Mowing Lakes? This seemingly odd combination of words has a base in reality!

If you have ever run across one of my websites like www.bugsandweeds.com, you know that I love the idea of prevention when it comes to pest control, even aquatic weed control. In our part of the country, we have just been alerted that Giant Salvinia is now present in one of the lakes just a few miles from my home. It has already taken over a huge part of the only natural lake in the state of Texas, Caddo Lake. The story even made the New York Times, which called Giant Salvinia a "Lake Eating Monster!" Aquatic weeds are becoming a major problem here, and throughout the country.

For aquatic weed management, the first choice is prevention. Cleaning everything inside and outside of your boat when moving between lakes, even the boat trailer and your fishing or skiing gear, is the most obvious, and most needed prevention tactic.

If prevention fails to produce a weed free body of water, the next best option, in my opinion is chemical treatments. This is one of the services we offer. We have some good products on the market for this these days.

Somewhere in the mix, biological controls come into play. I like the idea of biological controls, as long as they are naturally occurring organisms. Enhancing naturally occurring organisms is a fine idea, but I am a little wary of using non natives to control non natives. There are too many things that can go wrong, and you now have two alien predators in the environment. No matter how well researched the organism is, changing conditions can, and do alter situations.

What if you have not been able to prevent, or control exotic aquatic vegetation with chemical or biological control methods? Well, there are mechanical controls.

Mechanical lake weed controls should be used when other options have failed, and the pond or lake owner has determined that the mechanical controls will be a permanent part of the maintenance regimen.

Prevention is long past, chemical controls have failed to produce the desired results, and the use of a lake weed cutter is now a part of your lake maintenance.

With this in mind, what type of lake weed cutter is best suited to this type of job? In order to use mechanical controls as a part of a lake IPM program, I think that there are several considerations.

Fragmentation is the prime consideration even at this stage.

Shredding the weeds to bits, will only worsen the situation. The lake weed cutter should vibrate as little as possible. The weeds should be cut smoothly, as possible. The mowing device should produce as little turbulence as possible. In other words, the less disturbance, the better. The weeds don't need to be  vibrated, shaken, or stirred. They do not need to be dragged, ripped, or torn, they need to be cut! 

The system should be chosen in much the same way as a lawn mower is chosen. Power, smooth operation, product longevity, and economy of operation are all prime concerns.

Of all the mechanical devices I have come across, the one that most impresses me is the Jenson Lake Mower. I like the smooth cycle bar mechanism, reminiscent of the hay mowers that leave such a flat, even, low to the ground meadow when done. The mower works on the same principle, is operated with rechargeable batteries, and has power more than sufficient to get the job done. It is designed in such a way that vibration and turbulence are kept to a minimum, so the fragmentation of the weed is not so much of a problem. This is very important in a lake weed cutter. In short, it is a great weapon to add to the lake and pond managers arsenal!

The company has recently changed it's website, which now has a new look. They have a lot of product information on the site. Drop by and see their lake weed cutter at: www.lakemower.com.

For more information on preventing the introduction of exotic aquatics see: