Cattail Killer, or how to clean up around the pond?

[dave1949]

Around here they'd likely throw you in jail for cutting them as if there's a cattail in a mud puddle it's considered a wetland. On a couple jobs I was on, they even had surveyors ribbon hanging over the roadside ditches that said, "FEDERAL WETLAND DO NOT DISTURB". Pretty hard to clean ditches without disturbing them.

LOL. When I was a kid the fellow who owned the land behind us was a real SOB. We 'seeded' his ditches with cattail heads every year.

It's true, if the Maine DEP see's cattails, its a wetland.
Dave.

 

[dave1949]

The best way to get rid of them is to redig. If you can't do that then try to dig as much up as possible from the bank with your BH. I also took a push mower, made a handle to fit my mini excavator and use that to reach out and mow them down.
I'm against chemicals no matter how safe they are labeled. Just check how safe yesteryears chemicals were before they found them to cause some type of under lying problem.

I have a stupid question, you say the pond is part of your septic? What do you mean?

I'm with you on the chemicals. Don't even need to go back to yesteryear, look at the drugs supposedly designed and tested safe for people that have caused problems in the past couple years.

I believe I recently read that the tests required for chemical safety only apply to the active ingredient.

I don't believe or buy anything from Monsanto (although that's probably about impposible). I would rather spend a few tough days doing it the old fashioned way than put one nickel in their pocket.

I have also read that the total ban on DDT maybe a cure worse than the disease. The way it was used in the past sure did a number on Bald Eagles and other raptors. If some of those nasty equatorial diseases make their way north, we will have a whole new set of challenges.
Dave.

 

[20 20]

Dave1949; What concerns me is now they are saying some of these so called "safe" chemicals{of the past} may be the cause of some disorders, autism, retardation etc... My question to myself is allways the same..........Is it worth it and can we really trust the powers to be???? I have children and some day may have grand children. Is their health worth the risk of getting rid of weeds with chemicals? In a perfect world maybe certain plants will only grow in their proper place{according to humans}. I quess as long as I'm hanging out on mother earth her rules are in play. Besides a little work never hurt anyone, just look around at all the fast food joints today.

 

[dave1949]

Dave1949; What concerns me is now they are saying some of these so called "safe" chemicals{of the past} may be the cause of some disorders, autism, retardation etc... My question to myself is allways the same..........Is it worth it and can we really trust the powers to be???? I have children and some day may have grand children. Is their health worth the risk of getting rid of weeds with chemicals? In a perfect world maybe certain plants will only grow in their proper place{according to humans}. I quess as long as I'm hanging out on mother earth her rules are in play. Besides a little work never hurt anyone, just look around at all the fast food joints today.

Well put. I feel much the same way. Is it really worth applying poison for the sake of a weed or a few too many cattails. It isn't like I'm not going to eat if I leave them be. Plus, what the real risk is isn't known, or those who know aren't telling. Its a story that has repeats itself, tobacco, asbestos, etc. You can't drink a glass of water from many public water supplies without ingesting some extra hormones. It's doing funny things to the fish's sexual organs.

It gets tougher with large scale agriculture. It's a big, risky and costly effort to transition to organic growing techniques. I think a person trying to do that has to rethink about everything they have learned. What farmer these days can take a financial hit for 2-4 years while they convert over?

It has to be a regional effort to work well. I saw small (2 acres) vineyards in Germany that were organic, but surrounded by non-organic vineyards for miles up and down the Mosel River valley. It wasn't pretty. Those vines had lots of problems. They studied it there and came to the conclusion it works a lot better if an entire area participates. That's the only way to get nature back in balance. Otherwise the organic vines look like a free lunch to everything around.

Of course, Monsanto has sued farms for patent infringement regarding Roundup Ready GMO seed technology. These efforts also work against farmers wanting to get off the chemicals.
Goliath and David: Monsanto's Legal Battles against Farmers - SourceWatch

Monsanto sued a local Maine dairy for having a label on their milk carton stating the milk came from cows raised without artificial hormones. Guess who the world's largest supplier of agricultural artificial hormones is? Talk about loss of freedoms.

Monsanto is not a good corporate citizen, I don't believe a word they say.
Dave.

 

[WarrenF]

First of all remember that Cattails act just like a noxious weed. If you don't control them they will take over. Digging them up and mowing them down will only lead to them expanding.

Now then IF you let the STATE see them, your "pond" will be classified as a Wet Land....and you will loose your land. That is fact!! You will not be able to do anything with it and you will have to "protect" that wetland area.

If you will mix an ounce of 24D with your mixture of Roundup, you will get a much better kill rate. It is my experience that you must stay on top of it with multiple applications over a couple of years.

Dave1949; What concerns me is now they are saying some of these so called "safe" chemicals{of the past} may be the cause of some disorders, autism, retardation etc... My question to myself is allways the same..........Is it worth it and can we really trust the powers to be???? I have children and some day may have grand children. Is their health worth the risk of getting rid of weeds with chemicals? In a perfect world maybe certain plants will only grow in their proper place{according to humans}. I quess as long as I'm hanging out on mother earth her rules are in play. Besides a little work never hurt anyone, just look around at all the fast food joints today.

And those countries in Africa who have once again begun to spray DDT for insect control, have seen a 30% decrease in the MALARIA INFANT DEATH RATE. I guess it is more important to make sure little babies die from Malaria than it is to control disease bearing insects.

