Getting rid of cattails in a small pond?

[moss2940]

We are considering buying a house on a small acreage.
At the back of the lot there is a pond that is full of cattails.
I don't really know much about them. I do remember as a kid removing them by pulling them out one by one from in front of my parent's lake lot. I also remember it being hard and messy.
I was hoping to hear if anyone had any experience in getting rid of them with a better (easier) method.
Any suggestions other than the one I mentioned would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Randy

 

[Egon]

Muskrats will do a fine job on the removal! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Egon

 

[budman72]

There are some herbicides you can get that are approved to use around water, I saw one at Southern States - I think it's called Rescue?- about $125 a gallon. I wouldn't put too much on at once, the decaying vegitation could use up all the oxygen in the water and cause problems.

I have a problem with duckweed in my pond, I think I'm going to give this stuff a try.

Bud

 

[PhilNH5]

I use an Aquatic weed cutter shown at the bottom of the linked page. Works great.

Phil

 

[GerardC]

<font color="blue"> I use an Aquatic weed cutter shown at the bottom of the linked page. Works great. </font>

Can you post a photo of yours? It looks like it could easily be homemade but I would like to see what the serrated edge looks like.

 

[PhilNH5]

Gerald,
It is up at camp so I do not have immediate access. I will try to remember.

Phil

 

[lhfarm]

I purchased a BH with my new tractor with the intent of removing cattails. I've just started (I have two ponds to clean up), but it is working. With an 18" bucket, it is taking some time, but that isn't all bad /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif!
The problem with pulling or cutting is that they just come back. Chemicals will work - Rodeo is the aquatic version of Roundup - but you still have the dead stalks to deal with.
My backhoe reach is just short of a few stalks and I will do those by hand. But I'm able to use the BH to get the roots up, along with a good amount of decomposed material. That is the real problem with cattails. They will eventually fill up a smal pond.
The down side to my approach is that I need more tools - a thumb would be great, but a dump trailer would be even better. Right now I am loading a small 4x8 trailer. I then pull it to my dump site with my litte Cub Lo-Boy. The load is really heavy and I have been using the BH to drag it out of the trailer /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif.
Good luck with your project.

 

[fishman]

Lhfarm's approach will work, but a backhoe is pretty expensive compared to glyphosate (Rodeo). I have killed LOTS of cattails using an aquatic-approved glyphosate mix (e.g. Rodeo, aquamaster, aquastar, glyphomate) with aquatic approved surfactant. Two ounces of each per gallon will do a great job. You will need to spray sometime May and August and repeat applications will likely be necessary. Yes, you will have dead stalks, but you can burn them off or let them decay the next year.

If the entire pond is full of cattails then you ought to just write it off, as it will be too shallow for bigger fish to survive. If it's just around the edges, then leftover dead stalks should be no problem.

 

[fishman]

Budman72,

I've never heard of a herbicide called "Rescue", and I can't find it on the web. From the price and the fact that you are treating duckweed, I'd bet the chemical you are thinking about is called "Reward". It is effective for treating duckweed, but only if you stay after it and treat several times during the year. It's also kind of a PITA to mix and spray. Since it is a contact chemical, you also run the risk of depleting the oxygen in the pond and killing your fish if you treat during the summer.

If you have a small pond, a product called Sonar is very effective and inexpensive enough to use. The treatment rate for duckweed would be around a quart per 5 acre-feet, off the top of my head, with a quart costing just under $600. It will take 6-8 weeks to work, and you can't have much if any overflow during that time, but it WILL fix the problem. Application can be as easy as mixing it up in a pail of water and dumping it off your dock.

If anybody has any questions regarding aquatic herbicides, including treatment methods and rates, please feel free to PM me. It can be kind of tricky, particularly when the goal is to kill the vegetation and keep the fish (that would be nice. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif). Even the "experts" have a problem now and again. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif In Texas at least, treating aquatic vegetation after June 15 is often a fish kill waiting to happen.