Do you struggle to keep your pond or waterway plants from taking over the entire body of water? If so you are not alone. Excess available nutrients in pond water, especially nitrogen and phosphorous, can cause both aquatic plants and algae to grow profusely throughout the year. Excess nutrients as well as light availability, water chemistry, sediment characteristics, wind energy, the pond’s surface area, shape and depth will all play a part in affecting the growth and reproduction of aquatic plants.
It can be difficult to understand which plants (and at what density) are a threat to a healthy pond ecosystem. In Florida we deal with a myriad of nuisance aquatic weeds including hydrilla, water hyacinth, Eurasian watermilfoil, elodea, coontail and alligator-weed; just to name of few. Unfortunately, there is no blanket treatment for all aquatic weed problems. Rather, successful treatment of aquatic plants should be tailored to the unique limnological parameters of each individual pond.
Join Drs. Stephen Enloe and Kevin Korus for a pond workshop provided by the University of Florida’s Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences and Alachua County Extension. We will be discussing how to identify and manage unwanted aquatic plants. We encourage attendees to bring plants from their own ponds for identification; that way we can talk specifically about the problems and challenges of controlling those plants. Several handouts will be provided that enforce the course content and will include mechanical, biological and chemical control options for aquatic plants. We will also briefly discuss selecting desirable pond plants for bank erosion control and for aesthetics. The workshop will be held Tuesday, November 14th at 6:30pm at the UF Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences center (see address below). There is a 35 person limit to this class so register today! Pre-registration is required and can be done online through Eventbrite by going to the following URL: http://tinyurl.com/ybo4j768
Registration cost is $6.00.
Location: 7922 NW 71 St., Gainesville, FL 32653
References:
Florida LAKEWATCH. 2007. A beginner’s guide to water management – aquatic plants in Florida lakes. UF/IFAS Extension. Pub # Cir111
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