Ewest,
I will probably apply the herbicide with a wet rag by dragging over the plants to prevent overspray. But then again I may do both depending on the situation. I do have some very small spike bullrush that I don't want to kill, and some type of water grass that grows thick around the pond edges that I like. The soap and water sounds interesting but I do have a surfactant I can use.
Pondrookie,
You're better off spraying them when they are NOT cut, so you have more suface area that the herbicide can penetrate. Lots of times (depends on the time of year) if you cut them the stem will grow back just like the grass you cut with a lawnmower. Another thing, just cutting off the exposed plant leaves the rhizome, and new shoots will come up. You need to apply a herbicide that penetrates the leaves and stems and works its way to the rhizome to kill the whole plant(s). Many of the plants can be interconnected at the rhizomes. They not only reproduce by the seeds, but by the rhizomes (runners). They are a very hardy prolific plant. I've seen them grow back at least 10 inches in one day after I cut them. Moose antlers when in velvet are supposed to be the fasters growing living material. I think cattails have them beat.
Theo's method of just pulling and cutting works fine if you don't have a lot and you can stay on top of them, and of course you don't mind doing so. However the herbicide is more permanent and too me much easier.
