Ohio Pond Management
Managing Aquatic Vegetation

All pond animals depend on aquatic plants, either directly or indirectly. They are the basis of the food chain, because they use the sun’s energy to make food from simple inorganic materials in a process known as photosynthesis. This process produces most of the dissolved oxygen in the pond. Aquatic plants also provide food & cover for fish & wildlife, improve water quality by filtering excess nutrients and reduce sedimentation. Some species of aquatic plants, such as pickerelweed, iris, and waterlily produce flowers that can also beautify a pond. Although aquatic vegetation is an essential part of a pond, it can become overabundant and even detrimental. Identification and treatment of problem vegetation are discussed here.

Plant Identification In a pond, you can find three types of aquatic vegetation (click type to view ids): 1) submerged, 2) floating, & 3) emergent. Proper plant identification is important for selecting the proper herbicide or alternative treatment. Simply knowing whether a plant is a submerged, emergent, or floating type is not enough. Plants not identified here can be identified and appropriate control methods selected with the help of biologists from the Ohio Division of Wildlife, personnel from the county Extension Service, or the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

At some point in time, aquatic plants become established in almost every lake or pond. Once this happens, the pond owner often has several questions about what actions, if any, need to be taken. Questions such as “What is it?” “Is it good or bad?” and, “If it’s bad, how do I control it?” need to be answered before a proper course of action is chosen.

Learn methods of aquatic plant control.