Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Controlling unwanted plants Carmex

I am curious to see if anybody is using a powder chemical product called Carmex (not sure if that is the right spelling) in their pond or lake to control vegetation.

If they are they probably not discussing on public forum that has been outlawed on ponds since about 1992 or so. Although I know in south GA farmers use it quite reguraly on ponds and I think it works well but agiain if caught it could be bad news.

I may know of some who use Karmex(diuron)in their ponds resulting in crystal clear water and no weeds, and no algae. It is cheap but the negative effect on the pond ecosystem, required permit, and 10 day application process didn't seem worth it. I think the guys I may know just mix it up in a bucket and dump it in. Pretty scary and I'm sure EPA penalties would be steep if they were caught. I have read of Southern catfish farms using it to control blue-green algae but they did so under a special temporary permit. I asked the local fish farm about Karmex and the guy became pretty irritated saying "YOU WANT FROGS WITH FOUR LEGS!?!" ...well...yes... I didn't really answer him but I think he meant more than four legs or four eyes or something.

Thanks for the info. I heard a few farmers talking about using Karmex and had no idea it was illegal to use.

Hey Richard I went to school with a Rich Abernathy in Independence Missouri, By chance would that be you?

Not that anyone would use Karmex in their pond without adequate research but just in case. Note the label warns about it being placed anywhere near tree roots or where tree roots may adsorb it. I wonder why ! There are reported instances where it was put in a pond and several mths. later the big trees around the pond turned brown and started dieing.