Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Controlling unwanted plants Small Pondweed control

I have a 1/2 acre pond very healthy lots of big fish and lots of big bullfrogs. I also have water lilies, irises, blue pickerel and what I think is a water hyacinth. I have quite a bit of pondweed growing amongst it all. I would like to spot remove some of it without harming my desirable plants. Is this possible other than mechanical means?

I don't know of any Small Pondweed specific herbicide. I think your only method of control will be selective mechanical harvest.

Steve, I'd be surprised if you had water hyacinths in Indiana. Winter is too cold for them, I think.

I am in the process trying to identify them. Im pretty sure your correct though. they aren't a hyacinth.

Try looking here:

http://aquaplant.tamu.edu/

here it is

Primrose?

it flowers like a blue pickerel but only white.

Is it water chestnut? Look at the description of it and see if it matches.

No its not water chestnut. My neighbor has a ton of it and cant remember what its called either. it also grows up onto the land. the lady at Jones fish farm wasn't able to identify it either.

Steve - can you post a close-up photo of the bloom/fruiting structure?
I've never seen that particular aquatic plant. Very curious to know its ID.

I am at work right now. I will take a close up pic when I get home. they bloomed about 2 or 3 weeks ago. its sort of like a spike flower like a blue pickerel only white. Apparently they come from Mars as I cant find them anywhere

I will try to get another with the flower more in focus

I've seen that stuff before, just can't recall where at. Maybe one of our own ponds. I will look and see.

Does it send out roots along the length of the horizontal branch, or stem?

Yes it does. also grows up the bank and gets mowed. Flowers for a week in spring. Fish and frogs love it.

I checked the pond where I thought I had seen this plant, but no dice. I am pretty confident that it was there at one time, but I am not a fan of aquatic vegetation so I probably eliminated it. I remember it grew up on the bank in addition to out in the water, just as you said. Will keep looking.

I would say some species of water primrose by looking at your first photo. I am used to a yellow flower though but you got the woody creeping stem. A good aquatic glyphosate will work(foliar treatment) with an aquatic surfactant. To control woody stem plants I go with Habitat now but 15 years ago we used Rodeo and had success. It may take a week or two to see the plant show signs of distress after treated.