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    How to Prevent Weed and Algae Takeover

    It’s time to make sure your pond stays weed and algae free all season long! Pesky weeds and algae can make your pond unsightly, and they can take the fun out of having a water feature as part of your landscape.

    Lake Restoration has been in the lake and pond weed services industry since 1977. We offer proven solutions that will control weeds and algae, making your pond look beautiful all year round.

    Here are some common weed and algae types that may pop up in your pond, along with tips and products to help you combat them all summer. As with any products, read the labels before using them.

    Common Floating Weeds

    Floating weeds are weeds that float on top of the surface of water or within the water column. They are not rooted to the bottom. A common floating weed is duckweed. Duckweed plants look like little clovers that float on the surface of the water. Watermeal are tiny bright green dots that can be spherical or oblong. Each plant is about the size of a pencil tip. A mass of watermeal often creates swirls across the surface of the water. Duckweed and watermeal can exist together.

    Filamentous algae will often form mats on the surface of the water. They start growing on the bottom on rocks or logs, then float to the top with air bubbles trapped in them.

    Floating Weed Solutions

    What is the solution to floating weeds like duckweed and algae? Lake Restoration’s Pond Products will help control duckweed and algae with liquids Dibrox and Mizzen, as well as clear the water column with SparKlear and filter sunlight with our Deep Blue dye.

    If watermeal is present, then our Watermeal Pond Products package is the right solution. Dibrox herbicide is replaced with Flumigard and surfactant, which will kill duckweed, watermeal, and some algae. The rest of the package remains the same: Mizzen for algae, SparKlear nutrient reducer, and Deep Blue dye.

    The products in both of these packages will be diluted with water and sprayed over the surface of the water.

    Common Submerged Weeds

    Submerged weeds are weeds that are rooted to the bottom and stay entirely or mostly under the water’s surface. There are many different types of these plants, and watermilfoils and Hydrilla are some of the most common.

    Submerged Weed Solutions

    Just like with floating weeds, submerged weeds can be easily controlled using Dibrox herbicide. With Hydrilla specifically, the addition of Mizzen aids in the control to attack the plants with more than one active ingredient.

    Emergent Plants

    Emergent plants are plants that grow above water or on your shoreline. These include cattails, water lilies, grasses, poison ivy, and woody brush in and around ponds and lakes.

    Emergent Weed Solutions

    To control emergent plants, our Cattail & Water Lily Control package is the answer. It contains Imox herbicide and a surfactant to help the Imox spread and get absorbed into the leaves. This treatment moves through the plants to kill them down to the roots, and there are no restrictions for swimming or fishing. A backpack sprayer is advised for easy application of these products.

    Weeds and algae are no fun to deal with in the summer. That’s why Lake Restoration provides comprehensive options for controlling weeds and algae so you can enjoy your water.