How Do You Remove Lily Pads From A Pond

You remove lily pads from a pond by combining physical removal, natural shading, and ongoing maintenance to keep them from taking over.
 
If you’ve been staring at a green carpet of lily pads and wondering how to remove lily pads from a pond without harming your fish or frogs, you’re in the right place.
 
Lily pads are beautiful in moderation, but left unchecked, they can choke out oxygen, block sunlight, and make your pond look more like a swamp.
 
The good news is you don’t need harsh chemicals to get rid of them, and there are several methods that work depending on how big your pond is and how many lily pads you’re dealing with.
 
In this post, we’ll walk you through the most effective ways to remove lily pads from a pond, why they grow so fast, and how to keep them from coming back.
 
Let’s dive into the best strategies for tackling these leafy invaders.
 

Why Lily Pads Take Over So Quickly

Before you learn how to remove lily pads from a pond, it helps to understand why they spread so aggressively in the first place.
 
Lily pads are rooted in the mud at the bottom of your pond, and their stems stretch all the way up to the surface.
 
Each pad is attached to a rhizome, which is like an underground stem that sends out new shoots in every direction.
 
One single rhizome can produce dozens of pads over a single growing season, and they love warm, shallow, nutrient-rich water.
 
If your pond gets a lot of sunlight and has decaying leaves or fish waste, that’s basically a buffet for lily pads.
 
That’s why simply cutting them at the surface never works, because the roots below just keep sending up new leaves.
 
So when you want to remove lily pads from a pond, you have to target the root system, not just the leaves you can see.
 

How To Remove Lily Pads From A Pond Manually

The most straightforward way to remove lily pads from a pond is to pull them out by hand, and this works best for small ponds with a manageable number of pads.
 
Here are the manual methods that actually get the job done.
 

1. Pull Them Up By The Roots

You can remove lily pads from a pond by wading in and grabbing the stem near the base, then pulling up firmly to dislodge the rhizome from the mud.
 
The trick is to pull slowly and steadily so the stem doesn’t snap off, because if you just tear the leaf, the root stays put.
 
For deeper ponds, you can use a rake with long tines to drag the bottom and hook onto the roots.
 
Once you’ve pulled up the rhizome, remove it from the water completely and let it dry out on the bank, because a wet rhizome thrown back in will just re-root.
 

2. Use A Pond Rake Or Cutter

A pond rake is a great tool to remove lily pads from a pond if you don’t want to get your feet wet.
 
You toss the rake out into the pond, let it sink to the bottom, and then drag it back toward you, catching the stems and rhizomes as you go.
 
For stubborn roots, a lily pad cutter with a sharp blade can slice through stems, but remember that cutting alone won’t kill the plant, so you’ll need to combine it with root removal.
 
Raking works best in early spring when the pads are young and the roots are still shallow.
 

3. Dredge The Pond Bottom

If your pond is completely overrun, the most thorough manual method is to drain the water and dig out the muddy bottom where the rhizomes are buried.
 
This is a big job, but it’s the only way to guarantee you’ve removed every last root fragment.
 
You can rent a small excavator or use a shovel if the pond is shallow enough.
 
This is also a great time to remove excess muck and silt, which will slow down future lily pad growth.
 

Natural Ways To Suppress Lily Pads Without Chemicals

Manual removal is hard work, so many pond owners look for natural methods to remove lily pads from a pond over time.
 
These solutions won’t give you instant results, but they’re safer for your aquatic life and more sustainable in the long run.
 

1. Shade The Pond Surface

Lily pads need full sun to photosynthesize and grow, so one of the easiest ways to slow them down is to block that sunlight.
 
You can plant tall marginal plants like cattails or bulrushes around the sunny edge of your pond to cast shade over the water.
 
Floating plants like water lettuce or water hyacinth also create shade, but be careful, because some of these are invasive in certain areas.
 
A shade sail or mesh netting stretched over the pond for a few weeks can also knock back lily pad growth significantly.
 

2. Introduce Grass Carp

Grass carp are a type of fish that love to eat aquatic vegetation, and they’ll happily munch on lily pads from the bottom up.
 
You’ll need a permit in many states, and you’ll need to stock them at the right density, usually around 10 to 15 fish per acre.
 
The downside is that grass carp will eat other plants too, so if you have prized waterlilies, they’re not the best choice.
 
But if you want a low-maintenance way to remove lily pads from a pond, these fish are a popular solution.
 

3. Add Barley Straw

Barley straw isn’t a direct killer of lily pads, but it helps by reducing the nutrients in the water that feed the roots.
 
As the straw decomposes, it releases compounds that inhibit algae growth, and with less algae, the water clears up.
 
Clearer water means more light penetrates, which sounds counterproductive, but the real benefit is that barley straw promotes a healthier balance where lily pads compete with other plants.
 
You’ll still need to manually remove lily pads from a pond alongside barley straw, but it helps prevent new growth.
 

Chemical Options As A Last Resort

If you have a very large pond and manual removal is impossible, you can use aquatic herbicides to remove lily pads from a pond.
 
However, chemicals come with serious risks, so you should always read the label and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
 

1. Herbicides With Diquat Or Glyphosate

Products containing diquat are contact herbicides that burn the foliage quickly, but they don’t always kill the roots.
 
Glyphosate-based aquatic herbicides are systemic, meaning they get absorbed into the plant and travel down to the rhizome.
 
You’ll want to apply these on a calm day and treat small sections at a time, because large die-offs can deplete oxygen and suffocate fish.
 

2. Dyes To Block Sunlight

Aquatic dyes are technically chemical, but they work without killing anything directly.
 
You pour a dark blue or black dye into the water, and it tints the surface to block sunlight from reaching the bottom.
 
Without light, lily pad rhizomes can’t photosynthesize, and they eventually die back.
 
This is a great way to remove lily pads from a pond in large areas where you can’t rake, but you’ll have to reapply the dye after heavy rain.
 

So, How Do You Remove Lily Pads From A Pond?

You remove lily pads from a pond by pulling up the roots manually, using the natural methods of shade and fish, or resorting to careful chemical treatments if the infestation is severe.
 
The first step is always to assess the size of your pond and how many lily pads you have, because that will tell you which method makes the most sense.
 
For small ponds, grab a rake and get to work pulling those rhizomes out.
 
For larger ponds, combine grass carp with shading and targeted spot treatments to keep the pads under control.
 
And no matter which method you choose, you’ll need to stay consistent, because lily pads are relentless and will come back if you leave even one root behind.
 
Keep an eye on your pond through the spring and summer, and you’ll be able to enjoy open water instead of a leafy mess.
 
Happy pond keeping, and here’s to a clear, beautiful water surface!