Getting Rid of Large-Scale Azolla from a Dam or Lake

G’day, I’m Scotty Tucker. In this video I show how we remove large amounts of azolla from a dam or lake. Azolla, sometimes called mosquito fern, duckweed fern, fairy moss or water fern is a red, pink or green fern-like plant that grows in mass on the surface of the water. Azolla can double its surface area every 16 to 48 hours. So you can go on holiday with a little azolla in the corner of your dam and when you return your entire dam can be covered in it.

Here's our most natural treatment method:

Step 1: Manual removal
Whether you have a pool scoop, a boat or a mechanical harvester, remove as much material as possible. Tip: wait for a windy day when the material all blows to one corner of your waterbody.

Step 2: Aquatic herbicide
Use an aquatic herbicide to kill the remaining vegetation. We don't like recommending herbicides but azolla just keeps coming back if you don't spray it. This is why we recommend manually removing as much as possible, to reduce how much herbicide you need to use.
Our herbicide recommendation:
5L: https://lovemydam.com.au/product/wate...
20L: https://lovemydam.com.au/product/wate...

Step 3: Add Biostim Pellets or Tablets
Biostim is a natural probiotic that increases the populations of “good” aerobic bacteria in your water. These "good" guys consume nutrients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus) which azolla depends on to survive. With high enough populations of bacteria, azolla and other pests are starved out.

Buy or learn more about Biostim at https://lovemydam.com.au/

Need advice? Fill in this form and I’ll get back to you. https://waterqualitysolutions.com.au/...

Scotty Tucker