Weed RazerNotes from the dock
We wrote down the answers to the questions neighbors ask across the water every summer.
Cut, rake, till, skim: the order of the work
Clearing a weed bed is a sequence, not a single tool. Here is the order we work in and where each of our lines fits.
May 18, 2026IdentificationName the weed before you pick the tool
Milfoil, cattails, lily pads, duckweed, and algae each call for different handling. A five minute look off the dock settles the question.
June 2, 2026After the cutWhy the cuttings have to come out of the water
Cut weeds that stay in the water sink, rot, and feed next season's growth. The rake is not optional, and here is why.
June 20, 2026The bottom layerRoots, muck, and the work under the weeds
Cutting handles the stalks. The roots and the soft black layer they grow from are a separate job, worked in passes with a rolling tiller.
July 8, 2026Straight talkDuckweed and algae: what a blade cannot do
A cutter needs a stalk to shear. Duckweed and algae have none. Here is what our tools do and do not do about the green stuff.
July 16, 2026How we thinkWhy we build steel instead of treatments
We build blades, teeth, and rakes. Here is the case for working a shoreline by hand and what that choice actually buys you.
July 28, 2026Do this firstBefore you cut, ask about the rules
Rules on pulling aquatic vegetation differ by state and often by lake. A short call before the first cut spares real trouble later.
August 5, 2026The other lineHauling water past the end of the hose
A collapsible bladder turns a truck bed into a water tank for troughs, saplings, and camps, then folds flat on a shelf between hauls.
August 14, 2026