How To Remove Pond Weeds and Prevent Weed Growth Naturally

Before you dump chemicals into your pond to combat pond weeds, read the following information. There are alternatives to chemical pond weed removal. We advise against using chemicals in ponds, rivers, lakes, and other small bodies of water because they ruin water quality and amplify the nutrient loading that contributes to weed and algae growth.

As pond weeds die and rot, they release the same chemicals that have been used to eliminate them. Additionally, these rotting vegetation consume oxygen and increase the amount of organic sediment on the bottom of the pond. Anaerobic bacteria thrive on pond bottoms because in this environment there is very little dissolved oxygen. These naturally occurring bacteria digest organic sediments and dead pond weeds.  In the process, they release toxic gases into the water that can kill beneficial insects and aerobic bacteria.  Your fish and wildlife may then die as a result of this oxygen depletion.  Adding chemicals to your pond may kill pond weeds, but they perpetuate this cycle.  They do nothing to remove any muck, fertilizer, or debris that accumulate in your pond over time, nor do they improve the health of your fish, quality of water, or reduce pond odor. Chemicals address symptoms, not causes, and are not a long term solution.

In addition to wanton chemical applications, new housing developments are partially responsible for the amount of nutrient runoff into streams, lakes, and ponds. Fertilizer, soil, and waste sediments in watersheds runoff into ponds and lakes and cause pond weeds, algal blooms, oxygen depletion, high water temperatures, bad smelling pond odors, and dead fish and wildlife.

Natural Alternative to Chemicals for Pond Weed and Algae Control

To combat pond weeds, we recommend the combination of Clean-Flo inversion-oxygenation systems and bioaugmentation programs. In natural aquatic ecosystems, dissolved oxygen is maintained by aerobic nutrient uptake and the replenishment of oxygen at the water surface interface with the atmosphere.  In ecosystems that have become dominated by nutrients, mechanical oxygenation systems reaerate the water column and accelerate the processing of nutrients.  They function in two ways:  1) by inverting the water column to evenly distribute dissolved oxygen and increase the cyclical interface of water with the atmosphere and 2) by adding oxygen through direct diffusion between microbubbles and the water.

Through this process, the microbial community in bottom sediment is converted from one in which undesirable anaerobic bacteria dominate the decomposition of organic matter, to one in which aerobic bacteria prevail. Aerobic bacteria thrive in oxygen-rich environments and eliminate nutrient pollution.  This process reverses the process of eutrophication and creates a sustainable ecosystem. Once aerators and diffuser equipment is added to a pond, oxygen dissolves into the ecosystem and water quality quickly improves, allowing O2 thriving aerobic bacteria to naturally decompose organic matter, such as pondweeds and other plant life.

Using a natural system to reduce pond weeds contributes to a healthier pond ecosystem.  It is based on the natural principle that a natural aquatic system can restore itself using natural processes of nutrient removal and oxygenation. Normally, ponds keep themselves clean and free of excess pond weeds because they contain ecosystems, with food chains of organisms that absorb excess nutrients.  When the system is skewed by chemical applications, nutrient runoff, and accumulating organic sediment, it needs assistance to revert to its natural balance.

Ready to Get Started with Pond Aeration?

Contact us today to learn more about how to reduce pond weeds, prevent sediment build-up, and improve the health of your pond with inversion and oxygenation.