Re:weed control and herbicides

[Thomas Barr <tcbiii at earthlink_net>]

> Careful what you read there. The site is aptly named, but only
> because it takes science and turns it into junk. Milloy has never
> seen a fact he couldn't distort or misrepresent -
> http://info-pollution.com/milloy.htm

The same can be said for much and especially with statistics. Folks want
absolutes and there really aren't any. As said above, you can distort things
if you so choose.

I think there are simple methods of dealing with aquatic weeds that don't
involve herbicides. DDT was widely popular in the Panama canal and was one
of the first test sites. It could not have been built without it.

But some aquatic weed herbicides are listed here:
 
http://www.google.com/u/UFlorida?q=Aquatic+plant+herbicides

You'll see a number of aquatic plant specific herbicides. Hoyer and Canfield
do a great deal of research on aquatic plants here.
Farmers are already use to using herbicides for weed problems. Like many
aquarist that use algicides.......

But people's attitudes are often the best and most economically the cheapest
methods to deal with some of these issues.

Some folks see a pond full of weeds and think, "gross". But if you talk to
them about the natural benefits of the plants, wetlands and ecosystem's
role, it is cheaper to leave it be and not try to control everything in
mother nature. But often people want to make nature into their idealized
version of what they think it should be. Changing this "ideal" is much
cheaper and better for everything involved.

Small ponds like the original poster's question, are rather easy to control
and deal with. Removal of the weeds with nets, boats, mechanical removal or
draw down is practical and does no harm. After a fair amount of plant
biomass removal(Herbicides do nothing about export of nutrients), the
nutrients will be reduced provided no more are coming in from the golf
course, lawn fertilizers, etc and the weed growth should slow down. Drawing
down the pond would speed this up and be much easier. Smaller shallower
lakes are well suited for this.

Then, after weed removal, a plan to reduce the nutrient input should be
implemented and/or plan with other folks within the water shed of the pond
to reduce this input. Some lakes/ponds are naturally eutrophic also, not
just from human induced causes.

I'm not keen on herbicides but they are popular in Florida it seems. But
they are not deadly toxic to everything either. While many of you have done
lots of battles with algae, aquatic weeds are worse/as bad and on a much
larger scale.

You can understand their usage by the sales of various snake oils for algae
removal.

Read up on some of the management discussions in the above link for more.
Many plants and algae are infernal weeds.

Anyone that wants to really help can come down to Florida for the Plant Fest
Aug1-3 and help remove any water lettuce they want to here. Keep the
Ichetucknee free of that dang weed!

Regards, 
Tom Barr