How Fluridone Works:
Fluridone controls unwanted aquatic vegetation by restricting the plants’ ability to make food, causing them to die. This involves inhibiting development of yellow pigments that protect a plant’s chlorophyll from decomposition by sunlight. As the plant’s chlorophyll decreases, so does its capacity to produce food. The visual symptom of Fluridone’s action is bleaching (turning white) on the terminal bud or growing points of the plant.
What to Expect:
Fluridone is selective and controls target weeds slowly. It lets desirable vegetation re-establish itself, and does not result in oxygen depletion or fish kill. Aquatic weeds remain under control for a full season and often longer.
It takes 30 to 60 days for Fluridone to control the established weeds. You should expect full results within 90 days. You’ll be able to observe the visual symptoms of Fluridone’s action as chlorosis, or bleaching, gradually appears on the terminal buds, or growing points, of the plant.
Treating with Fluridone:
When treating with Fluridone you always must consider the dilution factor. Dilution comes from pond inlets such as rivers, streams and/or parking lots. In most cases if a pond receives water from outside source it must discharge this extra capacity through an outlet. This outlet will not only take the extra water out of the pond but it will take the Fluridone. To have a successful Fluridone treatment you need the product to stay in the water for at least 30 days.
Another enemy of Fluridone is sunlight, sunlight breaks down Fluridone making it ineffective (this is why we never suggest spraying Fluridone directly on plants). One way we can reduce the effect the sunlight has on the Fluridone is to use Nature's Blue at the same time as a Fluridone treatment. This will not only block the sunlight protecting the Fluridone but it will provide you with a barometer for how fast the water is leaving the pond. For example if two weeks after using Fluridone, you see no results, you can ask "is my pond still blue?" If the answer is no, then chances are, the Fluridone is gone as well.
Application Techniques:
For small ponds, application can be made from the bank, or in the middle if possible. If you do not have access to a small sprayer, simply dilute the product in a large container with water according to labeled rates and empty directly into the pond. Be sure to triple rinse the container and pour the wash water back into the pond. If you are using a sprayer, place the nozzle of the sprayer underneath the water surface and apply. This is often referred to as an injection application. Spray in a straight stream directly in the water (do not "mist" on top of plants such as duckweed and watermeal). If the pond is covered with duckweed or watermeal, put the nozzle under the water and disperse the Fluridone below the surface. It is not necessary for Fluridone to come into direct contact with the plants for effective control. If infestation is heavy and the weeds form a dense thick mat on the water, disperse the weeds in order to get the product directly into the water.
