Posts by Paul Kretsch

When you think of the word “seaweed” do many different images come to mind? Do you think of exotic Japanese fare or underwater plants that brush your feet as you swim in a natural body of water? Perhaps you think of the giant goop-covered green guy from the old movies-hard to imagine controlling seaweed in…

Belonging to the category of submerged weeds, Widgeon grass (Ruppia maritima) is also known by its common names ditch-grass and Tassel pondweed. This aquatic plant is also categorized as a seagrass as it has the unique ability of being able to survive in both fresh and saltwater environments (Please note that the widget grass control…

Also known as American or Canadian Waterweed or Pondweed, Elodea is a popular aquarium plant native to North America. Elodea’s dark green oval-shaped leaves grow in whorls of three around a central stem. The flowers of Elodea have three white petals with a waxy coating that make them float, and the flower is the only…

Many people refer to the Water Lily, either the native or introduced varieties, as lily pads but that is simply the emergent part of the plant or part of the plant we can see above the water. The entire plant is much more complicated and includes a sophisticated root system which serves as one of…

Recently Lake Restoration was brought in by the Minnewaska Lake Association (MLA) to treat a serious infestation of Eurasian Watermilfoil. The first aquatic weed treatment covered 15 acres of the nearly 130 of acres that are infested with the invasive plant. These acres exist in 6 pockets across the lake’s total 7,100 acres. The goal…

While acquiring exotic plants is a pleasing pursuit, when these plants leave a contained area and enter into the wild, big problems can arise. In this case, the plant newly causing troubles in the state of Wisconsin is Brazilian Water Milfoil also referred to as Parrotfeather. Recently the plant was found by the Wisconsin Department…

There has been considerable debate about whether Phragmites are native to North America or if they should be considered an invasive species. Until recently they were thought to be a non-native invasive species. Regardless of their classification, experts agree that the dense mats these emergent plants form provide little to no value to wildlife and…

You may have noticed that toward the end of the summer the cattails you’ve been ignoring are reaching maturity and taking over your lake or pond. Perhaps your attempt to cut them back earlier in the year has backfired and now you’ve actually got more of them than if you had just left them alone.…

Improving the health of your pond or lake can often be a multi-step process. If your goal is killing floating pond weeds you might have to look a little deeper into your pond’s overall health. Simply removing weeds like duckweed, watermeal, water hyacinth or water lettuce is just one part of the process. First make…

As the summer temperature heats up, who doesn’t want to take a dip in the lake and cool off? Swimmer’s itch is an itchy rash caused by certain parasites that normally live in freshwater snails and sometimes can even be found on waterfowl. While you are swimming, these parasites might burrow into your skin, causing…

Algae can appear in different forms and different colors. Is your algae safe, or is it toxic? There is no way to just look at an algae bloom and tell if it is toxic. Green Algae can be picked up when a stick test is done. If you poke a stick into the algae and…

During the dog-days of summer, conditions are just right to cause blue-green algae to grow very quickly, resulting in algal blooms in lakes. These blooms can create a noxious smell, discolored water and can even sometimes kill fish, which die when unable to get enough oxygen from the algae-dominated water. Combine this in some cases…

We are expanding our line of pond and lake weed rakes to include new rake tools, rake and weed control kit bundles, and new options for our patented LAKEMAID® lake weed removal machine. New to the lake and pond weed rake product line this year are several hand held rakes: Aquatic Weed Eradicator The Midwest…

Reveal the open water of your pond or lakefront more safely and more completely with the Open Water Kit®. Control and kill cattails, water lilies, grass, weeds, poison ivy and woody brush in and around ponds and lakes. Emergent plants are often found along the shoreline and their stems are somewhat firm. Lake Restoration’s Open…

Due to abundant habitat, high reproductive rate, a long life-span as well as low mortality due to minimal predation and hunting we have seen a dramatic increase in the population of geese around residential and lake home areas. As much as some people love to see these proud birds return as a sign of fairer…

With five simple steps and our PONDRestore® Ultra kit, you will be on your way to a beautiful, clear and healthy pond! We have combined together these five products to provide your pond relief from weeds and algae. This all-in-one complete kit is the answer you need for complete pond weed control and management. Step…

Every year people wonder about how to get rid of annoying, unsightly and unhealthy algae in their fountains and water features. They’ve put time, money, and effort in with the goal of enjoying the beauty of their yard and instead end up frustrated, with green goop floating across their best-laid plans. What was supposed to…

With summer arriving let Lake Restoration help you keep your lake healthy and beautiful with our pond and lake weed removal tools, We’ll help find the best option for you. Here are several options for your pond and lake weed removal needs. Our LAKEMAID® is a mechanical lake rake weed removal system that drags weed-removing…

Below are some descriptions of and solutions for Wisconsin aquatic weed control issues. Purple Loosestrife Purple loosestrife is a nuisance exotic weed that is extremely invasive in Wisconsin’s wetlands as it displaces native wetland vegetation and degrades wildlife habitat. And as native vegetation is displaced, rare plants are often the first species to disappear. This…

Lake Restoration has introduced Water Garden and Water Feature Maintenance Packages, a complete combination of products to enhance the health and appearance of your garden pond. The new packages will take the guess work out of reducing the nutrients in water gardens or water features and will help get the algae growth under control! The…