Control Methods for Managing Aquatic Weed

Plants that grow on the floor and surface of water are an essential part of the aquatic ecosystem and have several benefits for a wide variety of water organisms. However they also have an overwhelming number of negative effects because of which new methods of water weed removers are being tried and tested with great frequency. Different aquatic plants require different methods of removal.

From preventive to mechanical control by algae removal equipment, this problem of water weed can be tackled in various ways. Here is a comprehensive discussion of various methods you can employ if you are faced with the problem of weed stems and leaving clogging up your lake.

Preventive Techniques for Weed Control

Proper design and construction of ponds can play an important role in the control of water weed. One of the best design hacks to ensure that you have minimal to negligible plant growth in your lake is to make the banks drop steeply to the lake floor without making a slope.

Shallow water along the margins of the water body makes an ideal habitat for the growth of immersed and floating weeds. Therefore steeply sloped banks can be an effective preventive measure. The shallowest point of the lake must not be any less than 2 to 3 ft. deep. Properly designed and constructed ditches and channels will make control of weed growth easier in the future and thus must be given proper attention. Lining canals have also proved to be an effective prevention technique.

Mechanical Tools and Techniques of Aquatic Weed Control

The thing about weed prevention measures is that you may carefully exercise all techniques of control and still end up with aquatic plant growth. Weed infestations are hard to prevent completely but the good news is that mechanical control tools like water weed removers are available abundantly and fairly easy to use.

One of the main advantages of mechanical control techniques is that it does not contaminate the water like chemical controls like herbicide treatments do. Hence they can be safely used in water which is used for drinking, fishing or for livestock. Motor-driven algae removal equipment is being used extensively. Some of these equipment come with harvesters which help in collecting and removing the weed after they have been cut lose from their roots. Underwater cutting works best when done at regular intervals, especially during summers.

Apart from these, cultural control methods of altering and manipulating aquatic environment and biological control can be effective for clearing aquatic weed.

Different Types of Weed Removal Methods Other than Weed Removal Boats

The growth of aquatic weeds is beneficial for sustaining aquatic biodiversity. They help to provide the water body with food, oxygen supply, spawning and even nesting habitat. It is the aquatic plants that can also help to trap the excessive nutrients in the water body and also preserve the cleanliness by detoxifying the chemicals. However,dense growth of aquatic weeds can also threaten aquatic life and pond recreation. There are many techniques to treating water bodies filled with aquatic weeds. One of them is using weed removal boats.

Use of Weed Removal Boats for Keeping the Aquatic Bodies Clean

These standalone boom cutter Florida boats are available in different designs. The difference between these water vessels and other big aquatic harvesters and cleaners is that they are designed to be agile and hence makesit easier even to clean up the shallow water bodies. Fitted with revolutionary weed removal technology, aquatic water removal becomes all the more easy, fast and fun.

The method is called mechanical method. Apart from these standalone boom cutter Florida, there are many other measures that can be taken to remove the weeds. These are – 

· Chemical Control

Chemical weed control methods are both effective and cheap. These can work to suppress and control the growthof the weeds by either killing them or completely inhibiting their growth.

· Biological Control

You can even use biological methods in order to suppress and to control the growth of the weeds. These are actually bio agents and can include plants, animals and other microorganisms. They work to destroy the growth of the weeds. Implementing the biological methods of control can be both economical and efficient provided that you can use the right kind of pathogens, parasites and predators.

· Manual Control

The manual control is a method of using handheld tools or simply hands for dealing with weeds. There are a few advantages to using the manual control. It helps to minimize the problem related to soil destruction. There are alsoother beneficial factors that are derived from using the manual control process. These are –decreasing the likelihood of weed seed germination and erosion.

· Soil Sterilents 

These are referred to as non-selective herbicides that are applied into the soil. When the soil sterilents are absorbed into the soil and hence are capable of supporting plant growth. As a result of this, the process helps to kill the weed seeds or the weed seedlings present in the soil.

