Get rid of Alligator Weed??

We live on approx 17 acre lake with houses around most of it. The lake is getting over run with alligator weed & tonight we had a small neighborhood meeting to discuss a plan to try get rid of it. The only problem is that the lake belongs to the golf course which they pull water from to water the course. So we have to be somewhat careful if we go the herbicide route. The neighbor that pulled the meeting together has been in touch with the course but they have been mostly unresponsive. Some of the ideas on how different people were treating their shoreline were raking, various herbicides, herbicides + raking & one guy had a "lake rake" which is basically a manual powered weed cutter that requires raking after cutting. The shoreline is relatively manageable in front of everyone's homes but the problem is mostly the large patches that are floating in the middle & at the damn end of the lake. Just wondering if anyone had any ingenious ideas or experience dealing with this stuff?

Never messed with it but there are man herbicides labeled for aquatic use
http://aquaplant.tamu.edu/management-options/alligator-weed/

If you use the herbicide properly per the label you shouldn't have an issue with them using the water on their golf course. Not only does it become inert over time but it will be so diluted it wont cause any trouble. Try to contact the golf course with your plan and work with them. If they dont respond thats their fault, not that it will hurt them either way. Go ahead with a licensed commercial applicator and document everything. You should be fine.

But if the lake isn't owned by you how can you justify going in and spraying it with out the golf courses approval...that would be like me walking over to my neighbors and spraying their yard cause I think it's overgrown....it ain't gonna fly

wcjones said:

But if the lake isn't owned by you how can you justify going in and spraying it with out the golf courses approval...that would be like me walking over to my neighbors and spraying their yard cause I think it's overgrown....it ain't gonna fly

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I agree and you better have one helluva umbrella liability policy if you do it and then it damages the golf course! I would put everything in writing with the golf course lawyers and your own before proceeding.

Not only would you be responsible for any damage that happens on the golf course you would be fined by the North Carolina Pesticide Board. Spraying without a license is not a good thing when it is not your property. If it were me I would set up a meeting with the GC Superintendent and offer to have a professional aquatic pesticide applicator spray. Maybe offer to split the cost. This needs to be done correctly, you do not want the State coming down on you. There are also several other groups that might not be happy with you, The Cape Fear River Association (there are a lot of drinking water reservoirs are located in this basin), the Canoe Association, among others.

http://www.invasive.org/biocontrol/1Alligatorweed.html good link to help you make a case for management. It deals with biocontrol options but the first part of the paper defines the impact of the weed.

If the golf course owns the pond you need to talk to them first. I missed that first. Its up to them if they own it. Look into that and be sure they do.

I had a problem with weeds in my 1.5 acre pond,I don't remember the type of weed it was,but I dyed the water a dark blue.it cut off sunlight to the weeds and they haven't been a problem since. and its been about 8 years.

mag44thunder said:

I had a problem with weeds in my 1.5 acre pond,I don't remember the type of weed it was,but I dyed the water a dark blue.it cut off sunlight to the weeds and they haven't been a problem since. and its been about 8 years.

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Golf course could charge extra for the blue grass......where else could you get that!!!LOL

I work at Foster Lake and Pond Management and have dealt with alligator weed on multiple occasions.

Dyeing the pond blue wont do anything. alligator weed is on top of the water not a submerged plant. You may try getting a plan together with a licensed company and present it to the golf course. Make sure you show there is no danger to them and you will work with them. They may go for it. If they pump from the lake the alligator weed is causing some type of fowl ups i am sure.

Bigfish4x4, Foster was brought up at our meeting & im pretty sure they were gonna call about a consultation. So if you hear about a lake that is overrun with alligator weed in Greensboro that's probably us!