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Spent a couple of hours today cutting, raking, and moving
Sago and Small Pond weed from my biggest pond. (.62 acres)Two full trailer loads that pulls behind the mower. I've probably only removed 10 percent of what's there if I'm lucky. I'd say 60 percent of the pond is covered with the pondweed.
I didn't want to spend the money but once I get it cut down I'm going to bypass flow from the trout pond so the treated water doesn't flow out and treat with Whitecap or the equivalent Water is gin clear with a clarity of 9 feet the maximum depth of the pond. No wonder the weeds are going to town! Will also add Aquashade when I treat with the Whitecap. Just can't do this anymore. Too much work!
Anybody else deal with a similar situation?
Last edited by Cecil Baird1; 07/14/13 02:11 PM.
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.
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Manual removal of plants is very good for getting nutrients out but is a lot of work. Very heavy. I would guess that a quarter acre of plants would be tons of weight.
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Akin to cutting rights of way with a briar hook?
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I hear ya man. Sometimes I feel that being a DIY type of guy is a curse. Some guys don't know how to do didley squat, and others do, but don't. They either do without, hire someone, or get friends like me to do it for them. It seems they have life figured out, and I'm just a useful idiot.
Seriously though, I don't think I've ever hired anyone to do anything, other than the occasional helper I've hired for larger projects, where there's a lot of monotonous repetition involved. In these instances, I feel that some of the money I save by doing it myself is well spent hiring a helper.
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Would the pond weed be good in or around your plants in your garden this late in the year? I have friends who use grass clippings around and under their squash,zuccinni(sp)and tomato plants to help keep weeds down and moisture in.
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Cecil about a dozen years ago I was in my bathing suit trying to clear out Eurasian Milfoil so bad it was hopeless. I ended up putting 18 grass carp in my one-acre pond and they cleaned out nearly every weed in 3 or 4 years.
Gully Washer I'm a diy guy even when I can afford to have things done. It's a sickness. Right now I have high tree limbs hanging low over my drive that need to be cut. A tree trimmer lives next door with a bucket truck. But I am using a slingshot to fire a string over the high limbs, then attaching a rope to it with a chain saw chain attached to pull the rope/saw over the limb and sawing the limbs down. I don't think I am quite as old as Cecil but I will be 79 tomorrow and as Cecil says I'm getting to old for this but it keeps me healthy.
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HL, I avoid fresh grass clippings in an active garden. I'll til them in after everything growing dies back, and then they're ready by Spring. I've had great luck with leaves as mulch though.
I've also used lake weeds in my compost piles. It adds moisture and heat, but I only use actively growing weeds. If a weed's been killed, I don't want those herbicides in my compost pile.
AL
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Manual removal of plants is very good for getting nutrients out but is a lot of work. Very heavy. I would guess that a quarter acre of plants would be tons of weight. Very true and I plan on getting the biomass out and then applying the Whitecap.
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.
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Would the pond weed be good in or around your plants in your garden this late in the year? I have friends who use grass clippings around and under their squash,zuccinni(sp)and tomato plants to help keep weeds down and moisture in. I have plenty of fertilizer from my outside tilapia RAS.  In fact, I am babying a couple of new Maple trees and give them the pooh rich water water from the tank every day and they are going gangbusters. I have found that aquatic weeds are mostly water, and once dry there just isn't really much left. I have weedy section of a bank that faces my highway that I dump them on.
Last edited by Cecil Baird1; 07/14/13 09:37 PM.
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.
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Cecil about a dozen years ago I was in my bathing suit trying to clear out Eurasian Milfoil so bad it was hopeless. I ended up putting 18 grass carp in my one-acre pond and they cleaned out nearly every weed in 3 or 4 years.
No predators other than female yellow perch so if I added mixed sex carp I'm pretty sure I'd have a problem in no time. I tried grass carp once. They preferred the pellets. Since I feed so many fish per day I'd probably be feeding grass carp.
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.
