So, now that you have been invaded by the cunning army of the cattail, what kind of counterattack will you mount? Would you organize your troops and run in with guns (or pesticides) blazing? Or will you opt guerrilla warfare? The methods are totally for you to decide, because no matter what method you decide on, the cattails are not sentient, therefore they will not notice you coming, meaning that you will constantly have the element of surprise. That also entails that you can probably get rid of that camouflage and remove the paint from your face. The binoculars and gas mask likely will not be required either.

The choices available to you are many for cattail destruction, and naturally, since the pond is yours (unless for an unknown purpose you’ve decided to do battle with your neighbor’s pond), you are welcome to choose any of these methods:

Physical Removal – You’re of course, welcome to attempt pulling those cattails up by yourself. If you do this, attempt to pull them when they are very young, otherwise they will gain sturdy roots and become very difficult to pull. This will additionally turn into a huge chore, because by the time you get around to pulling them, chances are they have already overrun your pond, and there’ll be a lot of them.

Cutting – You can cut those cattails, but remember that it’s smart to chop them somewhere around an inch under the water line so as to starve them of oxygen and they will die.

Lowering the Water Line – Cattails, like anything else, require water to survive. By reducing the pond’s water line, and making sure those plants don’t get everything that they require, you will find they die out pretty fast, unless of course they’ve already broadcast seeds, in which case you’ll have to do this all over again the next year. If you’ve no problem with lowering and raising the water line in the pond every year, then this would be a realistic choice.

Pesticides – A last resort, because pesticides may damage any organic life in your pond, which would cancel out the reason for owning a pond. Regardless, you may still buy any pesticides that you require from both stores, or online. Only remember the hazards.

Remember this, you may believe these cattails are a serious problem and you need to eradicate all of them, however take note that cattails serve to prevent erosion, and that is definitely a good thing. Therefore leave at least a couple cattails standing, because all plants and animals (wasps not included) serve a purpose, even if that purpose is still concealed.

An excess of watery plants may cause problems ranging from boat motors being jammed, to undesirable results while fishing, to kids having a terrible time attempting to swim through your pond. None of those are anything that you want, therefore it is best to eradicate the root of this problem before it even begins if you can.

You have a few options at your disposal, choices that go from biological control, which is to say the use of fish which simply control the plant population, to lining the entire pond with plastic…that would be a rather dramatic measure, but you know, do whatever suits you.

So let’s review a few of the options, and after that you may decide the one that is suited for you, just remember that the following are only a very few options, and you should speak with different pond owners, or experts to learn about each and every method available to you.

Harvesting – Getting rid of the plants manually, is definitely a good option. However, if the plant isn’t on the shoreline, or {isn’t}~is not on the top of the pond, you might discover yourself buying some diving equipment to get down there without suffocating. If you don’t know the ins and outs of diving, or cannot hold your breath for a long time, it’s advisable for you to consult the professionals. As a matter of fact, there are businesses who work to clean the bottom of ponds and lakes, so you’ll be in pretty good hands in that regard.

Chemicals – There are a lot of chemicals at your disposal to rid yourself of this annoying aquatic life. Some such of these chemicals are Fluridone,2,4-D, Glyphosate, Diquat, Endothall. Naturally though, it is never suggested that you use any sort of herbicide or chemical to eradicate the plants, which is not unlike the reason it is not recommended for you to toss an electrical current into the pond to catch your prize fish. Using chemicals can be deadly to fish, as well as any other various life you may have residing within the pond. Use such things with care, or better yet, don’t use them period unless you absolutely have to.

Dye – You can buy a wide range of chemical dye that would tint the color of your water, and thereby reduce the amount of sunlight for any sort of aquatic plants. It’s better to do such in the early spring for best results.

Lining – Covering the bottom of the pond with a type of plastic is also a viable choice, as that will halt the development of any sort of water plant life. Keep in mind that this can become costly, therefore take into account the volume of your pond, as well as how much plastic that you will require. Naturally that is a good option for small fish ponds, but perhaps not quite so much for a whole lake in your yard.

Don’t forget that there’s plenty of ways to halt aquatic life from invading your pond, and to discover the technique which is good for you, talk to an expert or get together with some other pond owners.

