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.