 

[forester2]

Actually, a pond is already considered a wetland. I also mix 2,4d w/ the Roundup and one applications is all that I need. I use the ester formulation of 2,4D because it tranlocates better and fater.

 

[20 20]

First of all remember that Cattails act just like a noxious weed. If you don't control them they will take over. Digging them up and mowing them down will only lead to them expanding.

Not true, I have been working on mine for about 2 years {manual labor} and I am winning the battle. They are disappearing, but I also don't mind having a few around. Cattails are mother natures water fliters, they are also a good source of food.

Now then IF you let the STATE see them, your "pond" will be classified as a Wet Land....and you will loose your land. That is fact!! You will not be able to do anything with it and you will have to "protect" that wetland area.

Once again not true, maybe for some states but not all. Plus I'm sure there are regulations up the canister about this.

If you will mix an ounce of 24D with your mixture of Roundup, you will get a much better kill rate. It is my experience that you must stay on top of it with multiple applications over a couple of years.

So basically your getting the same results as me{couple of years to kill them off} except I don't use chemicals? I also can see the results as soon as I'm done removing them.

And those countries in Africa who have once again begun to spray DDT for insect control, have seen a 30% decrease in the MALARIA INFANT DEATH RATE. I guess it is more important to make sure little babies die from Malaria than it is to control disease bearing insects.

Once again this is false there are other forces at play other then just DDT. There are a lot of different variables at play that has helped in the aid of stopping Malaria. Not sure where your getting your info on DDT but you may want to check into it better, DDT IS NASTY CRAP!!!! If anything it will cause more birth defect.

 

[20 20]

Dave1949; The sad part is, is that there really is no such thing as truely organic grown food anymore. There are so many chemicals in the air ground and water from years past that it is impossible to find true organic farm land. We can be as organic as possible which IMO is atleast worth the try. What gets me is that people and animals have lived just fine for millions of of years but now all of a sudden we can't survive without chemical aids.........WHY? At one time I really believe we had most cures to most ills through natural plants minerals etc.... Thanks to greed, stupidity etc.. we have lost a lot of great knowledge. Our young ladies are become mature before their time because of crap that we add to food. Cancer is on the rise because of chemicals in the food air and water. People's immune systems are becomming weaker because no one wants the common cold so they take a magic pill. The birth defects that have come from "safe" chemicals is still a scary question. The list goes on and on, humans are their own worst enemy!

With all that said I'm NOT SAYING all modern technology is bad. I just think we should be more scientific and a whole lot less GREEDY!!!!!!!!

 

[forester2]

Please check out the term eutrophication. This is the process where a pond becomes over run with plant material and nutrients from their decomposition and eventually depletes the oxygen supply eliminating other forms of life. A pond become a marsh, then a bog. That's fine if that is your management goal but if your intent on maintaining a pond, then aquatic plants must be controlled. Proper construction can go a long ways in that regard (steep slopes) but that can create a dangerous situation for small children and other nonswimmers. Manual removal is a VERY short term solution unless the entire root system is removed. We are also struggling with very difficult to control invasive species such as purple loosestrfe and phragmites. If you have the time EVERY year to get into your pond and dig these things out, great. I have 4 ponds totalin about 6 acres and judicious use of herbicides has been an outstanding control option. Proper maintaince in the area surrounding pond is also very important: don't blow mowing clippings into the pond; keep trees back so leaves dont get into pond etc.

 

[dave1949]

First of all remember that Cattails act just like a noxious weed. If you don't control them they will take over. Digging them up and mowing them down will only lead to them expanding.

Now then IF you let the STATE see them, your "pond" will be classified as a Wet Land....and you will loose your land. That is fact!! You will not be able to do anything with it and you will have to "protect" that wetland area.

If you will mix an ounce of 24D with your mixture of Roundup, you will get a much better kill rate. It is my experience that you must stay on top of it with multiple applications over a couple of years.



And those countries in Africa who have once again begun to spray DDT for insect control, have seen a 30% decrease in the MALARIA INFANT DEATH RATE. I guess it is more important to make sure little babies die from Malaria than it is to control disease bearing insects.

You aren't using the correct chemicals. If you want to use chemicals, at least do your homework.
Cattail Management

It's true cattails will surround a pond in the shallow water at the edge. In a proper pond, that's all the farther they will spread. If all your water is shallow enough for cattails to grow, it was more wetland than pond to begin with.

It's also true, with diligence and getting some exercise, cattails can be controlled by non-chemical methods. You have to do it at the correct time and stage of the cattails life. A little more homework.

Beyond the aesthetic preferences of some folks, the cattails growing along the edge of a proper pond do no harm, they actually do alot of good. I actually find them attractive. If you want to see perfectly mowed grass down to the water's edge, you probably won't like them.

I don't know what rules you have in Idaho about wetlands. In Maine they are protected from development and disturbance. Some of my lot is classified as 'wooded wetland'. I am allowed to dig a pond up to 1/10 acre in that area. I am also allowed to maintain or rejuvenate older ponds within a wooded wetland up to their original size. I had a state DEP representative come and look, and they gave their advice. Nobody took my land or posted any signs or tied on any ribbons. A pond 1/10 acre in size, with the correct water flow, depth, temperature and ph levels is big enough to raise some fish in.

Dave.