.
G’day everyone,

I would like to introduce myself, as this will be my first post on the blog.My name is Rob Williams, Assistant Golf Course Superintendent here at Stockton Golf & CC. I am the person with the Aussie accent you see and hear on the golf course or in the clubhouse/pro shop each day. You can view a little more on me here http://sgccturf.blogspot.com/2010/06/sgcc-staff-profiles-nico-and-rob.html

Common Duckweed- Lemna minor

Last week while I was researching a few products, I discovered a pond skimmer that removes duckweed from ponds. Hooked up to the pond skimmer, which floated on the surface of the water, was a trash pump with hoses attached that aided in the removal of the water and duckweed mixture. Filtered into a receptacle, the duckweed is then dumped elsewhere. Price tag = $6500. Ouch!

In an effort to be fiscally responsible, we decided to take up the challenge of making our own duckweed skimmer in house.

Sections cut from the side of an empty thirty-gallon plastic drum would allow the water/duckweed mix to be drawn into the 2” pvc pipe riser; the attached hoses and trash pump would extract the fluid mixture. A 2” slip-fix added to the top of the riser would aid in adjustments for variation in the pond level.

I was standing next to the trash pump when these videos were taken. Please excuse the noise of the pump.






We filter the duckweed from the water that’s been removed from the pond in the native area behind the maintenance facility.

The duckweed remains in the native area, while the water finds its way back into the pond.

Our duckweed problem will not disappear overnight, but we are confident that we are moving in the right direction.

I will see you on the golf course. Happy golfing everyone.