Information on Floating Duckweed Plants
Duckweed plants grow in lakes and ponds. The tiny plants float, covering the surface in green. Severe duckweed blooms harm plants and animals. Does this Spark an idea?
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Geography
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According to Purdue University Botany, duckweed usually grows more in protected ponds rather than in ponds exposed in open areas. The plants tend to proliferate in areas with a lot of nutrients, like ponds with abundant leaf debris, near sewage drainage pipes, and near drainage from feed lots.
Growth
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Duckweed floats and feeds off the nutrients in the water. It can grow quickly in nutrient-rich water, and the Missouri Botanical Garden warns that it can double its pond surface area coverage in just a few days.
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Warning
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Duckweed harms fish and other pond plants by blocking sunlight from the pond. The shade from duckweed makes it impossible for deeper plants to photosynthesize, reducing the oxygen level in the ponds and harming fish populations. Duckweed becomes a problem when a pond receives a lot of nutrient-rich runoff, allowing the plants to feed and rapidly propagate.
Benefits
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Fish and birds eat duckweed. The State of Washington Department of Ecology notes that people also grow duckweed in Africa, Southeast Asia and India for cow and pig fodder.
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References
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