Pond Edge Cattails w Landscape Rake

[bcp]

Eat 'em!

Sell to an organic food store.

Cattail Recipes

Cattail

Bruce

 

[EddieWalker]

... So please don't take ill at my post, it's just something to think about.

No worries from here. I'm all for a cleaner environment and planet. I agree that some things are bad and should not be used. I also think that in most cases, the alternative to chemicals has a tendancy to do more harm and damage to the planet then the chemicals ever will.

Imagine what happens to the quality of the water when you dig into the shoreline to take out those plants. What about the damage to the soil and plants on the shoreline? What about getting that equipment to the shoreline and then returning it to where it came from. It wouldn't be too hard to imagine that the entire process requires 50 gallons of diesel fuel. What is worse to the planet? The total death of a specified plant species in a year or two by applying chemicals to that plant and nothign else? or the repeated, year after year, attack on removing a plant that just grows back again every year?

While this is pretty silly, there is something to the fact that the alternatives are worse then what they replace. The new lightbulbs are toxic when broken and full of mercury. Fuel efficient cars weigh less and are responsible for more deaths of people driving them. Windmills cannot replace a single power plant because they can only operat at ideal conditions and you always have to have power available 24/7, so they are bird killing eye sores that cost tax payers millions of dollars withot actually accomplishing anything.

The list goes on and on. I've gone from being a liberal, democrat, union member to the extreme opoisite who has found that everything we're told has a hidden agenda and it's all about who's making a buck off of it. Nothing that comes out of Washington is designed to help the planet or improve our standard of living. It's all just a scam.

I'm all in support of "YOUR" decission to take out and remove anything on your land that you want, and to do so any way that you want. I'm going to do the same, and in the end, even though we take opposite approaches, I'm betting that we'll both end up with what we want and the planet will still be doing just fine.

Eddie

 

[HiTech Redneck]

Hi! I also had catails around the edge of my pond.I used an aluminum,extendable tree trimmer with the saw blade on the tip.I dropped the blade in the pond so it rested on the bottom next to the base of the catail & gave it a couple of strokes.The catail popped up to the surface & I slid the saw to the next victim.I had quite a few but was surprised how fast they came out.The closer the the pond's edge I only used the one section of pruner which made it a little lighter.The next year some grew back & I again attacked them. I only did it twice & none have returned.This was about 8-10 years ago.Might seem odd but I'd do it again if I had to.(When the catails accumulated on the water surface I used the extendable pruner to pull the edge,took them out with rake & burned them)

 

[jinman]

I have several sandbars with cattails where I don't want them and some other places I wish I had them so that erosion would be controlled. I've had good luck where I don't want them by just backing the rotary cutter over them and keeping them cut down. Of course, if it's a wet year and I cannot get in to cut the plants before they go to seed, all I do is just propogate them. For years where I can repeatedly cut them, it seems that the tubers use up all their stored energy and the plants permanently die. I never have 100% control, but I sure seem to be successful at managing them in my limited environment. I can think of many situations where I couldn't use my technique.

I also use some chemicals to control pond weeds. I think chemicals are fine as long as you strictly follow the manufacturer's directions. I believe a lot of damage has been done by the "if a little is good, a lot is better" mentality. I constantly fight those urges that could cause me to overuse any chemical, whether it be a herbicide or pesticide. My pet peeve is to see highway crews heavily spraying ROWs with herbicides, especially along creek bridges where those chemicals wash into the streams and end up in many farm ponds that catch runoff from highways. I would not feel so strongly opposed if I saw them doing followup testing to see if herbicides were becoming over-concentrated in our ponds. I might be wrong, but I feel like a few spot checks are warranted.

 

[radioman]

I agree with the repeated mowings or timmings. For years while growing up, there was cattails in the ditch until I started mowing it. I would mow it in the spring when it is closest to ground from all the snow mashing it down and leaves a brown. Took me a few years of mowing, and then all the sudden they never came back up.

 

[20 20]

EddieWalker, I like your way of thinking. I also have changed many points of view and am now what I like to call a realist. I don't believe in any party because as you pointed out in the end it's all about the new god{$$$$$$$$$$$$$$}.

As far as the chemical thing goes I quess I just have a fear. I look at what is/has happened to one of our most simplist forms of life sources, food. They tell us the chemicals they add are perfectly safe, but we have girls maturing before their time and other health factors directly related. If they're going to use unhealthy food additives{chemicals} then what is stopping them on anything else? I quess it just boils down to use common sense. For you folks that do use chemicals I believe you are doing it correct, and believe in it to the best of your knowledge. I just have a fear of any of these chemicals and feel there is probably a natural way of taking care of business. After all how have any of our water ways survived for millions of years without the help of man?


One more note about cattails they are good for the water they have a natural filtration about them.

 

[ultrarunner]

I was thinking of adding cattails to my little pond for water quality and to give the fish a place to hide...

Bad idea... I guess?

 

[parisq]

I was thinking of adding cattails to my little pond for water quality and to give the fish a place to hide...

I've got a few you can have. <g>

 

[LarryD]

I believe a lot of damage has been done by the "if a little is good, a lot is better" mentality.

I completely get that statement. I use Remuda (cheaper than Roundup) to control the vegetation in my gravel areas and mix at 2%. My neighbor likes to mix at the 5% ratio because the weeds die in 7 to 10 days. My rate however takes a little longer but at the end of a month...we both have the same results.

And my gallon of concentrate lasts longer.

 

[dweitzel]

I was thinking of adding cattails to my little pond for water quality and to give the fish a place to hide...

I've got a few you can have. <g>

Cattails usually grow in 3' or less water. The only way to keep them from coming back in the majority of your pond is to excavate the sides and slope them up as sharp as possible leaving the only suitable area to grow about 1-3' from the bank. Then they are easily sprayed with an aquatic herbicide. I had a 25' reach track hoe come in and do the work . Took 1.5 days to completely renovate a cow pond and clean the entire bank around a 3/4 acre pond.

You will have some debris to let dry and remove at a later date. If you can with until mid summer when the pond is at its lowest point that helps.

An experienced operator should have no problem working the tracks around the edge of the water.

Just listing what worked for me.

DW