Pond Boss Forums Thread Like Summary - Killing Brushy Plants

I have willows, blackberries, Russian olives and other brushy plants that grow on the pond banks. We cut them back and occasionally hit then with Roundup which kills the grass around them. I was given 3 products to use by the pond management company if I wanted to do it myself:

Renovate 3 which is Triclopyr
Aquasweep which has 2,4-D
Aquaneat which is glyphosate based

All will need a surfactant which I think should be non-ionic like "Side-Kick"

Renovate is a lot more expensive and I cant tell whether it is a pre-mix or not. I am pretty sure the Aquasweep is a pre-mix so that would be easiest.

Any recommendations on these products as to effectiveness and safety of amphibians and fish? Very little spray would end up in the water but for what I read here it is the surfactant that can be most harmful. Advice would be appreciated. Thanks

Your best bet is to read the herbicide label online before you actually buy it. The developers have already done the experimenting both for effectiveness and safety, and the EPA reviewed their results before they approved the product. I know that there is a lot of distrust of corporations and government, but that is where I go first to get my information on pesticides and herbicides. Searching on websites that end in ".edu" is another good source. Folks on this forum know a lot, but checking the herbicide label is a good double check. Even the best of us can be mistaken sometimes.