We get asked a lot, “When is the best time to install these Mats?”
Even though there’s lots of other things to think about in the fall, remember those lake weeds and muck will be waiting for you next year. Fall is a great time to deal with your weeds and muck for several reasons.
Lake weeds start going dormant, or dying off in the fall. They drop their seeds that settle, ready to start new plants early in the spring. Installing Mats over them, prevents the cycle from starting. Think of it as birth control for lake weeds, stop them before they start.
Next, if you’re planning to move your Mats around in the spring, you can move the Mats you placed in the fall to new locations in the spring and the area where they sat all winter will be weed free all summer.
Because the water temps are cooler in the fall, there will be less gas created as the plants decay more slowly. When installing in the warm waters of summer, much gas is created by microbes (digesting the dead plant matter) that are more prevalent and active in warm weather. These gases are the bugaboo of summer installation, but not a problem in the fall.
Next spring, when you go out to look at the lake, you’ll see a clean, clear, weed free lake bottom. It’s a nice way to start off the new season at the cottage.
Finally, it’s kind of nice to get out in the lake one last time for the year. Those nice, warm and sunny afternoons in September, October, even November in some states, are perfect for doing one last project at the lake. It’s kind of an adventure, one that pays off next year and for years to come.
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