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.