Milfoil are water weeds whose leaves are made up of tinier strips of leaves,like a feather. The Variable-Leaf Milfoil is one the three such weeds common in the US. The others, which are covered separately in our blog, are the Northern Watermilf oil and the immigrant Eurasian Watermilf oil.

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Variable-Leaf Milfoil – The Weed with Two Types of Leaves
Milfoil are water weeds whose leaves are made up of tinier strips of leaves,
like a f eather. The Variable-Leaf Milfoil is one the three such weeds
common in the US. The others, which are covered separately in our blog, are
the Northern Watermilf oil and the immigrant Eurasian Watermilf oil.
All milf oils have some leaves underwater and other on the surf ace – and the
two types of leaves are usually dif f erent visually. What makes the Variable-
Leaf Milfoil dif f erent is the striking variation between its two types of
leaves. It takes the dif f erence to extremes. The underwater leaves are
f eathery or like a comb, and typically occur in whorls of f our or six. They
range f rom one to two inches in length. But the surf ace leaves are smaller,
about an inch long and ‘normal’ or complete – not f eathery. They are in f act
bracts, that is, they are specialized leaves that grow just below the f lowers
to enhance the pollination process.
The Character of the Variable-Leaf Milfoil Weeds
As weeds go, the Variable-Leaf Milfoil – scientif ic name, Myriophyllum Heterophyllum – is good looking. Its
stems are dark reddish brown and the f lowers, which are more reddish, are held above the water by longish,
also reddish brown, spikes that can get as long as six inches. That is about twice as long as other milf oils.
They are also kind of stylish. They are rooted and grow straight up, but as the stem approach the surf ace,
they begin growing horizontally. It is those trials of stem that f orm huge mats that can cover the entire water
body.
The Variable-Leaf Milf oil weeds are native to southern U.S, f rom Florida to Texas, but are now spread all the
way north to North Dakota, Maine and parts of Canada. They pref er mucky f resh water up to eight f eet
deep but will also grow less abundantly in deeper water as well as in sandy or slightly acidic water. Like most
weeds, they do not grow in f ast-f lowing water.
The Exploits of the Variable-Leaf Milfoil Weeds
The Variable-Leaf Milfoil is a perennial plant that survives the seasons, only shedding the f oliage in the hard
months. It reproduces through f ragmentation, with stems breaking away to start new plants.
Because of their habit of spreading widely on the surf ace, the Variable-Leaf Milf oils are nuisance weeds. They
f orm dense mats that crowd out other plants and congest waterways, making it impossible to f ish, boat or
swim. They are also dif f icult to eradicate using the normal techniques such as water level manipulations or
mechanical removal – because they invariably leave f ragments behind that grow into new colonies.
A more ef f ective method of eradicating Variable-Leaf Milfoil is to use the Lake Bottom Blanket. This is our
lead weed control product that takes a unique approach to weed eradication. Rather than remove them f rom
the water or risk contaminating the environment with chemicals, the Blanket simply blocks out sunlight. It is a 10
f eet wide sheet of treated polythene that can be as long as ordered, that is weighted down into the water to
within a f oot or less of f the water bed. It remains suspended in the water because it is made of material that is
lighter than water. Fish and other aquatic lif e f reely swim below and above the Blanket.

2. The Lake Bottom Blanket has already been used in over 400 lakes in over 29 states, in all instances returning a
100% weed killing rate within a f ew weeks. The Blanket is approved f or use by the DNRs and DEPs of
Calif ornia, Nevada, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Washington.
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