Your photos offer insufficient detail for IDing. I don't believe it is FA. Possibly Chara, Nitella, coontail, sago (or one of the other pondweed species). I'm somewhat leaning toward Nitella. I'd suggest posting more photos in which a single stem (terminal growth) is isolated and positioned adjacent to a coin for size-reference. Use natural lighting for the photo if possible and make sure the image is well focused.
Coontail; as confirmed by this minute segment of your second most recently posted photo. Although it may grow near the bottom, it is not a rooted plant.
SG, at least here in TX, I've had the best luck with a liquid Aquathol/Cutrine mix. If I find freshly emergent coontail, I treat it with Navigate granular, and it seems to keep it under control also.
Nautique also looks like a good option, but I haven't tried that yet. Yep, I've got a lot of coontail.
Absolutely! I stocked 50 GC at 5 an acre, which is half of what was recommended by the TPWD biologist, and I think that will turn out to be a very good decision. I've noticed bare patches in the coontail, and the Naiad is already gone. They're pretty easy to locate because of the "colored" water. I say colored because it's not really muddy, but it's not gin clear like the rest of the puddle either. Control of aquatic weeds, not elimination, is what I am after.
SimpleGreen (a fellow Texan, whoop!!): There's no absolute best way to "remove" coontail since your pond's characteristics, the desired time-frame for results, your budget and long-term objectives must be factored into the equation. Now that you know the nuisance plant’s name, how about identifying any other desirable plants in your pond – especially if you wish to retain them. In some cases, stocking grass carp OR using the incorrect herbicide treatment may impact any existing desirable plant species more readily than the targeted species. BTW: coontail is very low on the grass carp’s preferred diet. After providing some details about your pond’s design and characteristics (ie. size, avg-depth, uses, if transient-water is present and its movement-frequency, an indication of any desirable plant-species, and the coontail infestation’s severity), you should then elaborate on your ultimate objective(s) – which varies widely from one pond-owner to another. Some members of this forum will advocate the merits of retaining certain types and amounts of vegetation for fish or wildlife habitat – which is fine, if that’s the preference. Others may opt to leave minimal vegetation, which might otherwise interfere with the planned uses of the pond. IMO, both options entail good and bad aspects – depending on many variables. Bottom line: Base your actions upon your desired objectives while factoring as many of the existing variables into the process as possible.
Im sort of middle of the road in terms of usage of the pond. We have horses on the property which i'd like to eventually allow to drink from the pond. We're not super big on fishing.
I blame that on growing up on the Chesapeake bay and fishing day in and day out. Honestly if i never see another hook again i'd be ok. That said, i would like to share the ideals of fishing (conservation, sport and sustenance)with my 2 year old daughter. To that affect, having fish in the pond wouldn't be a bad thing. Just not the main driver for keeping the growth limited.
The pond is right next to our neighborhood road so a combination between pristine acreage, beautiful pond, pretty horses. Its more of a center-piece than a fishing refuge.
I hope that makes sense. Ultimately, i want it healthy and clean.
I think you'd be better off not letting the horses direct access to the pond. Pump water from the pond to a tank to let them drink, but don't let them walk in the water. Your water quality will degrade if you let them have access to the pond.
