Hydrilla Program
There were forty lake acres covered by Hydrilla in 2008, four hundred acres this past summer!
We are designing a poster to place at all the boat ramps in the county to raise awareness of the problem and to encourage boaters to clean their props and trailers before putting in at another location to stop the spread.
Hydrilla verticillata
Hydrilla is an obligate aquatic plant that usually is attached to the bottom of the body of water. Fragments may break off and continue to live in a free-floating state. It can grow very rapidly (up to 2.5 cm per day) to reach the water surface. Once it reaches the surface, it produces numerous branches, effectively shading-out other aquatic plants. Reproduction occurs from stem fragmentation, seed monoecious populations), axillary buds (turions), and tubers. Small fragments from one to three whorls are capable of establishing new colonies. Although seeds are produced, viability is relatively low and seeds probably do not play a major role hydrilla reproduction. The turions, fragments and tubers are the primarily means of propagation. Turion production begins in September, continues until December, and then increases again in late spring. Floating plants have significantly higher turion production than rooted plants. Tubers are the most prolific means of vegetative reproduction. They are produced primarily during shorter days in the spring and fall. One tuber may produce as many as 6000 new tubers per square meter under ideal conditions. The tubers can remain viable for several days out of water and for over four years submerged in sediment.
