Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Controlling unwanted plants New Weed this year; What is it?

It's a new year so it must be time for a new weed. After looking at the tamu aquaculture site, I "think" it could be sago pondweed. What do you think?

In the water (it is the stuff around the dead brown algae):


The next are picture out of the water. I tried to pull it to get a better view apart but it would break. It may be difficult to see but it has alot of bluish/black small pods (seeds?) in it.

Out of water Pic 1:


Out of water Pic 2:


Out of Water Pic 3:

It looks like Chara that was growing in fall and it is whats remaining after winter. Sago pondweed has fan shaped leaves that when in the water lay out flat similar to a palm leaf or your hand with fingers spread out. The Chara should start regrowing when the water reaches 55F-60F. Best way to take pictures of aquatic plants is to gather a small clump or a couple stems lay them in a white pan with shallow water 1"deep so leaves and stems spread out naturally; then take their picture.

See Kelly's great post below that provides a more correct name for this plant. Numerous aquatic plants look alike when clumped together in a mass of vegetation out of the water.

Bill: my initial reaction was also Chara; until a closer examination of the photos and the reference to "pods" was noted.


That's bladderwort; possibly remnants from last season

My initial thought was Chara, but after reading further down, I am NOT going to bet against Kelly's I.D..

Thanks for the input.

This stuff is actively growing now; I didn't notice it until the last 2 weeks. My water temp was 57 last weekend but has been as high as 62 before cooler weather came in.

The TAMU aquaplant site recommends 2,4-D, diquat, and fluridone, or imazamox for control of bladderwort and ranks all four as "GOOD." Any suggestions for best and lowest cost management solution?

Fluridone or imazamox (CLEARCAST) are the only options IMO, assuming the pond has static water (no flow). I wouldn't waste money on any other "good" options, since my opinion differs from the site.

Thanks, Kelly.

Can the shoreline be "spot" sprayed with either or are both entire pond treatments?

How much of it do you have ?

Both products, especially fluridone, generally require a whole-pond treatment.
As Eric alluded, it may be more practical and cost-effective to manually remove excessive growths of bladderwort. It likely depends upon your pond, any obstructions, the degree of infestation and your motivation.
I've personally had little or no luck with attempts to spot-treat bladderwort with contact-herbicides.

Drag a few "nice" fairly leafy fresh growing sprigs of it out and put them in a shallow white or light colored dish with 1" of water. If it is actively growing in early March it might not be bladderwort. Lets make sure-positive of the plant that we are trying to kill. The stems to me appear to have whorls similar to Chara and less like bladderwort. I would like to get a better photograph of it before you buy chemical.

Eric,
Seems to be growing on all of the shorelines in differing densities but seems to be growing quickly as water temps hover near 60.

Bill,
I will get a better picture but cannot until this weekend.

After looking at pictures of chara and bladderwort that it looks more like Chara to my untrained eye.

I'm seeing small amounts of spirogyra growing as well. I read that chara can be controlled with Cutrine+. Would it be practical to spot treat some areas near the spirogyra to see if it kills this new weed also?

Before you buy any chemicals let's find out what it is. A couple plant stems with leaves laid out in shallow clear water should reveal the difference between Bladderwort and Chara. Their detailed leaf structures are quite different and both can appear similar when stems and leaves are bunched and tangled together. If there are pods present then Kelly has the ID correct. It is hard to 'fool' him when it comes to plant identification.

thx. I'll get those pictures up by early next week

DJS - it would be good to see some better close-up photos - when you have time.

In the mean time, I used your previously posted photos to point out some of the characteristics that prompted my bladderwort conclusion.

Chara has a particular odor when it's crushed. Have you tried that?

Kelly's better photos with specific references send my opinion back towards bladderwort.

OK, here are the new pictures. I hope this are resolute enough to nail down Kelly's diagnosis! There are 7 Meg pictures but I don't know if they will show up better on the site. If not, I can email them if you want to get a better look.

Loretta,
I ground up some in my palm with my thumbnail. I didn't get any smell.

Those are much better photos! It's definitely bladderwort.

After watching this video, I think you'll agree that bladderwort is a remarkable plant.
Interestingly, it directly competes with young fry for aquatic invertebrates.

Good call Kelly! Video sounds interesting, I'll watch it tomorrow. Thanks for the info.

Kelly, very cool video. I had no clue about bladderwort affecting the food chain.

BTW: I have no data or references concerning the significance of competition between bladderwort and young fry. The impact of this competition may be of little consequence. But, it seems rational to prefer resource-migration toward "swimming protein" rather than vegetative growth.

Kelly,
thanks for the positive ID. I will research the control methods you advise even though quick research indicated $300+ (for ClearKast) and $500+ for floridone; ouch! I may be in the raking and netting business for a while; hehe.

Kelly gets a gold star for recognizing this plant at first glance.

For Kelly: