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Lake Weed Control

When I was growing up in rural Northern Ontario, Canada, summer didn’t officially start until my siblings and I jumped into any one of the handful of nearby inland lakes for the first swim of the season. Healthy lakes are great for swimming, fishing, boating and summertime fun, and I prefer them infinitely to backyard pools.

And yet, natural lakes and ponds do have one major downside — weeds. Feeling slimy tendrils of green stuff brushing against your body as you swim isn’t fun, and neither is getting stringy weeds tangled in your fishing boat’s motor.

These problems are a pain, but certainly aren’t insurmountable. Aquatic weeds can be reduced significantly in two ways: with dedicated weed removal tools or herbicides.

Tools are great if you don’t mind a little exercise and only have a small area of weeds to clear. They’re also perfect for areas where local authorities frown on aquatic herbicide use. Environmentally friendly herbicides are a better choice for large areas of weed infestation, or for those lacking the time and inclination to invest much elbow grease in weed removal. If this is you, keep reading for six great aquatic weed killing products.

Note: Be sure to check with local authorities before purchasing or using any aquatic herbicide.

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Approved by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture as safe for humans, fish and aquatic wildlife, this granular herbicide begins working on weeds right away, and usually kills them within a week or two.

Best applied early in the season, the product works well for removing many aquatic weed varieties, but is particularly effective at dealing with curlyleaf pondweed. It strictly follows all government safety requirements, even if the recommended dosage is exceeded.

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