Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Balance of plants in the environment Bushy pondweed is taking over the pond and

This morning I was raking out some pondweed and I found some type of what I think are eggs attached to or just mixed in with the pondweed. These eggs or what ever they are look like crushed ice. Almost like crystals of broken glass but they are soft and jelled up like what jelly looks like from a jar of jelly on a PB & Jelly sandwich. So, they are clear, look like crushed ice (shiny) and soft but firm also. Another description is if you were to order a drink from McDonalds or Sonic it looks just like the ice that comes in the cup. Any one know what it is that I found in the bushy pondweed? I have pic's but not able to post them here because of bad cell phone connections here. It has to be some type of eggs. I checked on TFS and GSH pictured eggs but was not able to find what I was looking for. Any ideas? And my Bpw is out of hand and if I don't get it taken care of it will kill off my fish as the summer warms up. I have about 70% coverage. It has really grown fast. very aggressive plant.

Tracy, I share your concerns about BPW taking over, though in my case it's more like 30 percent. One thing I noticed last year is that it stopped spreading when temps got very high. When I asked Bob L about it, he indicated that periphyton was growing on the BPW and thus limiting it.

I am gonna get grass carp, and today I ordered a couple of 12 by 24 foot pond mats to choke sections off from sunlight. Even with all this, though, I'll probably need mechanical harvest. If that happens, my predator fish will go absolutely nuts on all the YOY CNBG exposed!

I added 5 GC @ per acre and can not tell if they have done any good so far. When I recently read TAMU recommendation of carp I think it was like 15 per acre for bushy pondweed infestation. WOW! that ought to tell of how aggressive the BPW can be. I might be screwing up, but I am going to add more Aquathol to the pond asap.

Can u tell me more about the lake mats? Cost, how to lay them out over existing plants? And time needed to kill of a plant without sunlight? Where is the information available through what company?

And i am still wondering what are those crystal looking things in the BPW? If it's not fish eggs then maybe insects?

lakemat dot com, Tracy. Depending on size, cost around $300 to $400 per mat. You have to insert metal frame, but it doesn't look very hard. I was told, though, that it's smart to wrap the frame connections with duct tape. Lots of info there, including videos.

Usually the mats are laid out over shallow water weeds and staked in the shallows so you can keep them in one spot. My understanding, which may be totally off, is that they will kill most weeds within a month. Apparently lily pads are toughest in that regard. After a month, you can move them to another area that needs treatment. You can keep them at one spot forever, if you wish, but eventually silt will build up and plants come back.

Some mats are heavier than others and have specialized functions, including stabilizing muck areas. I'll report on what happens!