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Ponds-Elimiating Bullrushs
It's getting to be pond season and I'm wondering if any plant lovers(of
which I am also) would cross over the line and help me kill off
bullrushes(and a few cat tails) that are over taking my 50ft dia. natural
pond here in southern Wisconsin. The pond is stocked with largemouth
bass(they usually spawn every year), several koi and channel cats . The pond
is 15ft deep(use to be 20ft) at the center and has clay sloping sides. I
use a product called "aquazine" to control algae. Some "stink weed" still
grows but the scum algae is usually not a problem and as long as I treat the
pond several times a year. The bullrushes start out growing from under the
water and the emerge and keep growing. As the water table goes down(several
feet) in the summer, they are then completly out of the water but others
start coming up in the water also. When they die off in the fall I'm left
with lots of dead stalks that end up decomposing with most of them ending up
on the bottom so as to slowly filling in the pond thus becoming eutrophic
sooner than IF the dead canes were not left in. On a smaller pond it maybe
easier to remove them but beleive me in is not as easy task come late
September when the waters cold and the shore is muddy and I'm not a young
guy any more. There has got to be an easier way.
At one time maybe, 15 years ago, I had a problem with cattails and
somehow a muskrat got into the pond, and, in one year he(she) got rid of all
the catttails and then left. Now the reeds have over taken the whole
periphery of the pond and hence my problem. Last year I noticed a cattail
and I pulles it out, but I'm concernend that they'ill come back this year
and get a foothold again and then I'll have doulbe trouble.
I know most of you are into aquarium plants but maybe someone out ther
can give me some guidance on how the get rid on them or at least keep them
under control where I want them( right now I don't want any-a little clump
OK but I think with a natual pond you can't have any or there will mulpiply
out of controll.. Thanks for any help. Jim Lemke llemke at kusd_kusd.edu