Duckweed Growing Tips and Tricks

10/30/2017 Duckweed Growing Tips and Tricks | Duckweed Gardening
Duckweed Gardening
Sustainable backyard production of duckweed for feed,

fuel, and fertilizer
Duckweed Growing Tips and Tricks
MARCH 7, 2012
tags: aquatic gardening, duckweed, duckweed growing method, duckweed harvesting, nitrogen
sources, Tamra Fakhoorian
(https://duckweedgardening.files.w
ordpress.com/2012/03/cropped-
duckweed-growing1.jpg)Ive been
saying all along how easy it is to grow
mega crops of duckweed, IF you
know the tricks!
Duckweed grows on benign neglect in the wild.

However, to cultivate it in a garden se ing, duckweed
does have a few denite needs if it is to thrive
consistently.
1. Like any vascular plant, duckweed needs a minimum

of nitrogen, phosphorus, potash and micro nutrients. Sources can be as simple as a li le humus
and/or soil or compost tea. To achieve high protein levels of 40% or greater, duckweed needs
added nitrogen, preferably in the form of ammonia from animal waste. This is why it thrives so
well in sh aquariums.
Nitrogen sources can include sh wastewater, chicken coop drainage, some types of grey water,
vermiculture liquor, or aged manure. If a solid, place in a gunny sack and lower into the water
column. This releases a steady amount of nitrogen and trace elements for a couple of weeks. Replace
if you see duckweed roots grow to an inch or longer. Some people will occasionally spray the
duckweed with an organic-based foliar spray as another source of nutrients.
2. Duckweed thrives at a pH of 6.0 to 7.5 If algae is present in large quantities, it can raise the pH to
dangerous levels by virtue of CO2 production at night. The trick is to monitor pH, especially if algae
is present. Treat pH extremes as described in my prior post. Encourage an adequate surface covering
of duckweed at all times to suppress algae production.
https://duckweedgardening.com/2012/03/07/duckweed-growing-tips-and-tricks/ 1/10
3. Harvest duckweed as needed but leave about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of wet duckweed per square meter
on the surface of a pond daily. This insures enough of a cover to slow down algae growth or suppress
it altogether. As an added benet, this much covering also helps with mosquito control, water
evaporation and temperature issues. More than 2 1/2 pounds of wet duckweed per square meter will
result in its demise, as it self mulches at that concentration.
4. Duckweed prefers water temperatures of 50 to 90 degrees. Above or below that range, duckweed
just sort of sits there. Much above 90 degrees, your duckweed crop will crash and it wont be pre y.
Ways to circumvent this is light shading from surrounding trees, plants or shade cloth hung over the
growing area.
5. Keep water movement to a minimum. As duckweed oats on the surface, any strong wind will
push it to the edge of the pond where it will begin to pile up in layers, eectively self-mulching the
layers beneath. Grow taller food crops around the perimeter to shield it from the wind.
Duckweed is an amazing crop that gives much more than it gets, but still needs a few basic go a
haves in order to reach its full potential in a garden se ing.
from Duckweed for Sustainable Gardens, Grow It- Quick Start Method, Nutrient Sources
50 Comments leave one
1. Lajos Balogh PERMALINK
July 26, 2017 2:37 pm
Hi
Every animal can eat duckweed on a farm? If not, then what animals can?
REPLY
tamraf PERMALINK*
July 26, 2017 5:00 pm
Dear Lajos, documented animals that eat duckweed include ca le, swine, chickens, ducks,
rabbits, goats, and sh.
REPLY
2. Xilin PERMALINK
January 13, 2017 12:36 pm
I just ordered some duckweed from Amazon to cover the pond surface to slow down water
evaporation and feed my chickens and ducks. I live in East Bay area (45 minutes drive from San
Francisco). There is one or couple of days frost every winter. My question is: Will the duckweed
survive in the pond in winter? If not, what can I do to preserve some for regeneration during the
cold winter days?
REPLY
tamraf PERMALINK*
January 13, 2017 5:43 pm
Depending on the species, some will form starchy turions and sink to the bo om of your
pond to overwinter.
In Kentucky, it takes several hard freezes for my species to totally dissapear. They do come
back every spring. If worried, you can throw a mini greenhouse tent over a small kiddy pool
and give your duckweed more warmth. I can extend my growing season another 6 weeks that
way, albeit with reduced growth
REPLY
3. fuzzron PERMALINK
July 10, 2016 8:13 pm
Thank you for such a helpful article. The problem I am encountering here is dosage. With ground