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Cecil about a dozen years ago I was in my bathing suit trying to clear out Eurasian Milfoil so bad it was hopeless. I ended up putting 18 grass carp in my one-acre pond and they cleaned out nearly every weed in 3 or 4 years.
No predators other than female yellow perch so if I added mixed sex carp I'm pretty sure I'd have a problem in no time. I tried grass carp once. They preferred the pellets. Since I feed so many fish per day I'd probably be feeding grass carp. Have you tried the trick that George(I think) does to his grass carp. Catching one on a pellet and they never touch 'em again?
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Gully Washer I'm a diy guy even when I can afford to have things done. It's a sickness. Right now I have high tree limbs hanging low over my drive that need to be cut. A tree trimmer lives next door with a bucket truck. But I am using a slingshot to fire a string over the high limbs, then attaching a rope to it with a chain saw chain attached to pull the rope/saw over the limb and sawing the limbs down. I don't think I am quite as old as Cecil but I will be 79 tomorrow and as Cecil says I'm getting to old for this but it keeps me healthy.
That rope saw does sound like a workout. I like the slingshot idea. I recently bonked the top of my head while throwing a nut tied to a string, over a tree branch. I once looked into buying a pole saw, for tree trimming. Instead, I built one myself. I used a couple of steel hose clamps to attach a small electric chainsaw to the end of a 10' long piece of 1" electrical conduit, zip tied the trigger, cut the plug off the electrical cord, spliced on a section of an old extension cord, routing it through a toggle switch mounted on the other end of the pole. (Yes, it is a sickness.) The $40 homemade pole saw worked really well. So well, that a buddy borrowed it about a year ago and hasn't returned it since. He's one of those who likes to borrow stuff and never return it. When I inquire about it, he himhaws around the subject. I suspect he re-loaned it to someone of the same ilk. Congrats on your birthday, and thanks for the slingshot idea.
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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For throwing rope in a tree, this is the way to go. http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=21430&catID= The best rope to throw? This is what I've found: http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=D200+ORG+150&catID= As for a throw weight, these work very well: http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=984&catID= Then finally, for the actual rope that will be doing the work, you can't beat Amsteel. A wee bit pricey, but where you need strong rope that won't break, this is the stuff to get. Strong as wire rope, will float on water. I was doing some tree work last year and got tired of breaking ropes. Bought a 150' long piece of 1/2" dia. and never regretted it. http://www.baileysonline.com/itemdetail.asp?item=12ASB+150&catID= I ended up shopping around, but Bailey's is great for a one stop shop. Sherrill Tree is another good one.
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I've been keeping my eye out for an inexpensive and abused 4-5 foot 3-point hitch landscape rake. I keep thinking I could cut the hitch off and weld brackets and fittings so I could use it in place of the bucket on my backhoe to pull weeds and thick muck/leaves from the ponds.
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Man, them are some serious sling shots. I can just imagine the havoc I could have wrecked with one of those in my younger days. Heck, I can imagine the havoc I could wreck if I had one now. Visualize: "Wiley E Coyote" That rope looks pretty sweet too. Cool site. Thanks for the link.
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Baileys is a cool site. Thanks for the link.
Anybody used Bahco pole saws? I've almost retired my Echo gas pole saw. Bahco's are the lightest and sharpest pole saws I've ever used.
AL
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I've never used a Bahco, but it would have to be pretty darn good to cause me to give up my gas powered pole pruner! I love that thing!
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.
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Sprkplug believe me, I thought the same thing. Only one lawn mower shop in Dallas sells them, and they can't keep them in stock. 16' reach and dangerously sharp.
AL
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HL, I avoid fresh grass clippings in an active garden. I'll til them in after everything growing dies back, and then they're ready by Spring. I've had great luck with leaves as mulch though.
I've also used lake weeds in my compost piles. It adds moisture and heat, but I only use actively growing weeds. If a weed's been killed, I don't want those herbicides in my compost pile. FireIsHot, Sorry I didn't make my post clearer. I was just asking about weeds that have manually pulled (cut) and killed. Not with a herbicide.... My wife would probably make me replant the whole garden if I put herbicide killed plants in there.
