Treating Chara

11 Jul 2011

Have you ever run across a submerged weed that you kept trying to kill with diquat dibromide (Tsunami DQ), endothal salts, or 2,4D, but it just would not die? In fact, you would swear that all these herbicides were actually making it grow more!

What you may have is actually a weed-looking form of algae called chara or nitella. Both of these are know by other names such as stone wort or skunk weed. These plants have a distinct musky odor and often have calcium coating the outside of the plant. Even though you might swear that it is a weed, it is actually an algae that is resistant to all herbicides.

Chara is usually bright green in the spring and as the season goes by, it filters out nutrients and minerals and actually develops a mineral coating that dulls the green by the end of June. After developing the mineral coating, chara is nearly impossible to control with any chemical means.

Chara should be treated in early spring with heavy doses of chelated copper, such as Crystal Plex. You should use a minimum of two gallons of Crystal Plex per acre of treatment area in your pond.

Otherwise, chara should be allowed to persist in areas of the pond where swimming and boating are minimal due to its unusual propensity to clear the pond water of noxious chemicals or nutrients. With these points in mind, be sure to manage chara, not eliminate it.

For more information on tips to control chara contact Sanco.