plants, theres always instructions of how many lbs of fertilizer per 100(example) square feet or so,
and at what depth it should be tilled in etc
But with aquatics, that information is sorely lacking. For example, you show duckweed grown in
totes. Maybe 20gallon size? How much fertilizer did you add to each?
With the gunny sack method, how much solids to add? A shovelful maybe? But to how much
water, so one doesnt risk overfertilizing.A 20gal tote like you show, or a 2000gal pond since
you mention water columns? That sounds deep. Such information would be very much
appreciated. Thanks!
REPLY
tamraf PERMALINK*
January 13, 2017 5:37 pm
I go with organic fertilizer whenever possible aka manure. Dosage IS variable given your
water quality, age and moisture content of manure, etc I try out various increments of new
sources of manure in small containers of the same water and add equal parts of duckweed to
each. Give it a ten days to see which concentration works the best. Do add a bit of garden soil
for micronutrients to each container along with one container just water and garden soil.
(Control) Just insure that no herbicides have been used or leached into the aninals feed or
your garden soil. Good luck!
REPLY
4. Anonymous PERMALINK
April 20, 2016 11:23 pm
I just started to grow duckweed in my water container garden and some plastic bins. I am
growing duckweed for a completely dierent purpose, clean the water for my carnivorous plants.
The carnivorous plants like water lower than 150 TDS and my tap water here is around 250 TDS.
REPLY
5. Sco Bx PERMALINK
February 18, 2016 9:48 pm
In Louisiana this stu is a crazy plentiful and a pain in the bu . Why would someone want to
grow it? Help me out and to understand.
REPLY
tamraf PERMALINK*
February 18, 2016 10:20 pm
LOL. Sco , the protein content rivals soy beans with be er amino acid prole. It can
outproduce soy ten to one. It is not GMO, and can tolerate a wide range of nutrient loads. It
can be fed fresh to sh and ducks, or as a supplement to poultry, swine, or ruminants. Dried,
all of the above can use it in even higher percentages. Itll clean wastewater very eectively and
the resulting biomass can be used as a green mulch. Purposely-grown duckweed can be
processed for a wide variety of end products in animal or human food, bioplastics, biopharma,
the list goes on and on. Its as close to animal meat as we have in the plant kingdom. Next time
you see a wild pond of duckweed, you can think, WOW, who would have thought!
REPLY
Anonymous PERMALINK
July 10, 2016 12:59 pm
I have just started farming sh and have high nutrient levels which cause algae to take over.
When the algae dies it can deplete oxygen levels causing the sh to die. Duckweed is a way of
keeping the nutrient levels under control.
REPLY
6. Michael S Black PERMALINK
August 20, 2015 2:55 pm
I just set up a 16 half barrel aquaponics with 10lbs of sh in 800 gal tank and 200 gal grow beds,
one week in operation and things are proceeding great ,except for one thing APHIDS !! WHAT
CAN i DO HELP STARTING SOME EXPERIMENTS WITH Bt then will move on to ..?
REPLY
tamraf PERMALINK*
February 18, 2016 10:22 pm
Michael, still have the problem? Lets talk.
REPLY
Jeremiah PERMALINK
February 25, 2016 11:30 am
So what was the cure, I also just had an explosion of aphids.
REPLY
tamraf PERMALINK*
February 25, 2016 10:07 pm
Aphids- only thing I know to do is spray the mat a couple times a day and dunk em good.
They do not like the movement or splashing. Plus, a good portion of them will simply die.
REPLY
7. Kalundborg telemarketing PERMALINK
July 3, 2014 9:50 am
You can certainly see your enthusiasm in the work you write.
The world hopes for even more passionate writers like
you who arent afraid to mention how they believe.
All the time follow your heart.
REPLY
8. Lorie PERMALINK
May 8, 2014 11:39 am
Is there a specic article on drying & burning Duckweed to repel mosquitoes? Do you have any
varieties for sale? I love your website and hope to introduce Duckweed usage to the local county
extension oce as a water purier and mosquito repellant crop. Thank you !
REPLY
tamraf PERMALINK*
February 25, 2016 10:20 pm
I have burned dried duckweed in a citronella sort of way and frankly, it did not repel insects.
Repelled ME with the smoke. The mosquito reducer properties are theorized to be some
trace molecule that they emit in water. It kills a certain kind of mosquito larvae, but not all
species, unfortunately. Please do share your success story with your count extension agent.
Theyll probably not take you seriously but do direct them to googling duckweed for animal
feed or similar and theyll get up to speed quickly.
REPLY
9. Kelly PERMALINK
y

