Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Controlling unwanted plants Brittle Naiad - Best Chemical to use?

I have a 2 acre (300' x 300') 35 year pond in Central California. Average depth is 4'. Pond is on a feeder and we have bluegill and largemouth bass. We also have a LOT of brittle naiad that makes fishing lures very challenging to say the least.

I have a Vertex aeration system that I am moving over from another pond we had and will be installing it in the next few weeks. Note this pond has never been aerated in it 35 year life.

My questions are -

What is the best chemical product to use to eliminate the brittle naiad?

I would think a grandual chemical would be better than a liquid in order to treat the pond in stages to avoid a big low DO event?

Should I start the aeration first before treating the brittle naiad? I realize that the new aeration alone could cause a low DO event due to nutrient loading / mixing of all that rich 35 year bottom sediment.

What do you guys recoomend on a course of action?

Here is the link to the brittle naiad (it's not chara by the way..no bad smell)



The plant -

http://aquaplant.tamu.edu/plant-identification/alphabetical-index/brittle-naiad/

Managment options -

http://aquaplant.tamu.edu/management-options/brittle-naiad/

One of the fluridone brands would likely be the best option, assuming the brittle naiad hasn't fully matured. Even so, you will probably need two consecutive annual early-season treatments before long-term (multi-season) control will be achieved.
Dosage: 1 qt of liquid or 20 lbs of SONAR ONE (pellets) should do the trick - based on your stated pond-measurements.
Aquathol Super K might also work. However, I'm guessing your pond-water might be a little brackish, since brittle naiad is usually partial to such conditions. If so, Aquathol (endothall) doesn't work very well, if at all, in brackish water.

Kelly:

Is there any danger of creating a low DO event in the pond with the 1 qt of liquid?

How do you disperse 1 quart of liquid into a pond this size?

Is pellet form more effective as it would be dispersed by hand / seeder device?

The water is off color due to suspended silt and high alkaline but not brackish water in the sense of tidal water / saltwater.

Thanks!

Dave

I've never experienced a DO issue behind SONAR treatments. Not saying it can't happen. But, the product works VERY slowly - unlike many others. Still, if the conditions are ripe for a DO problem, it can certainly happen.

The pellets might be easier, randomly dispersed. Not overly critical that you achieve even coverage - but you must apply enough product relative to the total volume of water in the pond.

Have you had the water's salinity tested? Reason for asking: I've only encountered this specie (in TX) within brackish (inland) river-impoundment lakes - ie. Lake Granbury & Possum Kingdom Reservoir, as examples, both of which are fed by the Brazos River and are relatively brackish.

KD we have brittle naiaid (if properly identified) fairly common here. Pretty sure I'm right and not in brackish water of course.
Reward works quite well on it.

Also we have had three fish kills in the last year with other flouridone products. SOmething is up so we are now just selling Sonar again.

Brittle naiad grows well in OH in the higher alkalinity and/or higher hardness waters, although high hardness is a form of brackish water i.e. high dissolves solids.

Learned soemthing again,did nto know brackish meant high solids only partly salty. The thigns Cody teaches us.

Is this pond square shaped? If not, it will not be 2 acres in size.....

Greg - here's a older picture of marine naiad (brittle naiad).
I don't run across it very often - and only in reservoirs so far.
There's no mistaking its identity if you ever encounter it while swimming.

ok this is why common name should be outlawed. I just looked up what I'm talking about najas minor-this book called it spiny leaf naid I have always called it brittle naiad. I have never seen what your holding in the SE. Najas minor is easy to kill.