Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Controlling unwanted plants Long distance sprayer

I’m tired of paddling around in my canoe while standing with a backpack sprayer to manage the duckweed in my 3/4 acre pond and my neighbors 1/4 acre pond. It’s exhausting and sweaty work. I have a small 1025 tractor I was thinking of buying a 3pt sprayer for the back of. My only thing is I haven’t been able to find a gun that can broadcast as far as I need

The pond is 150-200 ft diameter so as long as I can get close to half of that, I have access to every side. Anyone on here try a similar setup? Any help would be greatly appreciated, starting to really warm up and not looking forward to the work a head of me.

Jack,

I think physics might not allow a perfect solution. To spray 100', your herbicide would have to be in the form of a fluid slug, rather than a mist. When the slug hits your duckweed, a large portion would be wasted into the pond rather than spread across the target plant.

I have an inexpensive 15 gallon sprayer that I use out of the bed of my pickup. I just attach the clips to a deep cycle 12V battery. I always run out of liquid long before I run out of electrical charge.

That set-up should work fine in a canoe. It should spray a little farther than your backpack sprayer and your canoe will be much more stable with you spraying while seated. (You can distribute the weight along the length of the canoe: battery, sprayer, you.)

Good luck getting your duckweed knocked back to the correct area!

Thanks, from last year it’s already been a huge improvement. This time last year you couldn’t even see water, but through aerating and 2 treatments last year the duckweed isn’t bad at all. Just dreading getting out there to do it again.

Yeah I guess if worst comes to worst the set up you described is still much better than using a pump sprayer and having to reload like 5 times. Still holding out hope that I can find a solution that allows me to stay on land.

If you are starting to win the duckweed battle, could you do most of the pond this year in a set of waders?

I would NOT want to wear a backpack sprayer while wading. However, if you put a small electric rig on a little floating barge that you towed behind you, then you should be safe to spray.

(That might be more work than loading up the canoe, so just spitballing other options for you!)

Maybe in some spots I could do that. One end of pond drops off pretty quick while rest of it has pretty deep muck so that might be a challenge. However that might not be a bad idea as far as getting more hose and going out in paddle boat so I’m hands free. I would have to still drive around pond but depending on how long the hose is, maybe only changing spots 2 or 3 times.

If you don't have an underwater plant community that you want to save, and don't have water flowing through the pond, then look into Fluridone. Some marginal plants might get hit, but the duckweed will be toast. 90 PPB is the application rate for that.

They make drone sprayers. Might be expensive though.

Last year I used a mixture of cutrine plus and propeller. Worked really great. I don’t have anything specific growing under water but if possible I’d like to keep some vegetation for the food chain . It also drains into another couple ponds down stream and eventually into a river miles away.