Excellent write-up. I certainly love this website. Stick with it!
REPLY
10. Cindy prindle PERMALINK
This article drew me in also about 4-5 mos ago but since then not many of the posts have been
about duckweed. Rather disappointed at the moment but hoping for more come warmer weather.
REPLY
tamraf PERMALINK*
February 23, 2014 7:06 am
Cindy, what are you looking for? Yes my ponds have three inches of ice on them. I still work
on duckweed projects every day but in an international context.
REPLY
Cindy prindle PERMALINK
Im new to aquaponic & want to grow duckweed for my tilapia as well as my chickens &
goats so any & all info I can get on the subject is welcome!!
REPLY
tamraf PERMALINK*
February 25, 2016 10:13 pm
Cindy, grow your duckweed and feed fresh to tilapia in addition to a reduced amount
of sh feed. Some people raise tilapia 100% on duckweed but if you want faster gains,
go with at least 30% feed. Chickens- feed fresh duckweed as a supplement for be er
color in eggs and meat. Dry duckweed can go up to 25% inclusion in feed formulations.
They wont eat it dry and uy though. Youll need to pelletize it along with your other
ingredients and then crumble. Also, chickens are not used to it normally, so you will
have to teach them to eat it. Withhold other types of feed for a couple days and just give
them fresh duckweed.
REPLY
11. top eleven hack password PERMALINK
Hey There. I found your blog using msn. This is a very
well wri en article. I will make sure to bookmark it and return to read more
of your useful info. Thanks for the post. Ill denitely comeback.
REPLY
12. Cindy PERMALINK
October 26, 2013 10:47 am
My family and I are just starting with Aquaponics and Ive been doing a lot of research. Today the
topic is Duckweed, we want to grow duckweed in our sh tanks, but it doesnt look like that is
very practical, since our grow beds cover most of the sh tank, which will limit the light that the
sh tank gets, plus it looks like the the water from the grow beds owing back into the shtank
will disturb the duckweed growth. So, will duckweed grow at all under these conditions? or
would we be be er o to make shallow tanks specically for the duckweed and then feed it to the
sh?
REPLY
tamraf PERMALINK*
October 26, 2013 11:59 am

