Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Property Projects & Construction Has anyone tried out the "LakeMat"?

I was wondering if anyone has tried using this product in their swimming areas, and if so, how does it perform in keeping the weeds out? Here is the link: http://www.lakemat.com/

I have been trying to keep chemicals out of the pond as much as possible, so I am interested in this, but I also wonder if I could spot treat the swimming area with SonarQ and do a better job. Any ideas?

I don't know if fluridone is the best chemical to use for that application. You need to keep a certain concentration of the chemical around the plants for a while, and that will be very hard to accomplish in a spot treatment application.

Kelly??

I've never seen the mats used.

That is one of my concerns. I am just starting to get my feet wet (no pun intended) in two areas of pond management, weed control and fertilization, and I have a lot a learning to do.

BTW, Scott, I might not have been able to talk my wife into a TDI, but I talked myself into one. I haven't purchased one, yet, but I'm looking at the '05 Passats, for the extra room.

Chris, keep in mind the maintenance intervals. Haggle on the price if one of the big maintenance intervals are coming up, some could cost over 1K to have everything done right if you don't work on them yourself. Some PD motors had cam/lifter wear issues where the ALH's didn't. 192K and counting on mine.

With the main one I'm looking at, I've got about 25-30k miles before the first timing belt is due, and it will have to have the gear driven balance shaft upgrade then, also. It is halfway across the country and I have ordered a carchex inspection on it already (I'm not expecting much, in the way of information here, but I did ask him to listen for any chain noise in the engine). Hopefully it all goes well. I'm enrolling back in college in the fall, and need something that gets a lot better mpg's than I am getting, now.

Where's it at? I might know a TDI mechanic in the area that I could put you in touch with (that's NOT a dealer).

Concord/Charlotte, NC

I put the feelers out on the TDI forum. I'll let you know what they say.

Thanks, Scott. Everything came back looking good on the carchex, - some minor paint issues.