bad' plant. It will carpet the pond floor where sunlight penetrates, holds loose soils in place and prevents other, often more invasive, plants from growing. I personally prefer Chara to some of the others. It becomes a "problem" when we can see it, and when the water level drops as to present the plant near the surface.

I did not know that about Chara, thanks Mr. Lusk.
It does seem like those zygotes exist in soil, air, water. Chara made its appearance in my pond no more than 1 month in after a full pool, before I even added fish. How does it get in?

squid, did you get rid of it?

unfortunately we don't fish the pond very often, even though it is in my yard. but when we do fish the vegetation can make it tough using a crank bait or texas rig. i just don't want anything taking over and hindering the fishing.

my goal from the beginning has been to grow a world record bluegill. i understand keeping recruitment low will help with the size of the bg. i do believe the plants have aided in the survival of the little ones. i am seeing several classes of bg and very healthy bass. so far the initial stocked bg don't seem to have suffered any, they are coming along well. catching the healthy bass is fun, i just know that doesn't equal trophy bg conditions.

is there anything i can apply to the colder water to help control the veg? water level is still low and i would like to do it before a winter rain fills the pond again.

how long will blocking sunlight with die take to kill the veg? would it work in the cold weather? maybe apply die now and again the spring when the seeds begin to sprout?

i just don't want to apply it and a gully washer come and dilute the die or it go down the drain.

i would like a little more info on this. is there anything i can do to treat this in cold weather? will pond dye help in the winter months?