Few things are more frustrating than jumping into a seemingly refreshing lake and coming out tangled in weeds, lily pads, and rotting vegetation. This same issue can arise when you try to boat or fish in weedy waters, as your propeller and fishing line will become entangled no matter how careful you are.
Luckily, there’s a fairly straightforward solution to this common issue. Regular lake and pond weed removal is a fairly low-effort task and will ensure you can enjoy your waterfront property without getting covered in weeds.
There are a number of different ways you can go about removing lake and pond weeds, depending on the severity of the weed problem. Let’s take a look at some of the methods to remove lake and pond weeds in more detail.
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1) Weed Cutter
This tool is about as good as it gets when it comes time to remove lake and pond weeds. Its purpose-built for slicing through heavy aquatic vegetation including cattails, lily pads, milfoil, and other rooted aquatic vegetation.
The concept behind the tool is basically a wide-cutting device that you throw into the water and then drag towards you – instantly severing any lake weeds in its path.
The V-shaped design features two razor-sharp stainless-steel blades that clear a 48” wide path as you drag it through the water. It weighs just under 8 pounds, which ensures it sinks to the bottom, while also allowing you to effectively throw it towards your target easily.
A 30-foot floating rope gives you enough slack to cover large areas of weeds in a short period of time, while a clip-on carabiner ensures you don’t accidentally lose your throw rope.
2) Lake Rake with Float
This sturdy metal rake works well in conjunction with the previous tool for dragging any cut weeds out of the water and away from your waterfront. It can also be used on its own to skim floating vegetation and algae off the surface of lakes and ponds.
The design is similar to the weed cutter above, with a 20’ length of plastic rope for tossing into the water and pulling back towards yourself. It also features a two-piece 11-foot rust-proof aluminum handle and a detachable polyethylene float.
Removing the float and shortening the handle transforms the rake into a professional-grade landscaping rake, which works well for dredging out mucky lake bottoms, as well as for cleaning up beach sand.
3) Aquatic Weed Eradicator
An aquatic weed eradicator is an excellent tool for controlling lake and pond weeds near shorelines, docks, and beaches. It’s similar to the weed cutter above but is intended for near-shore use, as it doesn’t come with a throw rope.
Double-sided serrated cutting blades allow you to slice through weeds by pushing as well as pulling, while the 11-foot-long handle gives you enough reach to tackle a wide area from a comfortable position.
4) Aquatic Grade Herbicide
Sometimes you’ve got no choice but to break out the big guns. When the job is too large to tackle with weed cutting tools, some aquatic grade herbicide applied in the right locations will take care of your problem in no time.
This particular product is designed for use with turf, broadleaf weeds, and unwanted grasses, including cattails and water lilies. It’s a slow-acting herbicide, so it may take several weeks to completely eliminate your target weeds. It’s also safe for humans, fish, livestock, birds, and pets, so you won’t have to worry about damaging your lake or ponds wildlife.
5) Parachute Skimmer
While both bladed weed cutters and rakes work very well for rooted aquatic weeds like lily pads and cattails, if your problem is weed varieties that grow on the surface of the water, you’ll need a completely different tool. Algae, blanket weed, and duckweed all collect on the water’s surface, so a surface skimmer is needed to remove this scum effectively.
The parachute skimmer is a 5-foot-long floating collection net that captures algae and other floating debris more effectively than traditional surface skimmers. It consists of two parts – a top section to capture scum floating on the surface – and a bottom weighted section that suspends below and traps anything suspended in the water. A screen in between the two sections ensures everything you skim is caught in the net.
6) Beachroller
Another highly effective weed removal too, the Beachroller is ideal for ripping up root systems and ensuring that your weed problem won’t come back to haunt you. Unlike other weed removal tools which only cut the weed but don’t do anything to remove the root system, this roller rips up roots and tills the lake or pond bottom ensuring a sandy and smooth bottom.
The tool is surprisingly well made, with three tiller blades and three cutting blades surrounding the roller surface. The 20-foot-long aluminum handle breaks down into 5 separate 4-foot sections for easy storage and transport.
To use the tool, you simply place the roller in the water, let it fill with water until it sinks to the lake bottom, and then push it along the bottom as it cuts and pulls weeds out by the root.
7) Weed Barrier
While this isn’t a solution if you need to remove a bunch of lake or pond weeds, it will work as a preventative measure to ensure they don’t grow back after you’ve cut them.
A weed barrier is basically a physical barrier that prevents weeds from growing in the first place. It lays on top of the existing mucky bottom and creates a trampoline-like surface for you to walk on. The thick black material prevents any sunlight from getting through to the weeds below – which stops them from growing.
