Seaweed vs Lake weeds?

[Longlake]

Silly question here... I've read lots of posts on the advantages of using seaweed products to boost soil fertility, so assume that weeds from fresh-water lakes would also be beneficial to the soil. The question is, what's the best approach to utilizing this resource? Should I use the fresh/damp weeds as a mulch during the summer, then just till it all in come fall? Or would I gain more by composting them first? And, is there a danger of using too much? The weeds I have access to are finely-textured and dry quickly in the summer heat/sun.

Any insight is much appreciated!

Not exactly sure here, but I frequently use the water and much from our large goldfish pond outback and I like the results. We get algae blooms too, and I will basically use the 'juice' from that and water my garden with it. That pond, while sometimes a maintenance hog, is a lovely place for all sorts of critters in the summer here in Texas. Birds, bees, fish, turtles, snakes, frogs, snails, dragonflies and all sorts of other critters spend the summer outside our backdoor near that pond. I figure it has to have some good microbes in there and all that organic poo and debris has to help plants grow...

[Longlake]

Thanks eltex...I think you're right about using the pond for watering. I try to use lake water as much as possible as the plants seem to prefer that to ice cold well water. As the weeds start hitting the shoreline this summer I guess I'll just haul them over to the garden and experiment with using them as mulch.

[wingnut]

They will not have the same levels of nutrients as SEAWEED due to lack of minerals in the water.

[dice]

There was a post from 2008-09, where someone had collected a lot of
freshwater aquatic plant material equivalent to seaweed (some common
stuff that grows everywhere; swordgrass?), and added it to a compost
pile. He said that a year later or something like that, it still had not broken
down. Apparently it takes a long time to decay, unlike kelp.

(I forget the exact details, but I remember the general sense of what he
was saying. The commonly available fresh water aquatic grass is nothing
like kelp. Might work for mulch.)

[stormymater]

Funny thing - came home this pm & noticed a pot that was brimming with greenery that seemed to sparkle... OK, eyes are not what they were so I came closer across the driveway - this was certainly NOT a pot of transplants! Turns out my dear little neighbor had collected about a quart of wide green ribbony seaweed for my garden & plunked it in a pot. The shimmers were sand! It made me chuckle & then then chuckle again when I came across this thread before bed. My plan is go & rake up as much of the green stuff as I can stand to drag home for the garden & my neighbor has gotten me started LOL! (ps - she is 75)

[SleestaksRule]

I use lake weed in my garden after it dries. Last year I didn't have too much of the dried stuff available and just used it on my pumpkin patch. This year I plan to use it fresh out of the water (but it's heavy to move when wet and the garden is uphill about 300 feet away).

I use a tool called a "Weed Razor" to cut the weeds fast. Here's a video I made last year about how to use it (at the beginning).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZuaFdKrPqU

[MissS]

I am very fortunate to live near a lake where the community mows the lake weeds and then hauls them to our recycle center. They smell pretty bad while wet but break down quickly into a nice black mulch. I do not know how they differ from seaweed, but it does improve my soil.

[lakelady]

My lake is supposed to do hydro-raking to get the muck off the bottom on the far side of the lake this year. I know of 2 neighbors down there who got into the lake with waders and hand dug their muck up to deepen the areas near their docks. The spread it out on the shoreline and planted grass seed and it is the most beautiful lawn ever! I'm hoping to get some of that stuff this year even though I live on the deep end and they are not raking my side.