Last edited by hang_loose; 07/14/13 08:42 PM.
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Hang_Loose you were clear, no worries. My wife would certainly do the same.
I have a hard time keeping my compost pile cooking, and lake weeds do help. I load the tractor bucket, and just dump them on top of the pile. Not a lot of volume once they dry out, but the moisture does help a lot.
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Cecil about a dozen years ago I was in my bathing suit trying to clear out Eurasian Milfoil so bad it was hopeless. I ended up putting 18 grass carp in my one-acre pond and they cleaned out nearly every weed in 3 or 4 years.
No predators other than female yellow perch so if I added mixed sex carp I'm pretty sure I'd have a problem in no time. I tried grass carp once. They preferred the pellets. Since I feed so many fish per day I'd probably be feeding grass carp. Have you tried the trick that George(I think) does to his grass carp. Catching one on a pellet and they never touch 'em again? I have over 350 large yellow perch I feed along with over 100 large bluegills. I would probably have problems catching a few grass carp.
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.
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bailey's used to sell the whole rope saw with beanbag, ropes and a self-adjusting chain but I cannot find it on their website. I bought one and it is very handy even though I could use one of those sling shots!
1 ac pond LMB, BG, RES, CC 
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Well spent a couple of hours cutting aquatic weeds again this evening before fish feeding time. Looks like I will be at it every morning and evening for at least a week and a half to get a bite on them. Starting to wonder if I'm better of just tearing them off with the rake as the cutter is so dull. Can't get it to sharpen up to save my life. It's about 15 years old and has taken some abuse.
Last edited by Cecil Baird1; 07/15/13 10:03 PM.
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.
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Can you post a photo of the cutter? I've learned to sharpen a lot of very odd things. Maybe I can suggest something.
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If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.
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This Spring/Summer we've had unusual clarity [96"+] and the FA, Horned and American pondweed has responded in kind with a mega boom. I'm raking out dead, floating FA every time out at the pond and collecting it in a pile. When dried, I think it will make a great potting soil additive. As Al says, though, it shrinks up to nearly nothing when fully dried - but due to the sheer volume I'd say I have nearly 1 cyd by now - and that's just the FA!
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau ![[Linked Image from i1261.photobucket.com]](http://i1261.photobucket.com/albums/ii582/teehjaeh57/I_subscribe_zps69249d43.gif)
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Cecil, if I remember I'll bring the sharpening implement tomorrow.
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This Spring/Summer we've had unusual clarity [96"+] and the FA, Horned and American pondweed has responded in kind with a mega boom. I'm raking out dead, floating FA every time out at the pond and collecting it in a pile. When dried, I think it will make a great potting soil additive. As Al says, though, it shrinks up to nearly nothing when fully dried - but due to the sheer volume I'd say I have nearly 1 cyd by now - and that's just the FA! It prolly will make a good soil additive only thing I noticed on mine is it stinks to high heaven..
I believe in catch and release. I catch then release to the grease.. BG. CSBG. LMB. HSB. RES. ![[Linked Image from i90.photobucket.com]](http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k247/jmilczski/Fish/PBSubscribe.gif)
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Cecil, if I remember I'll bring the sharpening implement tomorrow. I have one. It doesn't work well.
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.
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China's as irresponsible as we were 100 years ago.
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.
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I agree Cecil, there was a segment on the world news just tonight about how bad the air pollution is in China.
Do nature a favor, spay/neuter your pets and any weird friends or relatives.
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I'm tooting my own product's horn, but the Jenson Lake MowerTM is
- boat-mounted,
- and the blades are self-sharpening.
We have many users that are your age -- one told us that he used a rake like yours one summer until he was tired of the upper-body workout. Then he ended up paying his daughter and her boyfriend through the rest of the summer to do it. When he tallied it all up, he had paid out about what a Jenson Lake MowerTM would have cost him. So the next summer he called us....
