Phragmites, watershield, and lilies. Oh my. - 02/06/15 08:02 PM
I have a small (half-acre) natural pond, stream fed. Maximum depth is about 10 feet, but average is probably 6 feet.
I have several issues (my wife would say "many", but I'll limit things to aquatic vegetation, for now)...
My goal is to have a fishable and possibly swimmable pond. The kids like to catch the sunfish and bluegills already, but the watershield is a big problem. We don't swim in it currently, for the same reason.
Any suggestions on a smart approach to getting these guys under control? I understand it is a long term process. I'm willing to use herbicides as necessary (subject to Connecticut DEEP regulations), but we do have vegetable gardens and livestock nearby. Also I'd like to avoid major fish death if possible (the herons love 'em, but I might have to ignore that).
I've been fighting the phragmites first. They're the biggest and most visible. For two seasons, I've pulled all individual stalks (cames?) up around half of the pond. This does seem to be having a positive effect on next-year regrowth, but this spring/summer will tell me a lot more. It's a huge amount of work, easily a half day per week, and so far I've been doing the "easy" part of the pond. It might be time for herbicide.
The watershield is next on my list. I think this will mean herbicides, because a razor and rake is probably just not practical. Irregular shape, lots of rocks, etc. I'm looking into Connecticut-legal aquatic herbicides for these guys too.
Another concern is that I might knock one down just to have another problematic plant take its place. They're all established, I think, just competing for resources. Would it be smarter to hit the whole thing with a cocktail of chemicals and then prevent new growth? Would that even work?
Or is it all hopeless and should I just get used to enjoying the wet spot with reeds while it fills itself in over the next couple decades?
Thanks for any ideas you can offer. I'm very new at this stuff. Obviously!
I have several issues (my wife would say "many", but I'll limit things to aquatic vegetation, for now)...
- phragmites (common reed) forms a band 10-15 feet wide around 50% of the perimeter. The sunniest, shallowest 50%.
- watershield covers just about all open water by midsummer.
- spatterdock and white lilies pop up here and there throughout.
- mat algae which shows up here and there on some of the submerged rocks.
- a few cattails, but I've been watching them for a couple years and I harvest the seedheads every year before maturity. I've counted the stalks each year (less than 15), and they don't seem to be spreading.
My goal is to have a fishable and possibly swimmable pond. The kids like to catch the sunfish and bluegills already, but the watershield is a big problem. We don't swim in it currently, for the same reason.
Any suggestions on a smart approach to getting these guys under control? I understand it is a long term process. I'm willing to use herbicides as necessary (subject to Connecticut DEEP regulations), but we do have vegetable gardens and livestock nearby. Also I'd like to avoid major fish death if possible (the herons love 'em, but I might have to ignore that).
I've been fighting the phragmites first. They're the biggest and most visible. For two seasons, I've pulled all individual stalks (cames?) up around half of the pond. This does seem to be having a positive effect on next-year regrowth, but this spring/summer will tell me a lot more. It's a huge amount of work, easily a half day per week, and so far I've been doing the "easy" part of the pond. It might be time for herbicide.
The watershield is next on my list. I think this will mean herbicides, because a razor and rake is probably just not practical. Irregular shape, lots of rocks, etc. I'm looking into Connecticut-legal aquatic herbicides for these guys too.
Another concern is that I might knock one down just to have another problematic plant take its place. They're all established, I think, just competing for resources. Would it be smarter to hit the whole thing with a cocktail of chemicals and then prevent new growth? Would that even work?
Or is it all hopeless and should I just get used to enjoying the wet spot with reeds while it fills itself in over the next couple decades?
Thanks for any ideas you can offer. I'm very new at this stuff. Obviously!