You might think parrot feather to be cute? Oh! Yes, it is! We agree! But, look closely; you might sense a danger sign, on carefully spotting this non-native invasive freshwater plant. To prevent this unwanted invader from coming into the province, we will tell you some manageable biological and safe chemical options. Apply these methods and keep parrot feather at bay.
How to Identify Parrot Feather?
The easy-breezy way to spot the parrot feather in your pond is –
• Lookout for the spikes of feather leaves
• They grow in whorls of 4 to 6
• The submerged leaves and steps will be red in color
• Notice small white flowers near leaves just above the water
Control Options
As a conscientious pond owner, you can resort to several available control options, but that largely depends on the size of the pond, the sunlight entering the pond, the presence of nutrients, water flow etc. The most common and used control methods of parrot feather are mentioned below.
1. Physical or Mechanical
To control the expanse of parrot feather, you may use seining or raking options but if any fragment or a little root is left, you will see the notorious specie coming back in no time. To rake your pond, you may use several weed removal devices using which you can chop or cut them.
Apart from that, you may also resort to establishing physical barriers such as shading the bottom. This method works well if you maintain a dock or a swimming area. Make sure you prevent the buildup of debris and sediment at the lake bottom.
2. Chemical
When you see a large portion of your water body covered with this invasive species, it is advisable to use the following chemical compounds. They are fast and extremely effective in treating and controlling parrot feather.
• Aquacide Pellets are a systemic herbicide, it is capable of absorption and gradually it moves to the action site.
• Cutrine and Harvester: For a faster effect, mix diquat with a copper compound and it produces result as a contact herbicide which is more effective than systemic herbicide.
• Hydrothol granules: Endothall compound comes in both liquid and granular form. For additional impact, you can mix it with a copper compound.
If the penetration is less and you spot this notorious weed at an early stage, you may resort to the following chemical control options. This would inhibit their further propagation and you can keep your pond clean before it turns out to be a mess.
• Fluridone: This broad-spectrum systemic herbicide comes in both liquid and granular forms. It is effective in clearing off the parrot feather and inhibiting its growth.
It is highly recommended that you treat the pond in sections and wait for two weeks before moving on to treating the other section.