Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Controlling unwanted plants CLIPPER Herbicide

I relocated this question from an unrelated thread, since it has a better "fit" in this section.
Ted: CLIPPER's strengths lie in controlling Hydrilla, milfoil, watermeal, duckweed and a few other species - including potamogeton and southern naiad (aka "Najas", "bushy pondweed"). It is also very active on several species of filamentous algae.
I'm still becoming familiar with this new product, and somewhat hesitant to elaborate at this point. However, I feel confident that CLIPPER will not encounter any issues remotely comparable to IMPRELIS (as usual, there's more to that story than is conveyed by the press).

Kelly, thanks for your response.I look forward to your feedback as the seasons progress with this product.I would not be so "gun shy" if I did not have 28 dead or dying Norway Spruce on our property that I sprayed with Imprelis. (we operate a lawn care business also)When the Dupont Team was here documenting the damage they stated they had 50 teams looking at trees from Colorado to Maine.Perhaps there is better research for aquatic chemistry registration than the Ag and specialty side. Thanks again, your comments always valued.

Ted,

I tried Clipper at the max rates suggested to control Pithophora and it did not work for me. However, and in the same ponds with the same applications, the Clipper smoked the naiad and the small pondweed (P. pusilis).

I put the Clipper into solution and sprayed the perimeters of the ponds where the algae was present. The entire perimeter of each of three ponds were treated. The results of the submerged weed control were not evident until several weeks later, but they did not return for the rest of the season. I was monitoring the ponds on a weekly basis. Unfortuantely, we never got great control of the resistant Pithophora no matter what we threw at it.

pH has a lot to do with success as the water cannot be too basic. Our's was within the range. I have spoken with others, however, that were able to control Pithophora with Clipper. I think they were mixing copper as well but I cannot remember. My applications with Clipper were not tank mixed with anything else. It is dusty so wear a mask.

I don't know quite yet if I will use it again. There is not a lot of industry experience with it as you are learning. To no one's fault, I was hearing different rates, applications techniques, etc, and it's an expensive product to try to educate one's self. Or maybe not- it did smoke the submerged weeds and they did not return as would have been the case with Reward or Aquathol.

Shawn, thanks for that response as thats what Im looking for. Im sure with most chemistry it will have its place and will need to be tweeked to fit the situation.

I used clipper last season with GREAT success wiping out watermeal quickly! Some tips I have learned is to spray it immediately once mixing in the tank and apply as early in the morning as you can. It is greatly affected by PH and breaks down very fast in water with high PH. Waters with low PH are much better suited for clipper. With high PH water you have to mix and spray immediately first thing in the morning.

Also I mix in a little diquat which seemed to form a dynamite combination. We cleared out tons of watermeal last season that was normally unkillable!

Nate I would like to know if the WM or DW so treated come back.

I guess that would depend on the specific pond. Clipper deactivates rather quickly (especially with high PH) so it does not stay active in the system for more than a couple days at best. Clipper is not a cure all to fix the pond or the initial cause of the watermeal, but rather just is a tool to kill the watermeal that is present at that time.

I have successfully wiped out watermeal that has not returned on many lakes and ponds, but that is by killing it initially and then aerating and applying bacteria to reduce the nutrient load.

I have slight duckweed which i have applied nothing too at all since it does not move. If it gets out of control, how does the clipper work compared to Sonar which is supposed to last 2 years?