Removing weeds and aquatic plants in Ponds & Lakes

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I have seen so many pond that have been practically ruined by aquatic plants! Many invasive rooted aquatic plants can wreak havoc by literally choking out a pond. Milfoil, Hydrilla verticillata or Hyrdilla, Vallisneria spiralis or Eel grass, Potamogeton crispus or Curly leaf pondweed, Typha anqustata or Cat-tails are all common pond weeds that can ruin the aesthetics of the shoreline and make the pond or lake virtually unuseable.

Using chemicals can be a last resort but manual removal, much like weeding out the dandelions from the garden, should be looked on as the very best treatment for these sorts of plant invasions. Of course, the plants are growing in nutrient rich "soils" at the bottom of the pond and these nutrients which form in the muck need to be reduced using combinations of aeration and natural bacteria to ensure that the growth of plants is limited.

Recently I had a conversation with a member of a lake association who were plagued with lake weed problems. They were at the end of their rope! He told me that it was an artifical lake, was once a sandpit/quarry around 25 years ago that was purchased when water was springing up from below. The sandpit was dug out with many wells used to create a small lake but in the last few years there has been a proliferation of weeds, both [submerged/emergent and this year the weeds are thick through out the lake and there is pungent smell to the water.

In the past owners have managed the lake by dragging a huge home made weed rake (iron bars with bolts dragged from a boat) along the bottom which dredged the bottom and removal of floating weeds was performed by the owners. It worked slightly but over the last 5 years each year has seen a dramatic increase in the weeds; there are 3 dominant weeds: a low to the bottom currly weed matting the bottom, a weed from the bottom witha tubar growing to the surface, on the tubar are curly leafs about every 5 inches on opposite sides from the bottom to the top with what looks like a rattle snakes tail protruding from the surface and the 3rd one looks like a pond weed with a long thin vine with a single leaf at the surface.

The long term solution will start with the short term removal of these plants. Using a proper weed cutter and raker as a harvester will take the work out of the job...unless you have a group of neighbourhood kids looking for part-time summer emplyment as weed pullers then you need to use the smartest tools for the job; a cutter and a rake...sounds simple....but it still is a lot of work doing the manual removial.



Aquatic Weed Cutter
Remove your Lake or Pond Weeds in Minutes with the Aquatic Weed Eradicator, similar to the Weed Razer® weed cutter, the Aquatic Weed Eradicator has a thicker serrated blade on both edges to allow for a push/pull sawing action to be used for touch weed invasions in ponds.

The Aquatic Weed Eradicator is uniquely designed to be the most efficient and effective tool made to cut and removing sebmerged lake and pond weeds like milfoil and hydrilla.

Midwest Rake Aquatic Weed Eradicator (AWE), Model# 87028NT $89.99 Excellent for controlling lake and pond weeds. Simply skim the AWE weed rake across the water and let it sink. Retrieve with a short push-pull action and drop the weeds on the shore. Its that easy! Application: Bottom cutting, Max. Width (in.): 28, Material: Steel serrated aluminum, Handle Type: Powder coated aluminum, Handle Length (in.): 11 ft Bottom-cutting rake removes weeds at their source No need for chemicals Sturdy 28in. steel serrated cutting blade stands up to heavy weed loads 11-ft. two-piece powder-coated aluminum handle Features pushpin splice for easy assembly and disassembly U.S.A. Model 87028NT

The Aquatic Weed Eradicator's serrated steel cutting blade clears a path 28" inches wide each throw. Weighing in at around 9 pounds it is light enough to toss into the pond and reach the weeds growing further out from the shoreline and it can also cut in deep or shallow water. The serrated blade slices the weeds right at the base of the growing plant so it can rapidly clear an area for swimming or recreation from unwanted invasive weeds.


If you have full grown, mature lake of pond weeds within a 25 foot radius from your launch point and you want to cut a 4 foot wide path with each toss, then the Aquatic Weed Eradicator is the perfect tool for you. The Aquatic Weed Eradicator has extremely sharp steel blades. Whatever you want to call it; Weed cutter, Weed Razor, weedrazor, WeedRazor, Weed razor, this is probably the best way to deal with problematic aquatic weeds without using harsh chemicals.

I have seen a growing number of weed problems in lakes from Northern Minnasota to Southern Saskatchewan to Western Ontario to Eastern Texas...wow...I think I touched on every compass point but may have missed your state or province....but I've heard of it growing everywhere so don't depair...it's a common problem. Usually, there may have always been areas of a lake that are exceptionally weedy, but in the past four or five years the weeds have moved aggressively into the beach area or near docks and marinas. Most clients say the same thing: "I'm not certain that I want to spend thousands on this problem, as there needs to be changes to how the river valley and lakes upstream are managed to have any real influence on the water quality and weed levels in our lake. Having said that, I'd like to be able to clear the area around our dock, and I think the 'weed razer' looks like a product that might make that possible."

All I can answer to that is...you need a cutter, a rake and a whole bunch of elbow grease!!


Weed Rake & Harvester
A proper weed harvester is key to getting the job done fast and without strain or injury. A regular metal rake or a leaf rake isn't designed for the job...you need a light and sturday tool that has long teeth to really catch and hold the cut weeds and bring in large mats of the debris for removal, or add them to your compost heap! Of course sometimes, especially in the past before strict environmental laws were in place, many residents have gotten permission to use a herbicide in the water to kill their weeds, but cutting and raking really work well to keep the organic material down and help reduce the viscious cycle of poisoning and regrowth!

I was once asked about hHow effective do I think the weed razer would be if you were to drag behind a slow moving boat or sea doo? This may sound like a simple yet effective way to cut thembut it is likely more dangerous than smart! Dragging any sort of steel razer or serrated blade behind a moving boat or seadoo is not recommended. The blades could be damaged by striking a rock or log or it could become hooked on some submerged object and damaged the tool or even the boat! Don't risk it.

LAKE RAKE Uproots Aquatic Weeds $79.99 All-aluminum rake is ideal for the seasonal weeding of lakes, ponds or golf course water traps. Rake head is 36in. L and has 37 heavy duty tines with woven wire for uprooting tough aquatic weeds. 66in. powder-coated aluminum handle. Includes 50ft. rope line. U.S.A. Application: Bottom cutting, Max. Width (in.): 36, Material: Powder coated aluminum, Tines (qty.): 37, Includes: 50 ft rope line