Blink your eyes and water thread weed can surface in just about any pond or lake in North or South Carolina.  This nuisance aquatic weed is known as a common pondweed, or Variable-leaf pondweed can choke any pond in just one week of growth.

After preparing for a fishing derby for a charity event in our area and having a successful event we were prepared for what was about to happen.  In less than, three days, out of nowhere over half of the retention pond we had just treated and prepared for the fishing derby was now covered with water-thread weed.

This was a humble reminder of how ponds can change and need to be monitored at least on a monthly basis.  In fact, little did we know then it would become part of our reason for our monthly membership model for achieving Platinum Ponds.  Apparently, this weed was already well rooted in this pond in the past decade but, with just a simple glance during early spring, you would have thought the pond to be perfect.

Since our first encounter with water thread, we have begun noticing it popping up in a lot of retention ponds in the South Carolina area.  This aquatic weed loves the nutrient-rich fertilizers found in stormwater ponds with softer and shallower water.

If we hadn’t seen it ourselves that day, we would not have believed it could happen so quickly.  This same scenario happened this past week again at a small .5 acre retention pond in Traveler’s Rest, SC.  We went from fighting algae to a massive water thread weed bloom.  As it turns out, it typically happens between mid-April and early May in the Upstate SC area.  It seems to awaken when water temps hit 65 degrees or above.

The solution for water-thread weed quick control is using aquatic herbicides like these.  If your body of water runs out into another, be sure to use a licensed aquatic herbicide applicator to avoid stiff fines.  If not controlled, duck and geese will be sure to propagate it when breaking the plant apart searching for food.  Using a Pond razor would be the worst idea and would do the same as geese.

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