Controlling emergent vegetation in ponds topic of Sept. 17 webinar

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will present the webinar “Controlling Emergent Vegetation” on Sept. 17 from 6-7:30 p.m.

Cost is $35, and advanced registration is required at https://tx.ag/EmergentVegetation. The webinar offers one integrated pest management continuing education unit for pesticide applicators in Texas who attend online live.

Emergent vegetation and potential challenges

The featured speaker will be Brittany Chesser, AgriLife Extension aquatic vegetation program specialist and lead diagnostic scientist at AgriLife Extension’s Aquatic Diagnostics Laboratory, Bryan-College Station.

Chesser said emergent vegetation is the rooted plants often found along the shoreline that stand above the surface of the water. While these plants can be beneficial for water bodies when managed properly, many species can quickly take over small impoundments, including farm ponds.

The AgriLife Extension AquaPlant website provides examples of commonly seen nuisance emergent vegetation, including cattails, water lilies and more.

“An overabundance of aquatic vegetation, including shoreline plants, can negatively impact the desired primary use of a pond,” Chesser said. “Untreated, emergent vegetation can cause access issues among other problems.”

Vegetation identification and management

The webinar will cover how to identify common native and non-native species, their biology and how that affects the pond’s ecosystem and management.

“Specific management strategies, including mechanical, biological and chemical options, when applicable, will be covered for each group or species,” Chesser said. “We will also discuss why fall is the optimal time to treat most emergent vegetation and other treatment timing considerations.”

A 30-minute Q&A session will conclude the webinar.

For questions or additional event details, contact Chesser at [email protected].