get rid of cattails?

[anthonyk]

Does anyone know a good way to get rid of cattails?
I've got some taking over one end of the pond.
Started out looking nice, maybe 10 of them, and then it just exploded.
Now there's probably a hundred, and they've blocked off one end of the pond completely.
Is there a safe herbicide or aquicide that won't kill the fish, etc?

thanks

anthony

 

[Noodlearm]

there are quite a few different chemicals that should do the work and most are considered to be harmless to fish. I do believe there are also some that require a license to use in some states. I personally pay someone to get rid on mine with a cutter and a rake as I am very sensitive to most chemicals and dont want the problems when I decide to swim in the pond. Check out this site The Pond Guy - Farm Ponds, Water Gardens.

 

[ToadHill]

Get in and pull the cromes out. The fleshy roots that re in the top inch or so of the silt. If you can stand them, capture a few muskrats and let them go in the pond, they love to eat the cattails.

 

[dirtworksequip]

Every winter I burn off the dead tops and stems and it seems to help some.My neighbor has a swimming party and they all pull cattails. He treated with chemicals once and has just done the manual method since. If you can get a hoe close to the pond, I have cleaned them out with a hoe before. You can just feel the bottom and then pull the boom and stick in so as not to get into the good bottom soil. You just want to sort of skim out the silt and cattail roots and not dig a big hole.It gets alot of the roots and the pond will stay fairly free of cattails for several years. I don't use chemicals in any of my ponds. Its costly,temporary and not good for the enviroment. Although there are plenty of chemical treatments out there. Heres a good site that sells chemicals for a lot of different applications. jonesfish.com

 

[Noodlearm]

The muskrats seemed to help with my cattails but have completely ruined a few areas of shoreliine with there tunneling. I definately don't think they are worth the hassle.

 

[RedRocker]

The pond guy stuff worked real well for me.

 

[Maxfli]

We share a pond between 3 lots. My side doesn't have many Cattails. Last summer my neighbor hit all his Cattails with something like round up (he said the timing was important, he is an arborist), right after the brown heads were most present. So far it looks like Cattail growth has been stopped , but it is early still. The other 1/3 of the pond has 10 to 15' of cattails along all shorelines.

 

[Dozernut]

A word of caution, Roundup will kill off the Cattails just fine, but the surfactant in it will also kill the amphibians (toads, frogs, salamanders) in your pond. I found this out the hard way! Use something that will not destroy part of the food chain.

 

[dapper]

anthonyk,
Don't know if this will get rid of them the way you want, but when we were kids... we used to soak cattails in kerosene and them light them. Makes for one GREAT tourch. If it dosen't run down the stem and burn what ever is holding them. Just remember to use kerosene, not gasoline! (ask me how I know)!

 

[anthonyk]

thanks for all the advice so far guys, and yes, I'll stay away from the gasoline! )

anthony