Parrot Feather has taken over my pond. It's a very large, "farm" pond and the Parrot Feather was nice, at first, at one end! Now it's everywhere and continues to spread. How do I get rid of it? Help!
Dona_Lee
Parrot Feather takeover!
Are there fish?
Fish all died last year in the drought. Pond dried up. Thought it might kill the PF, but it didn't.
D
This has some information. I'll keep searching, but it sounds like drastic measures might be necessary that would likely eliminate ALL pond vegetation.
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/plants/weeds/aqua003.html
Try posting this is the Invasives forum too. Maybe someone over there has dealt with this.
This message was edited May 15, 2008 4:13 PM
I'll take as much as you want to haul out of your pond! I'm in zone 5 and it won't take over my pond!
Actually I could use some myself! I plant it ever year. Nice if you can control it. As in pull up the pot and toss it in the fall.
In a farm pond it will be hard to get rid of. If you don't want to use chemicals go out in the boat and try dragging it in and dump it on the shore but that would be a big job, I would never put it in a large area of water. As you can see I have to get rid of some all the time. It even grows in the winter. I have mailed some of mine off and take a lot over to my nieghbors pond where her koi eat it. I even put some under some of my flowers, good fertilizer same thing with muck I clean out of the ponds. BEV
Snapple, I don't plant mine in a pot I just let it meander. It blooms little white blooms in the summer. Mine is too thick already so will be thinning it soon. BEV
I think you just figured out how to get rid of some of it. ;)
Badseed - That's it! Hungry koi! Wonder why grass carp won't eat it though? They are all in the same fish family, Cyprinus carpio.
Some one posted on a differant forum that thier koi wouldn't eat it but my nieghbors has for years. BEV
I know my koi will trash it. Which in this case would actually help to spread it. Large koi are hard on plants.
Little koi are hard on plants also. I just bought a nice sprig of parrots feather..and the little buggers have eaten most of it...
BeaHive, May I ask how much you paid for a start of parrots feather. I paid $7.00 for a small start about 15 yr. ago and haven't run out yet but I sure get rid of a lot every year. Thanks BEV
Dragonfly I paid $5.95 plus shipping. Was not a very ample portion in my opinion.I have 13 hungy mouths to feed.. they like it!
Have any to sell?
BeaHive, I don't know. This would be a very expensive food. I am not saying that I will not sell it to you,but I just sent a half of a gallon zip lock bag and the shipping was $4.80. I wouln't know what to charge and you would need a constant supply which would not be the problem. If you wanted to, you could get one of those small round hard plastic fish pools and put a couple of goldfish in it for mosquitoes and get your first start from me and grow it in there and feed your koi some once in a while and maybe keep up a growing supply. Let me know what you think. BEV
D mail me BEV
Parrot Feather is sold here year round in pet stores for indoor aquariums. It's a small bunch for about $2.39. A small bunch is all you need to get started. I don't think you could pack/ ship/mail anything for that low a cost.
I learned here how just invasive this stuff is. I'll be extra careful to make sure mine's dead when I trash it in the fall. I pot it to keep it from swiriling loosely all over the pond and tumbling under the waterfall. It makes a real nice sweep out from the pot and stays put.
Friendly advice, keep the $$ discussion private. You'll get in deep doo doo for posting it. ;)
If you google parrots feather online, $6 is about the going rate. Matter of fact I was looking at a few water plant sites online over the past week or so. Locally, water plants are expensive when you can find them. There is a water garden and pond place run from a country home, a couple of miles from me. I keep meaning to go check them out!
To be honest, I never knew it would overwinter in zone 6! Up until last year, I had some monster koi, so they really must have been eating it! Now I only have Sarassa and Shebunkins. I'll have to look and see if my parrots feather is still there and if it's any larger. LOL
I found a piece that was not eaten today. I think I will try to salvage
it and let it grow in a bucket until I have enough to place back in the pond, reserving some and keep the cycle going if possible. If not they will have to do without. Sorry fishies!
In Texas it is classified as invasive and the Texas Parks and Wildlife asks for reports of those who are growing it. Can be disastrous (as in Kudzu) if it gets in the wild.
We've got some lovely parrot feathers in our garden but they don't bother us at all,
this one often sits on this mirror and looks at itself upside down,
Fella of course, salvia girl is more serious.
Beautiful parrot! I wouldn't be trying to get rid of it though. :)
In some of the pictures here I'm seeing elodea possibly being referenced as parrot feather.
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/plants/native/elodea.html
http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/webpages/slen-5nl26y?open
Different plants and different sets of problems.
I stand corrected. What I have had all these years is elodea. Sorry for the mix up but was sold to me years ago as Parrots Feather. BEV
Oh those pesky sales clerks! Both parrot feather and elodea are sold locally in pet stores for aquarium plants. Which is really odd since Parrot Feather keeps it head above water. When I first began a planted tropical aquarium I bit on this nice looking plant and of course it didn't last. I do plant it every year in the outdoor ponds. I pot it to keep it from swirling loosley around and tumbling under the water falls. It's beautiful. My ponds are rubber lined so it can't take over. My habit of disposing of it in the fall is to throw it in the trash. I was totally unaware that this plant could be a menace in the right circumstances. Now I know. Those with earth bottomed ponds in the hardiness range of this plant should definitely avoid it.
What I have seen is definitely the last link. Did not know it was what is known as hydrilla. That is truly a deadly plant to lakes. Texas has been battling it for years.
We used to have a bass boat and had to be sure we had cleaned the underside and the motor blades from one lake to another in the chance we had hydrilla on them and would spread to another lake. At one time some of the smaller lakes were closed to boat traffic until they could get it under control. Don't know how they did that.
LouC they most likely used a copper sulphate formulation. I was raised summers on a small inland lake in Michigan. Twice year the state department of natural resources would spray to control a noxious aquatic weed. Everyone had to stay off the lake until the spray took full effect. It wasn't elodea though, but something very similar.
Thanks, Snap. I always wondered how they did it.
Goodness, I think we have both - the underwater one has spread tremendously. Perhaps it is time to thin it a bit.