Aquatic Weed Identification and Control Solutions

Aquatic Weed Identification and Control Solutions

As ponds are starting to thaw, and weather is starting to warm, it is important to consider getting ahead of weed and algae control before it becomes unmanageable. Over the next couple of weeks Discount Pumps will be posting many blogs. Each blog will identify a plant and offer ideas for natural control.
With 4 different categories of aquatic green life and many different types in each category, it is important to identify what you have in order to deal with it appropriately.

Many ponds have more than one type of aquatic plant, and it is important to identify all the aquatic plants inhabiting the pond. Some pond plants may be beneficial to local or migratory wildlife, and therefore, may want to be encouraged or at least not eliminated. 

Algae are very primitive plants. Some algae are microscopic (planktonic algae). Others are thin and stringy or hair-like. While still others are large and resemble higher plants but without true roots. Types of algae - Blue Green Algae, Bryozoans, Chara, Euglena, Filamentous Algae, Golden Algae, Nitella, Planktonic Algae.

Floating plants are not attached to the bottom. Floating plants come in sizes from very small to over a foot in diameter. 

Floating Plants - American Featherfoil, Azolla, Bladderwort, Common Salvinia, Dotted Duckweed, Duckweed, Giant Duckweed, Giant Salvinia, Floating Crystal Wort, Florida Mudmiget, Rooted Water Hyacinth, Watermeal, Water Clover, Water Hyacinth, Water Lettuce.

Underwater plants are rooted plants with most of their vegetative mass below the water surface, although some portions may stick above the water. One characteristic of submerged plants is their soft stems, which is why they do not usually rise above the water’s surface. Underwater Weeds - American Pondweed, Asian Marshweed, Baby Pondweed, Brittle Naiad, Brittle Waternymth, Bushy Pondweed, Fanwart, Coontail, Curly-Leaf Pondweed, Cutleaf Watermilfoil, Hygro, Eelgrass, Egeria, Elodea, Eurasian Watermilfoil, Fineleaf Pondweed, Floating Pondweed, Gulf Swampweed, Horned Pondweed, Hydrilla, Illinois Pondweed, Indian Swampweed, Largeleaf Pondweed, Leafy Pondweed, Parrot's Feather, Ribbonleaf Pondweed, Richardson's Pondweed, Sago Pondweed, Spotted Pondweed, Starhorn, Variable-Leaf Pondweed, Variable-Leaf Watermilfoil, Water Stargrass, Waterthread Pondweed, Water Wisteria, Widgeon Grass, Willow-Leafed Hygrophilla.

Rooted plants are often along the shoreline that stand above the surface of the water like (cattails). The stems of emergent plants are somewhat stiff or firm and rooted. Rooted Weeds - Air Potato, Alligator Weed, American Bur-Weed, American Lotus, American Water Plantain, Arrowhead, Beaksedge, Blue Flag, Black Mangrove, Bogbutton, Brazilian Pepper Tree, Bulrush, Bur Marigold, Buttonbush, Cattail, Carolina Pony's Foot, Carolina Redroot, Cogongrass, Combleaf Mermaidweed, Common Reed, Common Rush, Cordgrass, Cow Lily, Creeping Burhead, Dodder, Dollar Bonnet, Egyptian Panicgrass, Floating Heart, Flowering Rush, Frog's Bit, Giant Cut Grass, Giant Reed, Horsetail, Mare's Tail, Mud Plantain, Pipewort, Privet, Shade Mudflower, Southern Watergrass, Spike Rush, Swamp Lily,  Sweet Flag, Virginia Buttonweed, Water Lily, Waterleaf, Water Primrose, Water Taro, Water-Willow,