Hi Cindy. Duckweed can grow with only 20% of available sunlight. Of course in the winter,
that ratio may need to be bumped up. Your sh will probably out-eat duckweed grown in their
tank. Duckweed can handle some water movement though. Id opt for separate dw tanks with
more sun. If you wanted to TRY to throw some duckweed in your sh tanks and watch what
happens- cool. Usually I dont recommend it but if your tanks are well-oxygenated already, it
might work. If you want to remove duckweed from a sh tank, I stumbled on a great li le DIY
project to make that happen easily:
Watch the video on this page: h p://www.washbox.com/t8414-you-know-how-i-get-rid-of-
duckweed This guy makes it SO easy.
REPLY
13. Glen Bengua PERMALINK
September 8, 2013 12:46 am
i plan to grow duckweed or azolla on slightly bigger scale,say 1 hectare to produce feeds for the
free range chicken we have in the farm. at present it is a toss up between duckweed or azolla.
which do you think is be er, duckweed or azolla?
REPLY
tamraf PERMALINK*
Hi Glen. I dont know where you are located, but that might play a role in which plant you
choose. Azolla cannot tolerate freezing weather. Duckweed produces turions and sinks to
lower, warmer levels- even down into the mud at the bo om of a pond. Duckweed grows
faster than azolla and is easier to digest. I am not an azolla expert but have grown it a few
times and appreciate its ability to x nitrogen due to the Anabaena bacteria that form a
symbiotic relationship with it. Ive seen it being fed to pigs and chickens in S. America.
Just to be fair, Id say do test trials in smaller ponds or kiddie pools, then decide for yourself.
During the hot summers, duckweed outcompetes azolla.. I like azolla but I LOVE duckweed
for its versatility, growth habits, robustness, protein content, ease of harvest, and looks. Thats
just me.
REPLY
14. Francisco & Monika PERMALINK
August 24, 2013 9:21 pm
Hello, My wife and i are thinking about growing DuckWeed indoors during the winter to feed our
Ancona Ducks some greens during the winter we live in the Fingerlakes area of Upstate NY. I
have never done this and thanks you for the info you posted here. Can you suggest what kind will
be be er for our Ducks and Chickens? and if you can mail me some i will pay for it.
Thank you
REPLY
tamraf PERMALINK*
August 26, 2013 7:27 am
Any species will work just ne. The trick is to grow enough in the winter to feed green-
deprived farm animals. Do you have a greenhouse where you could set up shallow temporary
ponds? If it gets down to freezing, you will need to introduce additional heat, hopefully from a
sustainable, free source. Otherwise, roll with nature and wait again until spring.
REPLY
Francisco & Monika PERMALINK
August 26, 2013 9:08 am
Yes we do We have a 2 1/2 insulated car garage i will set up 4 small kids pool to grow it
there and go outdoors in the spring time.they are going on sale soon ( end of the season )
REPLY
tamraf PERMALINK*
August 27, 2013 7:30 am
How are you going to keep light on your kiddie pools in a garage? Do you have sky
lights or a south-facing large window?
REPLY
Francisco & Monika PERMALINK
August 28, 2013 7:38 am
Sky Lights
REPLY
tamraf PERMALINK*
August 27, 2013 7:31 am
Also, if you email me your address and specify how much duckweed you want, I can send it to
you. tamraf9@gmail.com
REPLY
15. landscape gardening sheeld PERMALINK
August 16, 2013 8:56 pm
Hi there, just wanted to mention, I enjoyed this blog post.
It was helpful. Keep on posting!
REPLY
tamraf PERMALINK*
August 26, 2013 7:58 am
Thanks for your comment!
REPLY
16. Amanda PERMALINK
August 4, 2013 10:28 pm
HI! I am working on a science project for school about duckweed and I stumbled upon your
website. Its awesome and very informative! I started growing my own but I stumbled upon a few
problems. I just got mine shipped in from amazon a couple of days ago, but when I started
growing them in containers of houseplant fertlizer, they started to turn a very deathly shade of
brown. At rst, I thought I was killing them because I put them under the sun, so I scooped in
some of the surviving ones into another container and put them under the shade. However, they
still started turning brown, so Im starting to worry. When I researched online to see what dead
duckweed look like (by the way, Im using Lemna minor, thought that would be useful
information xD) they all said it would turn white. So I have a feeling that theyre not dead, but
instead its something else. Do you mind helping me a li le bit? It would mean so much to me!
Thanks!
REPLY
tamraf PERMALINK*
August 5, 2013 7:25 am
Amanda, love your science project. Even fails are great if you learn from them. In this case, the
duckweed is dying. Using garden fertilizer alone in the water is a tricky way to grow
duckweed. Ive had some success but usually not as the pH gets out of whack.
Here is what I recommend these days for transplanted duckweed: Use water that has sat out
for a day to release all chlorine. Add a cup of soil per two gallons of water for micro nutrients.
Add a pinch of sea salt if you have it. Release new duckweed into this mix and park in semi
shade for a week to adjust to its new surroundings. If it is beginning to grow, you can give it a
bit of garden fertilizer but just a tiny pinch. (or a tiny bit of aged manure if you can nd it) Go
easy on fertilizing it overall. The dirt will help buer the water pH so when you DO add
fertilizer, it wont cause the pH to shift wildly.
If the water temperature gets in the low 90s, you will experience die-o. Therefore in the hot
summer months, semi-shade is safer. You can always add cooler water from a garden hose to
cool it o.
Send me your address and Ill mail you some new duckweed. tamraf9@gmail.com All I ask is
that you pay me for shipping so I can continue to pay it forward.
REPLY
Amanda PERMALINK
August 9, 2013 11:15 pm
