Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Help Help with weed control

Hello Pond Boss Members,

This is my first post, however, I have learned an incredible amount of information from this site and I am truly grateful. I would like to ask some help from the many knowledgable members. I have about a half acre pond in North Carolina that is very low right now. My shoreline has been completely taken over by weeds, they are unbelievably thick. The banks of my pond are too steep to allow conventional mowing so I have to look for other solutions. I wanted to ask if there is weed killer I can spray on my shoreline that would kill the weeds but not harm the grass, and definitely not harm the fish. Any advice given would be greatly appreciated.
Chris

Hello Chris,
Welcome to Pondboss. Nice to talk to a fellow tarheel! I have used a weedeater as I didn't want to use a weedkiller that close to the water. Several folks on here have used diff. methods. A resident forum members will chime in soon with an answer. What part of NC are you in?

Thanks!

I'm from Lumber Bridge, about 20 miles south of Fayetteville. I'm in the Army stationed at Ft Bragg, but I will hopefully be retiring here within the next couple of years.

I live in Mocksville, close to Winston Salem. Done some work in the Hope Mills area last year.

Tell us about your pond? What kind of fish do you have?

Thanks for serving Chris!

I lived a few years in Fayettville as a kid while my dad was in Special Forces back in the 60's. I have a lot of fond memories of the area.

Check the label on 2,4-D to see if it can be used around the water. If applied properly, it shouldn't hurt the grass, but I'm unsure whether it can be used around the water.

But, if you leave the weeds there, and the pond comes back up, they will create a lof of cover for the fish to hide in and they will thank you.

abnchris, Just did mine (around the edges) with Rodeo... If you get a little on the grass around your pond, you won't have to mow it. Plus I think it it safer not having to mow right on the edge of your pond. I have a few friends that got their mower stuck on the edge of their pond trying to get the weeds close to it (including me). One buddy rolled his riding mower into his pond. Wasn't to hard to pull out but really messy.

Good luck to you!

Thanks for the help everyone, I really appreciate it. I will give Rodeo a try. Hopefully I can find it at Agri Supply or Tractor Supply. I'll let everyone know how it works out.

To answer spinnerbait,

Its just a small (1/2) acre pond on my 20 acre horse farm. It runs from 3 feet deep at the shallow end to about 15 feet deep at the deep end. I currently have bluegill and large mouth bass in it, along with one channel cat my neighbor threw in. I also have a couple of grass carp that are growing unbelievably fast.

This thing has become my hobby so I am always looking for ways to improve it. I am in the process of getting a well dug to help keep the water level up. I am also looking at aeration systems, but that is proving to be overwhelming. I shoot guns and jump out of airplanes for a living, the science behind choosing the right aeration is a little over my head I am afraid.

Anyway, if you are ever headed back to Hope Mills let me know. It is only about 10 minutes away from me. Sometimes I think I single handedly keep the Sonic there in business.

Thanks,
Chris