1/2 acre Pond is about 4 years old now. Gone thru many different plant problems. First it was Water Plantain which Bill Cody correctly predicted would die out in my situation, water plantain thread Thanks Bill!. Now I have what appears to be Soft Stem Bulrush growing on three sides of the pond. At first I liked it since it gave the fish somewhere to go for cover but it got out of control very quickly. I would like to leave it on one side of the pond and remove it form the other two. What is the best way to control this plant? I don't really want to kill everything just the bulrush in selective areas.

Fozzy,
A glyphosate and a good non-ionic surfactant will do the trick. It will be selective, kill only what you spray it on, but will do a nice job on the bull rush.

Thanks PondsRx, now for another questions. How to apply? I have grass mixed in with the Bulrush (it is the edge of my lawn) and I don't really want to kill everything. Is there an applicator out there, or has anybody ever tried a sponge type applicator. I am thinking of long sponge(like on a mop) that would be attached to old golf club or something like that. The sponge could be soaked with the herbicide and then brushed across the top of the bulrush without killing the grass. This would allow more selective removal.

Yes, this method is called "wicking" and will be very selective. The label suggests a 33% mixture used with a good non-ionic surfactant.
Let me know how it works for you.

PondsRx

Have you ever heard of anybody using one of these around a pond for cattail and bulrush control? side swipe Right now the bulrush are about 2" high and it would seem this would be a perfect way to apply the herbicide without getting it on any other desireable plants or grasses.

This is the first time that I have seen this but should work great for you. Price is reasonable too.
Let us know if you decide to use this.
Thanks.

Just an update, I used the Side Swipe for the Bullrush control with Roundup. It worked quite well once I got it to stop leaking. On a small 1/2 acre pond definitely better than spraying and getting the roundup on the plants I don't want to kill.

Looks like a hockey stick to me!

I have weeds about a foot above the present water line as I dropped the level to do some work. If I was careful and did not spray in the water could I hand spray the weeds with a herbacide Roundup Pro? Or is this very risky? I have run a search and found where Roundup was used successfully but I seem to still want more input. thanks

Deaner :

How many weeds as a % of shoreline?

We have about a foot of weeds and grass along the bank. It stays to wet to mow as I have been in the pond a few times this year. This is approximately a 3 acre pond-lake. Joke

Paul :

Are you saying 1 foot width all the way around the pond ? Is there now a foot of dirt between the weeds and the water?

That is correct, there is one foot of dirt between the weeds and the water. The soil is still to soft to allow a mower to function.

Paul :

I was hoping someone else would give their advice. Maybe they will yet.

I have used Roundup on small areas around the ponds once or twice. I would not use it much or often around the pond edge. That does not mean it is unsafe or that others don't use it. If I were going to spray around more than a small area around the pond with glyphosate I would use one that was approved for water use. See this link for several.

http://www.pondboss.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=14;t=000247

deaner, if you have roundup, use it. If not, go to walmart and get Eliminator brand glyphosate. There will not be a problem. Roundup is not highly toxic, and only the surfactant is reputed to cause a decrease in frog populations if used extensively and carelessly. Eliminator brand does not have the surfactant, and is much cheaper. Put a squirt of dishwashing detergent in it so it sticks to the weeds better. Just go for it. I have used various glyphosates, triclopyrs, and other complex salts and have thousands of frogs.

Thanks to all I appreciate your answering and comments which I found very beneficial.

thanks