Weed Control
How to Control Aquatic Weed Types and Aquatic Plants
Ponds grow a variety of pond weed types, many of which look similar. The aquatic weed identification information below lists the most common weed types -- including emergent, submerged, and floating weeds -- to help you explore and identify aquatic weeds in your pond or lake.
For those looking for weed control solutions, Lake Restoration has developed all-in-one pond and lake weed control kits that make it unnecessary to identify the type of weeds in your pond. Feel free to use the information below to facilitate your pond weed identification goals, or contact us today to talk to our customer support team about the right control product for your pond or lake.
Flat-Stem Pondweed
Flat-stem pondweed has both a flat stem and flat leaves with no floating leaves.
American Pondweed
American pondweed (also called long-leaf pondweed) has elliptical-shaped floating leaves that are green and often have brown spots.
Small/Baby Pondweed
Small pondweed produces only submersed leaves that are light green and nearly three inches long.
Floating-Leaf Pondweed
Floating-leaf pondweed has long, narrow, stiff submersed leaves and two- to four-inch long floating leaves on long stalks.
Muck
Muck can build up inches or feet on the bottom of a pond or lake.
Robbin’s Pondweed
Robbin’s pondweed has thick and course submersed leaves with a prominent yellow vein in the middle.
White-Stem Pondweed
White-stem pondweed has a zig-zag stem with alternately arranged wavy green leaves.
Illinois Pondweed
Illinois Pondweed has lance–shaped submerged leaves eight inches long that come to a point at the end.
Large-Leaf Pondweed
Large-Leaf pondweed has long, wide floating leaves that curl away from the stem.
Brittle Naiad, Marine Naiad
Brittle naiad is a submerged plant with small brittle leaves that are stiff and toothed.
Fanwort
Fanwort is a delicate, feathery-looking submerged weed.
Excess Nutrients
Excess nutrients can make the water look cloudy, murky, or muddy.
Egeria
Egeria is a submerged plant with three to six leaves per whorl and no midrib teeth.
Elodea
Elodea is a submerged plant that has three leaves per whorl and no midrib teeth.
Eelgrass, Wild Celery
Eelgrass has long ribbon-like leaves with very distinctive veins like that of celery.
Water Buttercup
Water Buttercup has showy white or yellow flowers during the summer months and has finely divided leaves.
Chara Algae
Chara at first appears more like a submerged plant, but it is not truly rooted to the bottom of the pond or lake.
Azolla, Mosquito Fern
Mosquito fern floats on the surface, forming large colonies, and can be green or red to brown.
Salvinia
Salvinia is a free-floating aquatic fern.
Bladderwort
Bladderwort has small bladders attached to the leaf-like branches, which are alternately arranged.