Hi all. a few years ago we threw some Japanese millet seed down and now we have a bumch of this stuff. i looked online and it kinda looks like millett but also may be a weed?? This stuff is every where and the ducks seems to like it.

Can anyone help me with what this is ??

Contact County Agent

Not 100%, but is looks like smartweed. Polygonum or Persicaria....they keep changing the names back and forth. Not sure on the exact species, maybe hydropiper

ahhh gotch, thank you!

its everywhere, will it take over the entire pond at some point. Now Im thinking i should get rid of it.

ducks should eat the seeds, if it is smartweed it prefers the edges (moist soil that is sometimes inundated) and generally does not like growing in the open water

ok cool

a variety of a perennial smartweed, grows good invertebrates for ducks, but the actual seeds aren't nearly as beneficial for ducks and the annual Pennsylvania pink smartweed. what you have pretty well comes up around every pond as they dry in the summer. have to do some spraying, ground manipulation, or maybe even planting to get Pennsylvania pink growing if there isn't a solid moist soil seed bank

Thank you!