Three Water Weeds To Watch Out For
By: Savannah Sayan
Do you have lake Weeds? Florida waters are a breeding ground for countless water weeds that decrease the health of our ponds, lakes, and waterways. The first step towards defeating something is to identify it, and spreading awareness on these lake water weeds will help communities take the proper steps to keeping their waters clean. Here are some of the most common breeds of invasive vegetation that you may have the displeasure of seeing in your lake or retention pond.
#1 Water Hyacinth
These floating water weeds can be identified by their thick glossy leaves and beautiful lilac colored flowers. Don’t let their appearance fool you though, they have a nasty environmental impact. Water Hyacinth grow at such a fast rate that they cover a dangerous amount of the water’s surface in a short amount of time. This cuts off the source of sunlight and the air-water interface from the organisms that call your body of water home. This can also disturb animals that use this body of water for drinking, bathing, breeding, and hunting. The harm of this plant doesn’t just stop at the surface either, the infected waterway will be laced with long feathery roots that will drain the water of oxygen and crowd all other organisms. When you see water hyacinth in your community waterways, contact your local HOA immediately.
#2 Water Chestnut
If you spot oval leaves with saw tooth edges floating on the surface of your local waterways, you may be dealing with a water chestnut infestation. These water weeds have a similar environmental impact to water hyacinth, also cutting off sunlight and crowding native species roots that drain oxygen from waterways. Although unlike water hyacinth, water chestnut is a fruit-bearing plant with a nut covered in spikes sharp enough to pierce a thin shoe. The environmental harm that these plants cause with an additional element of danger from their spiked fruit decreases property value immensely in areas plagued with water chestnut. Keeping your local leaders informed if you suspect a water chestnut infestation will help protect waterways, community members, and neighborhood values.
#3 Hydrilla
Arguably one of the most common invasive plants plaguing Florida waterways is hydrilla. These plants can be identified by their pointed leaves with small teeth at the edges and light yellow tubers attached at the roots. Hydrilla grows at threatening speeds, sometimes up to a foot a day, and clogs the irrigation of their infected waterway. Hydrilla can reach the surface of a body of water from as deep as 40ft, collecting in a thick mat of vegetation on the surface. From here, the already crowded organisms are blocked from sunlight and surrounding animals are cut off from their water source. It is very common for Florida waterways to be infested by Hydrilla, so be sure to contact the proper authorities concerning your local waterway health if you are concerned.
No fear, L.E.W. is here!
If you are able to identify any of the water weeds above in your local waterways, all hope is not lost. At L.E.W. Inc. we are passionate about waterway health and have access to the highest quality of machinery able to clear invasive vegetation from ponds, lakes, rivers, and more. Have your local HOA contact us at 321-508-3574 to remove harmful plants from infected waterways with powerful equipment and experienced operators. Contact L.E.W. Inc for fast and affordable lake weed removal!
