Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Identifying plants ID'ing a Pond weed in WI

Trying to identify a submergent weed that looks like a cross of Eurasion milfoil and Coontail. It grows in mats. When pulled it stinks like garlic (good fertilizer when dry). When it blooms in late,late spring or early summer, no flowers seen with naked eye, but it creates a foamy scum (maybe this is how it spreads). you can pull out with a garden rake but it is a heavy mat. If someone can ID this - would areation control the spread. I did notice in some years when windy'er (perhaps do to El Nino) it spread less after pulled (maybe just coincidence).

We need at least a picture to I.D. Skunk weed (Chara) has a distinctive odor.

I would guess that it is chara as well. It stinks and will begin to grow as the weather/water warms. It is a type of algae, not a true plant.
Typically a copper based product does very well with chara, especially a granular such as Cutrine Plus granular.
A picture would help in IDing.

Chara is an advanced form of algae wich is attached to the bottom by a "hold fast". There is no root system for nutirent absorption. Therefore all nutrients are absorbed from the water column. Chara is normally found in alkaline or hard water lakes. The plant is coarse and usually rough with calcium bumbs forming on the leaves preventing effective agacide results.

Copper at .01-.02 # per perimeter Foot should work well. Do not exceed 5 lbs of copper per acre foot in the treatment zone and do not treat more than 1/2 of the lake due to the drop in oxygen as the plant dies.

Here are some photos for your review...well I am not able to get them up on here. I don't know how yet. Go to the University of Florida's site:
www.ifas.com and you should be able to find a photo of Chara for comparison.

Since you are in the north, if your water is alkaline then you probably have Chara but if your water is soft or low alkalinity you could have Nitella. Both are similar looking esp when Chara develops longer distances between the nodes.

Thanks for the quick reponse. Unfortunately until the ice leaves I am unable to get that picture. I thought it may have been chara but not sure until now 9when I get a dig pic I will repost later) and yes I mis-label it as a plant knowingly it "bloomed" foam.
As to copper products - I stay away because of the alk. in the water and these are TROUT waters.

These waters typiclly are very clear and this chara is about the only thing in it. I never have the dirty turn-over as you see in some lakes. They are spring fed 9of course they take run-off from non-chemical treated lawns - only mowed and hauled away). The water is very hard.
These were built in 1992. Though this area is relatively low and full of artesians, I never had a water level/weed problem until in 1994 when a fprmer neighbor dug 2 1/4acre ponds within 400yds of me. Anyhow i just keep raking in the chara (if this it) from 15 feet out. Problem now is that the deep is being cluttered with it and concintrating all the fish in small pools - not good as I have 3 species in there.
Raking in the depths is out of the question. (that is even using the ol' cable and tractor method).

Thanks again.

Woody

To Cary martin: tried your post:

www.ifas.com

and I get some German (I uess) computer company.
I already had the Florida univ link so I went to it direct. thanks again.

To cary and others:

the original question's part 2: would bottom aeration help control the chara - copper chemicals are out as these ponds have trophy trout in it.

Woody

Since your water is hard then you no doubt have Chara. Bottom aeration will not produce any negative impact on Chara growth. Since copper compounds are not feasable then Aquashade, Grass carp and removal are primary choices. Since you are in WI grass carp are probably not an option for you. I am not a big chemical proponent, but I think there is a non copper formulation that you could use. I will check into it. Kelly Duffie may be able to give help on this.

There is a pond/lake mgmt company in WI that is good and quite knowledgable but as far as I know, they do not frequent this forum. If I were you I would call them to see whay they say about your situation. All you are out is a phone call: Aquatic Biologists Inc 414-355-5346.

Sorry I'm late getting on to this thread, but thought I'd add a note about my experiences. I have a 1/4 acre spring-fed trout pond in western Virginia. I've been battling Chara since I bought my place in 2002. Normally, my pond too is crystal clear (except after unusual storm events); and the water from my spring is very, very mineralized -- these conditions, I've found out, are just prime for potentially huge Chara infestations. I gave up on mechanical removal two weeks into my first summer -- Chara weighs a ton!

I now regularly use Cutrine Plus granular and a fairly low dosage of Aquashade. I don't think these have had any ill effects on my trout. From what I've been able to research, if your trout originate in a hard-water source hatchery, the effect of copper treatments (done according to directions) is minimal. If the trout came from a soft-water source hatchery, then you should probably avoid copper products. My trout came from a local hatchery with spring water as hard as mine -- hence, I've seen no ill effects.

By the way, I also have an aeration system. And, in agreement with an earlier post, it seems to have no negative effect on Chara.

I've got extensive chara in my trout pond too. However it's not all bad. It provides a surface for nitrification, produces oxygen during the day, and of course uptakes nutrients produced by the trout. I've noticed when I remove it in the fall with a rake it gets replaced by filamentous algae probably due to the colder water being more favorable for the filamentous algae.

I go through a cycle where I remove a lot of it in fall and it gets replaced by filamentous algae, but once the water warms a little in late spring the chara takes over and the filamentous algae completely disapppears.

Lots of nutrients feeding over 500 lbs. of trout in a 1/10th acre pond, and I guess you pick what plant will uptake the nutrients. I also have somewhat of an algae bloom at the same time.

WoodyD:

I forgot some additional numbers in that web site.

Here it is: www.aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/ Sorry for the confusion.

Thanks allot to everyone on the suggestions.

As ice is now gone I am attacking the Chara (some it now released upon its own and floating) with rake and Aquashade. Debate is out on putting bottom aeration in due to weighing the benefits for versus not doing much at all. I hear that it does not have negative results but I don't hear how positive it is in keeping the Chara down to a minimum to alleviate the raking time (which is becoming less and less with other non-fish activities).

At this point I am not worried about the DO or increase of temperature(can be controlled by type of diffuser, etc.) - my analylis now is can the aeration keep in check from Chara in spreading and minimize the existing growth down to 50% or better to justify the expense for this 1/2ac pond.

Any suggestions again is helpful.

Woody,

Hate to tell you this but some plants spread by fragmentation and I believe Chara is one of them. Therefore raking and breaking it up will probably spread it.