- 1). Fill a gunnysack with barley straw, and place the gunny sack below the pond weeds you want to eliminate. Tie the gunny sack to a cinder block or brick, so it will remain in place. Put one gunnysack per each 10-square-foot area of water to kill the weeds in these areas.
- 2). Apply an herbicide that is recommended for aquatic weed control in ponds. If you use the pond water for livestock consumption or as a source for irrigation, check the herbicide label to see if it is suitable for use in your pond. Also, check the label to see if you must use the herbicide at a particular time of the year. Plan to apply the herbicide when the weeds are growing the most heartily, but before they begin to flower and produce seeds. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for how to apply the chemical.
- 3). If your pond covers a large area, put grass carp, plant-eating fish, in your pond to help get rid of weeds. If 20 to 40 percent of the pond is covered by weeds, place five fish per surface acre in the pond. If weeds cover 40 to 60 percent of the pond, place 10 fish in the pond, and use 20 fish if more than 60 percent of the pond is covered.
- 4). Put soluble dyes in the pond, as the color they produce -- typically blue -- can help decrease the penetration of light, and thus kill weeds in your pond. Do not use these inert dyes if your pond's weeds are on or above the surface of the water, or if your pond is less than 2 feet deep, as the dyes will not be effective in these situations.
- 5). Using specialized rakes and cutters, pull out any weeds you still cannot get rid of. Beginning in the spring, remove the leaves that appear on weeds such as cattails, and continue to do this, so the plants' food supply will be depleted and the weeds will die.
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