RESEARCH, Help! Duck Weed on family pond. How to get rid of it. Looks awful, thin film with seed.?

Question

Old Timers call it Duck Weed, please help! How do I get rid of it. Does not look like Algae.

Answer 1

Well, it may not have the look you want, but it can be beneficial:

"A much maligned plant, duckweed has often been viewed as a nuisance, commonly mistaken for algae and associated with water quality problems in ponds, dugouts and stagnant water bodies.

But the facts are that duckweed will remove plant nutrients from water, block sunlight and out compete algae. It can even reduce evaporation loss from a dugout."

Read more here:

http://www.prairiewaternews.ca/water/vol...

And, according to Wikipedia:

"Duckweed is an important food source for waterfowl and are eaten by humans in some parts of Southeast Asia (as khai-nam). Some duckweeds are used in freshwater aquariums and ponds where they may spread rapidly, although in a large pond they may be difficult to eradicate once established. The plants can provide nitrate removal (if cropped) and cover for fry. The plants are used as shelter by pond water species, such as bullfrogs and bluegills. The duckweeds are important in the process of bioremediation because they grow rapidly, absorbing excess mineral nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphates. A cover of duckweeds will reduce evaporation of water compared to a clear surface."

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemnaceae

So, it's a natural part of ponds. However, if you're still stuck on trying to eradicate it, you might be interested in the selected answer for a similar resolved question on here:

http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/ind...