Let us assume that you have a family, that is a thing which several individuals have, as nurturing a family is a well liked pastime, then chances are the family likes swimming or even boating on your pond. Swimming, boating, fishing, are all extremely fun things to do in the water, that is if you can build a pond adequate for all that, however, water life might hinder you from experiencing this enjoyment, whether you understand it immediately or not. The truth is, if the plant life in your water grows beyond your control, then you’ll have somewhat of a mess on your hands. There’s a probability that the engine on your boat would be clogged by plants, fishing would end in reeling in plants living at the bottom, and swimming would be out of the question because the pond would appear rather nasty drenched in both seaweed and lily pads.

So how would you stop it from occurring? There are many ways, and naturally it is better that you consult a professional, and much more important, the regulations of the state you reside in prior to doing anything extreme. Regardless of any restrictions that you might encounter however, there’s still methods to save your much loved backyard body of water.

Herbicides – There are naturally, chemical compounds that you can utilize to hinder the plant growth both below the water, and on the surface. These are called herbicides, and some of the more famous variants will have copper or fluoride. keep in mind that some of those chemicals, especially the variants that contain copper, can be harmful to fish. It is additionally suggested to keep the family away from the water when you are treating it.

Topography – If you dig the pond with a steep hill, you can stop the development of some aquatic life, since with a steep bank, those plants won’t be able to make root. Naturally, a aggressive incline indicates there’s no space for mistakes when swimming, so it is advised for you to have life preservers on hand, as well as making your family use life jackets in the water.

Shading – A more peculiar method, would be to place plastic atop the pond, and thus reducing the amount of natural light that reaches those aquatic plants.

Pond Lining – An approach that not many think of, is laying plastic on the bottom of the pond, so that those aquatic plants are unable to grow. If you’ve a large pond, this might be rather inconvenient due to the sheer volume of plastic you need. Naturally if it is only a tiny pond then you’ll probably have no problem doing it.

Blocking aquatic growth is completely plausible, with adequate study, and a bit of advice from pros or other pond owners, you will discover the best method to make your pond enjoyable for the whole household.

Of course you can use chemicals, plastic lining, freezing, manually pulling them up, or even dye, but these are mighty strenuous, and there’s no guarantee that your pond, or even the fish, would ever be the same again following such an effort. So it is time to look into alternative methods—techniques that will not break your back OR the pond.

Around nineteen sixty-three, a new fish was introduced in to the U.S. ecology, and this fish was known as the Grass Carp. This fish was deliberately introduced into the ecosystem for the simple reason of eliminating aquatic plants, and thus far it’s done a great job. In the US, A Grass Carp is often referred to as a White Amur, probably because of the fact that the word Carp holds negative meanings here in the United States., and the name “Amur” is a reference to the river that this fish comes from, a river that borders China and Russia.

The Grass Carp, is what’s referred to as an invasive species, indicating that it will reproduce and take over the ecosystem that it is placed into (sort of like humans), but fortunately science has come a long way, and while it took some time, as well as lots of gene manipulation, sterilizing the Grass Carp finally became standard everywhere in the world so that it’s integration doesn’t hurt or eradicate the ecosystem.

Another detail to note, is the fact that the Grass Carp doesn’t consume every kind of grass, naturally it enjoys plant life, and will consume most of it, however just like with human being, there are things which it prefers over others. A few of the things which the Grass Carp will enjoy, are:

Coontail
Spikerush
Smartweed
Bladderwort
Bulrush
Water hyssop
Eelgrass

There are many others, and a visit to a library, an Internet query, or a consultation with a professional would quickly reveal what the grass carp will consume.

When bought in large amounts, Grass Carp is fairly cheap, ranging from about $10-20 per fish, and that is very reasonable considering how long it’ll last; living for about 10-11 years.

In some states, you’ll be required to acquire a license before you place Grass Carp in any body of water, even if it is your water. To discover if this is required, speak with the game warden near you, or just check the laws of your state, as that information is readily accessible to anyone who needs it.

Clearly, Grass Carp are a great alternate means to utilizing chemicals, or even lining your pond with a plastic cover, because not only are they great for getting rid of unwanted plant life, you must additionally keep in mind that it’s an interdependent relationship, you provide the thing that they want, and in return they give their services to you, preventing you from having to do this yourself. Overall, that’s a great trade.