The perfect lake/ pond weed contd...

Hydrilla (the perfect lake weed / pond weed) is a perennial, which means the leaves and stems die when the weather gets cold, but the roots continue to live in the soil. When the weather gets warm again, the roots send up new stems and leaves.

Hydrilla spreads through fragmentation, when stems get broken, the pieces can become a new plant.

Hydrilla can also spread when it produces flowers. Hydrilla flowers are tiny and white. They float on the surface, just above the water.

Hydrilla is a fast growing, very competitive plant that can push out other plants, lake weeds, and pond weeds.

Even though Hydrilla causes lots of problems for some species of plants and animals, it can help others by providing cover and shelter. Fish, frogs, turtles, and aquatic insects can all hide in
Hydrilla and use it for protection. If the Hydrilla grows too thick, though, these animals may have trouble getting around it.

Some animals that eat Hydrilla include turtles and carp….

Pond weed effect

Pond weeds are vegetation that grows under, on, or out of the water in a pond. Pond weeds may be undesirable for a variety of reasons.

1. Pond weed may interfere directly with fish production and harvest.
2. Provide hiding place for small fish, pond weed may reduce the effectiveness of predators and hasten the day the fish population becomes unbalanced.
3. Some pond weed give the water an unpleasant taste or smell.
4. Pond Weeds also interferes with fishing, swimming, boating, and almost every other recreational use of the pond.

Example of undesirable pond weed, Hydrilla (aliases: Water thyme, Florida elodea, Indian starvine, oxygen plant), Cattails, Lily pad (Lillypads), etc.