You may be eager to install your Lake Bottom Blanket as soon as possible to prevent young plants from developing, but this is not recommended. Ideally you should wait until young plants start developing and there is some weed growth before you go ahead and install the Lake Bottom Blanket. If you don’t wait for the seeds to germinate and the weeds to develop, there will be nothing to eradicate. While early installation may be effective at preventing plant growth in the short-term, the seeds and vegetative parts of the weed will remain dormant in the substrate rather than be eradicated, and will germinate at a later date as soon as the Lake Bottom Blanket is removed and they have access to sunlight once again.
Exotic Weeds Outcompete Native Weeds
Spring signals the start of the season of weed growth. Water is clear, allowing sunlight to penetrate deep into the water, which in turn encourages seeds on the lake bottom to germinate. The clear water and light availability fuels plant growth, allowing weeds to flourish. Exotic weeds tend to start growing earlier than native weeds and quickly gain an advantage in terms of size, allowing them to spread rapidly and outcompete native weeds for resources such as light, space and nutrients. If they are not controlled in good time, they will quickly take over your lake and it will be that much more difficult to eradicate them.
Maximize Weed Control Efficiency
Early installation will allow you to move the Lake Bottom Blanket to other weed infested areas on your lake later in the season. By installing the Lake Bottom Blanket early in May, you can move it every month – install in May, move in June, July and August – allowing you to eradicate pond weeds in 4 different areas of your lake. This gives you maximum efficiency for your investment, as a greater area can be cleared of lake weeds within the growing season.
Swift Lake Weed Control in Active Areas
If you are wanting to remove lake weeds in an active area where you and your family will be swimming, boating, fishing, etc., you can install the Lake Bottom Blanket after Cinco de Mayo and remove it right after Memorial Day. This will be adequate time for the Lake Bottom Blanket to kill weed growth, leaving your lake free of weeds well before the start of summer water activities.
Benefits of Timeous Installation
By installing the Lake Bottom Blanket at the appropriate time you will achieve 100% weed control, with the added advantage of having your lake weed-free long before the water is warm enough for anyone to even contemplate going for a swim.