If this is something you might want to consider, call us or see lakemower.com .
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I'm tooting my own product's horn, but the Jenson Lake MowerTM is
- boat-mounted,
- and the blades are self-sharpening.
We have many users that are your age -- one told us that he used a rake like yours one summer until he was tired of the upper-body workout. Then he ended up paying his daughter and her boyfriend through the rest of the summer to do it. When he tallied it all up, he had paid out about what a Jenson Lake MowerTM would have cost him. So the next summer he called us....
If this is something you might want to consider, call us or see lakemower.com . I'd love to have one. Just can't afford it.  BTW the Sago and Small Pondweed is dying down now.
Last edited by Cecil Baird1; 07/26/13 11:44 PM.
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.
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As the owner I might could work something out for you. Give us a a call and ask for Annamarie.
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I'd love to have one. Just can't afford it. had one for sale awhile back.
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Yesterday I had 4 Herons circling around my pond and I have never seen that before. The day before I was setting at the pond and a heron came down and landed in my thick spatterdock in 7 foot of water. I think he thought it was shallow, and he sank up to his nick. He tried three times to get out but the foot high spatterdock and water was interfering with his wing flapping. He was able to fly out on the 4 attempts. By the way the spatterdock seems to be self destructing with the leaves turning brown and thinning out, much like you see in late fall and finally finished off by frost. Since I have let my pond go completely natural I have minnows, bluegill, tadpoles and frogs thick in my pond offering up lots of food for predators. Cattails of the thin and wide leaf variety have almost circled my pond with a width of 30 feet in some places and I have never see herons land in them. I only spray in front of my deck so as to have a clear view of all the wild life activity this type of pond has to offer. The birding is great.
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As the owner I might could work something out for you. Give us a a call and ask for Annamarie. Thanks for the offer. Don't get me wrong. I don't believe your product is overpriced as it appears to be high quality and long lasting. My problem is other priorities for the next year or so. I need to get a fish barn up first. I did have the idea of several pond owners pooling their funds and buying one for each to use when it's needed, but didn't get many takers. I think a pond/lake manager could quickly pay for it.
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.
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Yesterday I had 4 Herons circling around my pond and I have never seen that before. The day before I was setting at the pond and a heron came down and landed in my thick spatterdock in 7 foot of water. I think he thought it was shallow, and he sank up to his nick. He tried three times to get out but the foot high spatterdock and water was interfering with his wing flapping. He was able to fly out on the 4 attempts. By the way the spatterdock seems to be self destructing with the leaves turning brown and thinning out, much like you see in late fall and finally finished off by frost. Since I have let my pond go completely natural I have minnows, bluegill, tadpoles and frogs thick in my pond offering up lots of food for predators. Cattails of the thin and wide leaf variety have almost circled my pond with a width of 30 feet in some places and I have never see herons land in them. I only spray in front of my deck so as to have a clear view of all the wild life activity this type of pond has to offer. The birding is great. John, Sounds like you have the right idea with the natural approach if that works for you.
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.
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Cecil I have evolved, or degraded, from what one usually thinks of what a pond should be. I sometimes read a book at the pond only to put it aside because the pond is more exciting. Just the other day I was watching a flying insect pestering a large bullfrog, flying and landing all over it's face including its eyes. I expected it to be a meal at any time, but after a few minutes the frog swatted the bug with it's front foot then dove under water. In the past I have only seen one Kingfisher at a time diving from a tree into the pond but a few days ago I watched two perform acrobatics all over the pond, mating perhaps. I have watched only the female Red Wing Blackbirds land on the spatterdock and gather bugs and eat the tiny seeds from cattail fuzz. It's a mystery why the males don't do this. I am constantly surprised at what the pond shows me. Great entertainment.
