Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Duck Weed

I have a pond thats more then 10 yrs. old and never had any duck weed on it. this year the surface of the water is covered with it. why now??? is there a way to get rid of it and is there a way to prevent it in the future?? Thanks.

How many surface-acres? average depth? what is the water used for (livestock, irrigation, etc)?, what is the degree of infestation (% coverage)?, how stable is the pond-water (frequency of flow-throughs)? any other pest or desirable plant species present?

These are the basic perimeters to consider when seeking any plant management program - particularly herbicide options.

the pond is only a 1/4 acre back yard pond thats used for swimming. Its spring fed year around and the water has always been clear. the water is still clear and looks good its just covered 100% with duck weed. there has never been duck weed there before.

Does your spring fed pond discharge any water - even after a rain - or does it simply maintain a constant level without any discharge of water?

It discharges about the same amount of water that enters it. the spring comes out of the ground about 10' from the pond. while this is not a dry summer, right now its discharging about ??? 2-3 gallon per minute. pond depth is 8' steep sides. if it wasn't for the duck weed you'd think it was a great swimming hole.

Assuming that you don't irrigate or water livestock from the pond (1-3 day restriction), I'd suggest treating the duckweed with WEEDTRINE D or REWARD at their respective labeled rates.

You might even try manually seining as much of the duckweed as possible before treating - to minimize your chemical needs and the DO-demand from the dead/decomposing duckweed.

Repeated treatments (3 or more) will likely be necessary - in close succession (every 2 days) - in order to completely rid the pond of duckweed (assuming there aren't too many hiding spots that may prevent direct contact with the plant).