Lily Pad Removal 101: Reclaiming Your Pond’s Surface
Q. Do you have any product for Lilly Pads. To completely remove them. Ours are quite deep in our dam so I can’t reach the root from just standing in the dam.
ANSWER
There isn’t a single product or treatment that will eliminate water lilies in one go. They grow from a tough network of bulbs and rhizomes buried in the sediment, so even after the leaves are removed or killed off, the plant can regenerate from what’s left behind underwater. Any effective plan needs to account for this regrowth rather than relying on a one-off fix.
With that in mind, here are the main options for controlling them, and how to combine them for the best long-term result.
Four Main Management Options
Using an excavator to physically dig out the bulbs and rhizomes is the most thorough way to remove the plant’s regrowth potential in one hit. It’s labour- and equipment-intensive, but effective where access allows it — particularly for smaller water bodies or heavily infested areas where other methods have failed.
Applying an approved aquatic herbicide on a programmed or repeat basis is one of the most practical options for larger or harder-to-access waterways. Because of the plant’s regenerative ability, herbicide treatment is rarely a “once and done” job — it typically needs to be repeated over a season or across multiple seasons to exhaust the rhizome’s energy reserves.
3. Cutting and physical removal
Hand tools or an aquatic harvesting machine can be used to cut and physically remove the leaf and stem growth. This won’t kill the rhizome system outright, but it reduces the plant’s ability to photosynthesise and spread, and can make a waterway more manageable in the short term.
4. A combined approach
For the best long-term results, most experienced operators combine two or more of the above methods — for example, cutting back heavy growth before applying herbicide, or following up mechanical removal with a maintenance spray program to catch any regrowth.
Using AQ200 for Herbicide Control
AQ200 is designed to target water lilies in two ways, and using both together can improve overall effectiveness.
Foliar (leaf) application — Applied as a contact spray, mixed with a wetting agent to help it adhere to and penetrate the waxy leaf surface.
Watch our Video guide
Submerged application (stem/root impact) — Diluted and applied below the waterline to target stems rather than just the leaves.
Watch our Video guide
Hand Removal Tools
For smaller infestations or spot treatment:
Aquatic Weed Razer Express and a Weed Rake
Aquatic Harvesting Machines
For larger-scale jobs, a harvesting machine can cut and collect significant volumes of growth much faster than hand tools — useful for commercial dams or recurring maintenance.
There’s no quick fix for water lilies — their bulb and rhizome system is built to survive. The most reliable results come from combining methods: cutting back growth, treating with a targeted herbicide like AQ200 above and below the waterline, and following up over time to catch regrowth before it re-establishes.
