Cleaning Pond Out

[HUCKthe1]

I just paid a contractor to dig out the brush and cattails out of my 1/2 acre pond. He did a great job considering he did it all with a backhoe and did it in less than a day plus he did it for half what he bid it for.

I get to play now and smooth out the sides and edges so I can mow as close as I can. As soon as the piles of cattails dry out and decompose some I will be spreading the piles out too. I also need to treat the water and get something to kill off any cattails that might return. Any suggestions?

My wife and I are talking about adding stones to a corner so we can see them from the house and adding a solar pump to make a waterfall. I have many hours of seat time just to clean up what is there first. I have included some photos.

 

[TedLaRue]

The "grass carp" (Amur) fish will eat vegetation. In some (most?) locations in the U.S. you have to get a permit from the DNR (Dept. of Natural Resources) to buy them, but it's pretty easy to get the permit if your pond isn't directly connected to a stream. They're expensive, maybe $13 each (as of August 2007). Your pond appears to be no more than 1/4 acre, so I think you would need at most three grass carp fish, based on the recommended maximum rates (10 to 15 per acre). The DNR regulations may allow you to stock only the triploid variety, which are sterile and can't reproduce. (For what it's worth, the seedless watermelons are triploid varieties.) If that is a DNR regulation, your local fish hatchery probably stocks them.

To find a fish hatchery, ask at your local feed/farm store, check the yellow pages of the phone book, or look for a commercial ad near the lawn/garden/farm section of the classified ads.

Or call your local USDA Extension Agent. This web site makes it easy to find their location and phone number: Cooperative Extension System Offices. These people have a wealth of knowledge about your area which they are happy to share freely (kind of like TBN) and they are grossly under-used (and probably underpaid).

It's too late for you to consider this suggestion, but some future reader may benefit from it. The SCS (Soil Conservation Service) pointed out to me that if the banks of the pond (starting at the water level and on down underwater) are fairly steep, the cattails have less real estate to grow on. On the other hand, steep banks can be a safety hazard and are not good for swimming unless you have a dock.

 

[MarkV]

Not sure that Grass Carp will take care of cattails. They are great for other pond vegetation though. Round-up makes a product for the banks of ponds that is fish friendly. I think it is called Rodeo and I hear it works well for cattails.

Drop by the www.pondboss.com site on their discussion forum “Ask the Boss”. People there have a lot of good advice.

MarkV

 

[Maxfli]

My neighbor used a Round-up Product I think made for pond. He said it was important to hit the cattails at the appropriate time, I think the CT head needed to be fully formed. 1 year later and his side of the pond has very few or no cattails. Our pond is split by 1/3's, My side just has a few. The remaining neighbor's part is probably 300 to 400' of shorline with cattail 8 to 10' deep.

 

[HUCKthe1]

My Cattails were 8 to 10' in and the other brush was real bad. I am making sure to grade the sides so I can get in to dig them out if they try to take hold again. I also will be able to bush hog anything else this way.

The grass carp are good if it is grass or sea weed but they wont do a thing to cattails. The other thing is I have to go through the DEC to put anything in my pond. That is any fish or chemical. Being the pond is so dry I guess I could say Im just spraying the yard. I know I will not let the cattails get out of control again.

I spent at least 3 hours so far trying to get the edges rounded to make mowing easier. It took me a while to figure out to cut in with the FEL from the top and then use my blade to scrape it off to break the edge.

Peter

 

[JHTFarmer]

Might also consider REWARD. It is a non-selective immediate acting contact herbicide. Plants turn brown within 24 hours. I believe it is primarily used for aquatics but works just as well for landscape jobs. I have used it with success in my ponds.Other benefits are that it is safe for fish. You can swim and fish in the pond the day of application. and the water is safe for irrigation and drinking in 24-48 hours. I originally heard about from a pond expert for the LSU Ag center.