Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Controlling unwanted plants Best tools for manual cattail removal?

Hello everyone -

I'm taking on the responsibility of maintaining our neighborhood pond, hopefully preventing it from going into total disrepair. Last summer we had a significant fish kill, and lots of algae and duckweed. One of our main challenges is that the pond has been designated as city wetland, despite being on private property, so we're very limited in how much we can do.

Aeration is going in this spring, but I also plan to cut back a huge stand of cattails and bulrush. Last fall I pulled out around 6000 pounds of these over the course of two days (see pics below), but I'm hoping to buy a cutter this year to make things easier. Any brand/style of cutter you folks would recommend?

Pulling is highly effective, but if you are like me, that gets old in a hurry. I removed 20 canoe loads last summer, and it didn't even look like I did anything.

I am looking at saving for one of those lake mowers that mount to a boat and run off of a deep cycle battery. I think they are called Jensen lake mowers. They are expensive, but my time is worth more. Besides, it gives me an excuse to get another really cool toy.

http://www.lakemower.com/

Hey I did that day before yesterday. And yes I am in a frowny herbicide area. Right now I am testing a new cattails cutting head for the Jensen Lake Mower. It's pricey but with the amount I have it's either burn a lot of time and effort or buy an industrial tool for mechanical cutting. I am posting my results in the cattail eradication thread I think. The dead growth is very bad, and the bulrushes the worst of that. I'm going with my 3S method, submerge, suffocate and starvation. I'm choking off thier air supply by keeping them underwater and then starving the rhizomes to death. After getting rid of the dead growth the green growth cuts like butter, and all of the material pops to the top. Once you are on top of it, it is a breeze, but the remedial has not been done in a decade stands are very tough, no doubt. I have to use the HD model, as this is the toughest material I ever have to cut, and I manage a lot of ponds. Looks like you have a lot of work.

I use different tools and methods for cattails and bulrushes near the shore, in shallows or out of the water.

By the way, pulling is not an option for me because the plants are rhizome anchored in clay, and hard pan. I tie my boat off to them cutting, they don't come up for me that way, at all.

Hmmm... the Lake Mower looks interesting, but likely out of our budget. Also might attract too much attention, since the pond is right along a city trail.

Has anyone had luck using a manual pull cutter? I suspect the old growth we have will prevent us from using the large V-shaped ones, but perhaps the ones with a smaller straight blade would work?

Thanks for the replies!

I use the weed shear for shallow close to shore applications. But I don't throw it because I have the Lake Mower. I do use it on the pole. It is semi effective, but a lot more work, especially on wrists. And good luck tossing it out on the landyard and pulling it through a dense stand. I use it where I can't use the mower. Plus the thing is nasty sharp, knife sharp. And a few tugs, you are getting the sharpener out and making it sharp again. The old dead material is just a tough nut to crack.

The small straight cutters like a manual weed whacker just dig in and get stuck. I gave up on them long ago.

Sometimes Jensen gets returns and used equipment back. I always take advantage of those deals. The thing is super quiet, and no one even knows what I am doing. If you find a better solution, please let me know.

I don't know if Jensen knows of someone that rents them, but that'd be the way to go if it was only needed once. I've never dealt with cattails, other than one stand that was taken care of with round-up, then burned when dead.

I have worked with Annamarie the president of Jenson, Just like Dusty at Texaswaterlily she has always gone out of her way to help me out, through payment plans and discounts, whatever it took to get me going. She always responds to my concerns in a timely manner, that is all I can ask for.

The way I look at it, I bid a job, therefore my time is then money. And even moreso I could be fishing, or shooting the bb gun with the boys instead of cutting cattails.

But most of the time, no make that every time, by the time a customer calls me, they already have tried someone else, paid them and got no results, or have a serious out of control problem. Nobody says, hey we may have a problem in the future, don't let that happen. By the time I get in there, I have some serious work to do. I try to use the best tool for the job. In this case multiple tools.

This is latest technology on problem here in Norway
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDRDMsH3Ufg&feature=player_embedded

Could be nice for filamentous algae and knotted weeds like milfoil. I wonder about the $$$ though.

Looks like it fragments a whole lot though. Depends on how fine the slurry is coming out.

This video gives a better viev
http://anlegg.repstad.no/images/Videoer/RaMona_august2009_3.wmv
I don't know the price, what you see in action is the only one produced, and the development project was sponsored with governmental environement funding.
It's been a sucses macine pulles up the roots of the weed, grind the mess and throws it onshore along with the seeds.
I'm shure they are interested in exporting the technology, so if some off you guys are interested?
I'll get the right contact person/adreses for you.