How to Control Aquatic Plants and Lake Weed with Aquatic Weed Cutters?

Aquatic plants are quite beneficial for the ecosystem, since it a source of food, shelter, and oxygen, to the life surviving in the sea. However, there are some weeds and aquatic plants that can grow very quickly and can hamper the activities of the water body. There are several people out there who are searching for ways to control weed. It is an issue that can be pretty frustrating. There are different types of weeds and plants try and run a rampant over the water body. There are different ways to prevent this like by using lake rakes from Weedoo Aquatic Harvesters.

Several ponds and lakes get ruined because of bad aquatic weed cutters. It makes the water unusable by any living organism. Here are some methods to remove weeds from ponds.

Manual Method

This is method where weeds are manually pulled out from the surface of the water bodies. It is quite similar to pulling out the weeds from your garden. The plants are removed and disposed in an area that is away from the shoreline. This method however, fails to clean up the lake thoroughly.

Chemical Method

This method uses chemicals and aeration techniques. Plants grow on a rich soil at the bottom of the lake. This is removed by using herbicides which is quite easy to apply. However, the water that has been infected with herbicides has to be used very carefully. It cannot be used for swimming, harvesting fish, irrigation, and most importantly drinking. It is toxic and can kill the fishes of the water.

Weed Rakes and Harvesters

In extreme cases, you can get rid of the weeds by using aquatic weed cutters. These equipment work as a harvester and can be used for removing tough weeds. It contains thicker and serrated blades on both the ages. The weeds have to be completely removed from the water bodies to make the operation successful. Harvesting is a method by which you get immediate relief from weed growth. As a matter of fact, it does even endanger the fish life.

Dredging and Deepening

Removing the sediments from the bottom of the pond and building up steep slopes around the bank is an effective way which you can control growth of rooted aquatic plant growth in shallow water. Unlike lake rakes, it removes the problem of aquatic plants directly. This method can also be used on dry sediments, after the water has been drained.

Using Weed Control Equipment is the Best Way to Remove Weed from Lake

Weedoo Boats - Aquatic Weed Cutter and Harvester Boats

Weed management decisions differ depending on the plant life cycle, environmental parameter, infestation size, and also management objectives. In order to make the weed management successful, you have to identify the plant properly, and then select an effective management. The five different weed controls along with the one using weed control equipment have been mentioned below.

Preventive Control

Prevention is the most crucial aspect of weed management. Once a noxious weed starts growing, they keep on increasing in size and density. Thus, cleaning becomes more expensive. You need to be aware of the source and the identity of the plant. If not restored weeds are more likely to appear. Rapid response with work boats and by early detection of the plants helps in saving time.

Water Level Management

If you are able to lower the water level of the pond, you will be able to control the problem of aquatic weeds very easily. Pond drawdown, especially during the winter season, exposes the wed to adverse conditions which include desiccation, freezing, and sediment compaction. In order to ensure effective over-winter control, the bottom mud has to be frozen to a depth of about four inches for several weeks. However, some weed species cannot be controlled by this method. The vegetation that has been exposed by the lowering of the level of water from the pond basin can be prevented from getting nutrients.

Chemical Control

Herbicide application is one of the most effective and time efficient method to manage weeds. There are several herbicides that provide effective weed control. This method ensures that the grasses are not injured. When you are using herbicide, you have to be careful about the proximity of water, shrubs, trees, and other vegetation that are desirable. It is mostly used for keeping out noxious weed from lake with work boats.

Biological Control

The goal of biological control is use living agents in order to suppress the vigor and spread of weed and not eradication. Such living agents can be bacteria, fungi, insects, and grazing animals. Fungi and bacteria are rarely available for weed management. As a matter of fact, they are not a feasible method. It may even lead to a destruction of the important aquatic life of the water.

Mechanical Control

Mechanical control or suppresses weed by physical disruption. This method requires aquatic weed control equipment and is taken to be the best method. The best part about this technique is that you can use the water just after it has been cleaned.