From Lake Weeds to Garden Gold: Turning Shoreline Cleanup into Natural Mulch

By Carol Markham, Conservationist

Jay and Donelle have found a unique way to grow healthier gardens, thanks to Chautauqua Lake.

What do you get when you combine a pitchfork, a tractor cart, a pile of lake weeds, and a little gardening ingenuity? For Jay and Donelle Wieloszynski of Lakewood, the answer is simple: healthier gardens, fewer weeds, and a clever way to recycle what the lake provides for free.

Every spring, as the Chautauqua Lake Association (CLA) begins cutting weeds, Jay and Donelle watch for piles of aquatic vegetation gathering along the shoreline. While many people see the weeds as something to be hauled away, they see an opportunity.

The composted lake weeds help soil retain moisture and suppress weeds, just like mulch.

Their solution is delightfully low-tech. Pick up a pitchfork, load the weeds into a tractor cart, and take them to the garden. Once there, they spread a thick layer around their shrubs and perennials, turning a shoreline cleanup chore into natural mulch.

At first, the results aren't exactly garden-show material. Fresh lake weeds can look lumpy and unruly. But nature quickly takes over. As the vegetation dries, bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms begin breaking down the plant material, gradually transforming it into organic matter that can enrich the soil.

And there's more than weeds in the mix. The aquatic vegetation often contains small shells, which Jay and Donelle have come to appreciate. Made largely of calcium carbonate, the shells can contribute calcium to the soil as they weather and break down. They also add texture and visual interest to the mulch with enough lakeside character that they eventually used them to create a small walkway between their garden beds!

The mulch provides several benefits. The thick layer helps suppress weeds by blocking sunlight from reaching the soil surface and reduces evaporation, helping the soil retain moisture during hot summer weather. Over time, as the vegetation decomposes, organic matter and nutrients are returned to the soil.

What about the smell?

Freshly collected lake weeds certainly have a distinctive aroma, but the “lake smell” doesn't last. As the weeds dry and decomposition begins, the odor disappears fairly quickly. The biggest nuisance Jay and Donelle have encountered is occasional plastic debris mixed in with the vegetation. A quick inspection and removal of litter is an important step before using the material in the garden.

They've also learned that the weeds don't have to be spread immediately. Last year, when there was an abundance of vegetation, they dumped a pile in an unused area of the garden and let nature take its course over the winter. By spring, the material had broken down considerably, leaving the ground ready for planting.

There's another helpful trick for anyone who has tried to lift a pitchfork full of freshly harvested lake weeds; let them dry first. Fresh weeds can be extremely heavy when they're waterlogged. Spreading them out on the breakwall and allowing them to dry removes much of that water weight, making the material considerably lighter and easier to transport.

The Wieloszynski’s gardens thrive on recycled nutrients from the weeds removed from Chautauqua Lake.

From a scientific standpoint, Jay and Donelle are putting nature's recycling system to work. Aquatic plants absorb nutrients as they grow. Once removed from the lake and placed in the garden, decomposers break down the plant material, returning organic matter to the soil. At the same time, the mulch helps conserve moisture and suppress unwanted weed growth.

For Jay and Donelle, the effort has paid off. What once seemed like waste is now a resource that protects soil, conserves moisture, suppresses weeds, and enriches their garden over time. Their experience offers a new perspective on the annual weed piles along Chautauqua Lake, showing they can become useful mulch, rich organic matter, and even a charming garden path.

So, the next time you see piles of lake weeds along the shoreline, don't be so quick to write them off. Think of it as lake-to-land recycling… with a pitchfork.

Sometimes the best garden mulch isn't found at the garden center. Sometimes it washes up on shore for free!

Everwild Land Trust is a nationally accredited land trust serving the greater Chautauqua region, dedicated to conserving and improving the lands and waters that sustain the region's communities, ecosystems, and economy. Through science-based conservation, community stewardship, and strategic partnerships, Everwild cares for 35 nature preserves and supports residents, landowners, and leaders in making informed decisions that protect the long-term health of the region's natural systems. Building on more than three decades of conservation leadership, Everwild Land Trust is committed to collective stewardship, for today and generations to come.