Hi Tama,
Thank you so much for this information! And also, thank you for oering me the
duckweed, but I already ordered duckweed before I saw this. If my new ones die out, I
may take up your oer again Actually, I just got my new duckweed yesterday and I just
put them in a solution according to your instructions. I hope it will be be er now So it
was the pH that was the problem; I wanted to test the pH of my water but I unfortunately
had not go en pH strips yet. I ordered them on amazon a day ago. And I agree, duckweed
that is shipped in isnt very fresh and most of them die very quickly. Maybe thats another
reason why they turned brown? Again, thank you for everything!
REPLY
17. Desert Cat PERMALINK
I may be late to the conversation, but I am curious about how the duckweed would be used.
Human consumption? Animal feed? Would chickens eat duckweed (obviously ducks do)?
REPLY
Desert Cat PERMALINK
Oops. Nevermind, I found the website where this is discussed. Intriguing. Im thinking we
have an ideal setup to utilize this to cut chicken feed costs while recycling their manure
REPLY
tamraf PERMALINK*
Desert Cat, am not sure if you meant my site or another. Try my animal feed posts, or
h p://www.InternationalLemnaAssociation.org and join our LinkedIn group: International
Lemna Association for answers from our duckweed growers and researchers. Your blog
pics of your farm are beautiful. Never knew the science behind how to put up a wire fence.
(Also, your disclaimer cracks me up.)
As far as chicken manure, Id let it decompose or run through a biodigester, then dilute.
You could use multiple dilutions to see which one duckweed grows best in. I wouldnt feed
it back to my chickens (cross-pathogen issues perhaps) but instead use it for sh, hogs,
ca le, etc Cheers! Tamra
REPLY
18. Diana PERMALINK
It is normal. It is prablboy hair algae. Nothing wrong with it and it is actually healthy as long as it
does not take over. You might have more problems with pond scum algae or water algae but since
your water is clear dont worry.
REPLY
19. Ken Knight PERMALINK
September 25, 2012 10:31 pm
Hi- Love your blog. Im wondering if there is any way to incorporate duckweed into a closed-loop
aquaponics system so that it doesnt take over the entire system? Frequent changes of water seems
like a waste of water and the benets of the duckweed to an aquaponics system. But how would
one keep it from invading the whole enchilada? Is there any way to sequester it? I look forward to
any thoughts you might have on this.
Thanks, Ken
REPLY
tamraf PERMALINK*
Ken, I dont know your set-up, but do know that it is hard to sequester duckweed to only one
part of your system as the daughter fronds are small and easily siphoned o, despite your best
eorts to screen them out. I do have a few ideas. 1. Go with a larger species of duckweed, such
as Lemna gibba. 2. Insure that your outlet pipes are well below the surface of the water so as to
not disturb the duckweed layer any more than you have to. 3. Use a series of ne mesh screens
for your return water from a duckweed remediation pond. 4. Get a herbivorous sh like tilapia
or a grass carp to live in an interim water space as they love duckweed.
Thanks for reading. Good luck!
REPLY
Ken Knight PERMALINK
Thanks for the ideas. Ill let you know how it goes.
REPLY
Aliyan PERMALINK
we had a barrel pond too and the sh awalys died until we got a pump the person at
the water garden store said that the oxygenating plants dont work when the sun is
down. the pump did the trick until the evil racoons came
REPLY
20. Susan PERMALINK
July 12, 2012 4:16 pm
How thick does duckweed get? How thick can it get and still remain healthy? What happens if it
is allowed to go past harvest time? Does it rot and stink or anything? Or does it just stop
growing?
Sue
REPLY
tamraf PERMALINK*
July 12, 2012 6:02 pm
Hi Susan, the sort of short answer is that you will want to aim for a covering of duckweed all
the time to reduce chances of algae taking over. However, how much is too much? The answer
is a bit dierent with each species. Bigger fronded varieties like Spirodella can withstand less
layering on itself than say, Wola. With Spirodella and Lemna minor, each successive layer
gets less and less light and nutrients and a once-thriving stand will self-shade (or self-mulch)
within a few days. At rst, the lower fronds quit dividing, then the roots lengthen and the
undermass starts ge ing darker and darker to where the lower fronds die and begin not
smelling so great. Wola on the other hand- Ive harvested Wola that was over an inch deep
and all appeared green and healthy. Perhaps as Wola has no roots to get entangled, any that
die simple drift to the bo om of the pond.
If I nd a batch that is over-ripe, I try to harvest just the top, brighter green duckweed and
put it aside for a bit. I then harvest the underlayers and use them in my compost or as mulch
for something that isnt up close to the house. Itll smell for a day or so and youve just got to
let it air out. The green duckweed is re-released in the pond if I know the water is a healthy
environment. This doesnt happen too often as I use any spare duckweed on a pre y continual
basis. However, if you go on vacation in the heat of the summer, its a good idea to have
whoever feeds your dog to do a bit of duckweed harvesting every couple of days and run a
water hose to rain on your growing ponds to insure a healthy stand.
REPLY
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10/30/2017 Duckweed Growing Tips and Tricks | Duckweed Gardening

Sustainable backyard production of duckweed for feed,

Duckweed grows on benign neglect in the wild.

1. Like any vascular plant, duckweed needs a minimum

February 24, 2014 3:55 pm

October 26, 2013 11:59 am

1. Growing Duckweed | The Survival Gardner

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