Advice for burning/clearing cattails

[EddieWalker]

Cattails are just like bamboo. They have a massive root system that will withstand any damage that you do to them. Burn them and they come back stronger and healthier the next year. Cut them down and they come back better then before. Depth of water is the only natural way to deal with them. They do not like to be deeper then four feet, which is true with most water plants in ponds. Usually that's because 4 feet is as far as light will travel through water. Since digging out the roots and making the pond deeper isn't option, poison is all you have left. I've read that Round Up shouldn't be used on ponds, but I spray it along my shoreline all the time. I kill off the reeds and miniature bamboo that likes to take over. 90 percent of what I spray ends up on the plants, and what does get into the water is so diluted that I've never noticed a single dead animal afterwards. In fact, my fish population keeps increasing and we're unable to keep up with catching enough of them to be where I want to be.

I've seen the other products at the store designed for ponds and imagine that they work fine, but they are a lot more money. I don't have cattails. My banks are very steep intentionally to not have them, or anything else take over my pond. I don't know if Round Up will work on cattails, but I sure would give it a try using common sense and making sure most of it gets on the plants.

On a side note, is there any way to raise the height of your dam? I poured a 2 foot tall concrete dam across my spillway to do this. I trenched down four feet, built up the forms and poured the concrete. My pond looks a lot better, but I also have that extra amount of water in the summer so that it doesn't go down as far when evaporation is at it's worse, and it doesn't rain very often.

 

[hslogger]

I would recommend you research Rodeo aquatic herbicide. I would also advise seeking out information from Soils and Water Conservation district in your locality or some other knowledgeable resource. Wholesale nuking of a body of water can have dire consequences. Residual damage, non target species, etc.
A solid and formulated plan with contingencies, in the long run is a safer way to go about. There are numerous pond and lake sites on the internet, too. The water and pond chemical supplier treatment sites, are one source but their views and information should be not taken as the gospel. Each body of water in itself is a separate organism if you will and a broad brush stroke doesn't address specific environments.

 

[Superduper]

Thanks to everyone that responded. I have come to the conclusion that all of the old growth will have to be removed in order to be able to control the new growth, which won't be possible if they are sheltered by the old growth. Initially I thought to burn whatever remained since I worked like crazy this summer and barely knocked out 5%. Getting the remaining 95% manually seemed far too daunting, perhaps impossible. Burning seemed to be the easiest solution, but I didn't like what I saw on the videos. It didn't burn everything to ash like the pile I burned on the ground. Instead, what remained were lots of shortened black charred stalks looking like a horrible hair cut.

Winter is here, or at least just around the corner so I have all season to think about this. In the meantime, I think I'm going to see if I can find some used chest high waders, hopefully bargain priced (since I don't need them for anything else than to clear these out) and attempt to walk deeper into the water. If anyone has one they can spare or don't use anymore... send it to me, haha. This year, I started in the summer. The weeding (or cattailing) kicked my butt with the heat a big factor. In the coming year, I'm going to start earlier in the season instead, when temperatures are milder, hopefully before too much rains come and deepens the pond putting the cattails too far out of reach. If plan goes well, then I'll try keeping the new growth under control by spraying with an aquatic grade of roundup which supposedly has a more environmentally suitable form of surfactant. Wish me luck. Because if things don't go according to plan, I'll be planning a burn late next year since I would've run out of options.

 

[comancheflight]

I have owned a 2+ acre pond for 35 years..it had catails in the beginning. When I wanted to clean it up I bought what the DNR used at time, KARMEX. To start I used about 1/2 lb. Within 3 days it annihilated everything growing in the water. Since that time they made it illegal for water use but hey, it's your pond. If you only used it for a couple of years it will eliminate cattails. Second year I only used about a cup. I wouldn't have mentioned it but you implied the fish were sacraficial and chemically Killing large quantites vegetation will suck the oxygen out of the water. KARMEX is getting hard to find.
It is granulated and you mix it in a 5 gallon bucket of water and pour it in several spots. The first couple of days you'll think it isn't doing anything but about 3 days later duck weed will sink. I don't remember how long for the cattails. Too long ago.
Years ago parks and DNR used it on lakes so I tried it and it was amazing..did I mention it is illegal now for aquatic use but you can buy it a coops...it would work perfect in your circumstances with minimal effort.

Disclaimer - it is illegal

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Cattails need air to live. If you keep your cattails cut below the water surface they will eventually die. I have a RedMax Reciprocator cutter that mostly greens keepers use for edging, but it is perfect for sending under water and nipping off cattails.

A Minnesota outfit (Weeders Digest) sells the same tool with a float and doubles the cost of the RedMax. The tool is a little heavy, but the cutting head works under water so it gets lighter as you wade around and you can use it over the side of a boat (use the leash).

Also, if you look, the major component in aquatic plant control products is salt. Salt. Think about that.

 

[bluestem99]

Background information first. I've burned thousands of acres of cattails for my job, I've killed many hundreds of acres of cattails as well. Looking at your pictures I would actually be surprised if fire carried through your stand, maybe in a 20 mph wind. And like you said, you will be left with "stumps."

With a good backpack sprayer and a 3% solution of Aquaneat herbicide which you can get here:AquaNeat Aquatic Herbicide, NuFarm | Forestry Distributing North America's Forest Products Leader, you should be able to spray a good majority of it. Come back in a few weeks and get the spots you missed. That jug of herbicide will last you several years.

 

[RNeumann]

If you want to burn it here are a few tips.

Do it early in the morning
Do it when the surrounding material (Looks like grass from the photos) won't burn- try and light it to see
Start down wind- maybe the wind will slow spread and it will creep to the other end. If that doesn't work go 90° to the wind. I wouldn't just light off the whole thing from up wind.
Be prepared. Have the tractor with something that can cut out and ready. Have a hose or 4 ready- especially down wind
Have proper clothing and good boots. No shorts, rubber boots waders etc.
Have a few friends around to help
Have fun and let it rip!

 

[oosik]

You can do what you want with the cattails but one thing is certain - they will come back. Recognize that the 'tails you currently have are there because the seeds blew in from somewhere and removing them from your pond will not stop this wind blown reseeding. Watch out using chemicals - many will also kill the fish and other aquatic life. If your pond freezes - using a weed whacker, like in Eric's picture, may be the easiest and cheapest method.

Also - no matter how thick the ice gets on your pond - I would not go on the ice with the tractor. From experience with my ATV, I know that the ice that forms within and around the 'tails is not near as thick as what forms out in the open areas.

 

[Creamer]

Also - no matter how thick the ice gets on your pond - I would not go on the ice with the tractor. From experience with my ATV, I know that the ice that forms within and around the 'tails is not near as thick as what forms out in the open areas.

this sounds like it good be a great story!

 

[oosik]

Yes, maybe not such a good story but an almost fatal learning lesson. Out on my little lake retreiving decoys - ice broke while I was passing thru 'tails on ATV. I had checked the ice thickness - 14" - out in the open lake. The ice within the 'tails was not thick enough to support ATV plus me. After third try to get back up on the ice, I was prepared to make peace with my maker. My golden lab came over from the shore line to see what the h#ll I was doing. I grabbed his collar and he drug me out on top of the ice. I did the "snake crawl" for about 80 feet to get back to shore.

Lessons learned - the 'tails didn't want to be bothered with - don't trust the ice thickness on my little lake, even in the dead of winter - going thru the ice and into the water will knock the breath out of you like getting hit by a semi while standing in the middle of a freeway - the cold water is such a shock to the body you even have trouble breathing in - the water is so cold, its difficult even thinking.

And as far as I'm concerned - my cattails are just fine where they are.