Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Controlling unwanted plants New Pond Owner...Need Some Advice

Hey Everyone,

My wife and I recently moved to a farm with two large ponds. Both of them have cat tails and other tall weeds started, but the one in the picture really has them bad, almost completely covering half of the shoreline.

Questions -

1. What herbicide do you recommend for maintaining shoreline vegetation on a pond. Preferably something that would kill grass and broad leaf. I know enough not spray Roundup in a lake, so I need an education on what I can safely spray here. The fish are incredibly healthy (6-8 years since they were stocked and there are already some very big fish in here). If I have to let it grow up and just weed eat it from a boat, I will, but hopefully there is a way to spray 2-3 times a year and keep things in check?

2. After I kill off what is there, what could I plant that would be good for the wildlife, but not grow like a jungle? I I guess I would love to some shoreline buffer sort of ideas. I don't think I'm up for trying to line it with Rip Rap at this point, so it will need to be vegetation or plants of some kind.

Thanks so much!

Very pretty place.

There are some threads around here about controlling cattails (use Google: try "Pondboss + Cattails"). Also some good threads on native shoreline vegetation that might be helpful. Think about what you want the shore to look like. I have some reeds and stuff around most of the shore because it discourages canada geese somewhat, it looks unkempt, but works for me. It also makes a great nursery for fry when the water is high. I have a couple areas that I mow to the high water line for ease of access. Your goals will dictate what types of plants you encourage.

Welcome to Pond Boss!

We built a duck blind on our lease right in the middle of a patch of cattails....then a couple of nutria moved in and the next thing we knew, the blind was barron of cover because they ate every bit of it.....just saying.

Thanks folks...I don't want it to look like a park, it's a wilderness out here and I like that. I just don't want some of these things that are starting to get out of control to take over.

I'll check into possible natives that can serve that purpose.

I do not allow any cattails, but maintain a "natural" shoreline. If you can exterminate the cattails, a suitable replacement is giant burreed but here are many nice native plants (consider swamp milkweed to help out the Monarch butterflies).

Welcome to the club Milkweed!

I know you asked for weed killer options...I can't help with that, but for ponds with too many cattails the common denominator is shallow waters. Ponds that fluctuate in normal pool levels can also contribute to the problem. A more permanent solution is to deepen the areas by the banks and out into the pond so that the cattails do not thrive.

I have read of folks having good luck with herbicides, but it is an ongoing effort. A backhoe can knock the problem down in short order.

Look into Arrowhead (AKA: Sagittaria latifolia, Wapato and Duck Potato) for a good alternative. It may not choke out the cattails, but would be nice once the cattails are removed. Make sure you get the native type, there are less adaptive imports that could waste your time and money.

Some arrowhead in juvenile form...



Here are couple pics of the mature Arrowhead. The small leafy stuff near the rocks is not part of the arrowhead plant..





Once established, it makes full stands or clusters. The above photos of the mature plant was taken after planting a single individual before it expanded. Here's the cluster after a full growing season...



It grows at the banks and down to about 18 inches of water.

I, like several of the members above, have fought cattails. I had a section of about 30 yards along the shore that they had overtaken. They are native, and have some benefit, but can get out of control quickly. When they get a little unruly I hit them in late summer or early fall with glyphosate that is approved for pond use. To time your spraying, watch for them to start to lose there bright green look. When they just start to show some sign of turning yellow, but are still green, that is the time to hit them. No need to cut them down. I will first spray from shore, and then get in a canoe and spray from the water side if I didn�t get good coverage. By doing it this way, I think I have very little over spray into the water. You can buy glyphosate (generic Roundup) that is approved for use in and around ponds at the farm store or on line. As I understand it, glyphosate itself is not toxic to aquatic animal species, but the surfactants and additives that are put in other formulations are. In my case, where I eliminated the cattails, a year or two later it filled in with native arrow plant. Nice photos,QA. And two thumbs up on the swamp Milkweed. It took a couple years, but I finally got several nice patches established in the low areas that drain into my pond.

Thanks again, everyone. I have written your suggestions down. I am also looking into maybe a mixture of Rose Mallow to add.

RAH, what is that tallest plant you have growing real thick behind your dock in the photo??

Are you sure that�s cattail? If it doesn�t have the round brown head on them then it may not be cattail ..... can�t tell from the pix

I use AquaNeat (pond safe glyphosate product) to control unwanted vegetation on the shore. I went from half my shoreline in cattails to NONE. There are lots of other pond safe glyphosate products on the market such as Rodeo, the pond safe version of Roundup.

I removed all the seed heads I could find first and bagged them for the garbage. Then I sprayed trying to get complete coverage of each plant. After a week, I sprayed anything that still looked a little green again. That was 2 years ago and still cattail free!