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John - Sounds like we have similar interests in terms of ponds that function primarily as wildlife habitat. However, I still am interested in nudging the pond in the direction I desire by stocking fish that I want and planting the plants that I want, and removing invasives. I love to see others, especially kids, catch fish in our ponds, but love the ducks, herons, and kingfishers. We have seven half grown wood ducks that are being raised in one of our shallow duck ponds which have thick reed beds for cover. I do remove the occasional muskrat though. A nudge here and there...
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The idea of a pond that receives minimal hands-on does have a relaxed, restful, and tranquil ring about it. But I can't see myself being able to simply watch mother nature do her thing, as her ideas don't often integrate themselves into my plans very well.
I did smile at the notion of giving a "nudge" here and there...that does sound rather gentle and peaceful, especially when my idea of management involves throwing the aquatic version of a headlock around our ponds, wrestling them down, and doing my best to pin their shoulders to the mat in a decisive victory.
I'm very aware that ultimately, mother nature will get her way. But I haven't reached the point where I'm willing to admit it. I'm still going to shoulder that brushcutter, strap on the backpack sprayer, trench 370' to run power so all of our ponds can be aerated, (yesterday's project), continually moniter fish population dynamics, and make runs to the local feed store for AQ500.
John and RAH, your places both sound awesome. I'd like to see some photos.....
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.
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A pond with minimal hands on effort is very similar to a vegetable garden that receives little hands-on. Both progress in parallel. think about it.
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine -
America's Journal of Pond Management
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A pond with minimal hands on effort is very similar to a vegetable garden that receives little hands-on. Both progress in parallel. think about it. Bill, that's the vision I had in my mind also, which is why I'll continue to wrestle with ours. Perhaps the day will come when I'm content to let things progress as they may, but I'm not ready for that at this time.
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.
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I am a 30-year recovering naturalaholic, but I just have different objectives for my vegetable patch and my pond. I use high-intensity plasticulture, with raised beds and drip irrigation to maximize yield in my vege patch. I am after entertainment in my pond, and I enjoy directing the biological processes on my place to maximize wildlife which I enjoy watching. With over 100 acres of habitat and a full time off-farm job, that is a pragmatic approach for me. I am not a purist and mix exotic (but non-invasive) species with natives.
Last edited by RAH; 07/28/13 10:12 AM.
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Excellent post John. Shows a nice overview of other benefits to a pond.
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Outstanding post John. I too don't want to kill anything anymore so either use nonlethal means to send the herons on their way or relocate other animals. Unfortunately since my ponds add a few thousand to my income I have to be very hands on. If my ponds were strictly recreational i wouldn't be concerned much at all.
Last edited by Cecil Baird1; 07/29/13 07:41 AM.
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.
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Do nature a favor, spay/neuter your pets and any weird friends or relatives.
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John,
I have those bugs in my pond as well and I also don't know what they are. I do know that the BG swim right under them and don't eat them; even the small BG.
1 ac pond LMB, BG, RES, CC
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Very cool photos John. Maybe someday! 
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1)
And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1)
Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT?
PB answer: It depends.
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djstauder when I was walked the pond with chest waders a couple of years back I bumped into the lilies and knocked of the little jumpers into the water and the fatheads and Golden shiners when crazy, so I got to shaking the lilies to watch the action. I had very few bluegills at the time but I have quite a few now. So I will walk the pond next month and see what happens.
RAH thanks for identifying the hoppers. I ask what they might be when I presented the picture in 2011 but didn't get an answer.
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I am just curious about such things as I was trained as an entomologist.
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I am just curious about such things as I was trained as an entomologist. Wow Rah! I am impressed with the diversity of people on this forum.
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Would have rather gone into wildlife biology, but I wanted to be able to afford to eat.
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Would have rather gone into wildlife biology, but I wanted to be able to afford to eat. One of my classmates that graduated from our fisheries class went into entomology and ended up working for the EPA. Last i talked to him he's a professor at a college in Michigan.
Last edited by Cecil Baird1; 07/31/13 08:37 AM.
If pigs could fly bacon would be harder to come by and there would be a lot of damaged trees.
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