permaculture

[Robyn Francis <erda@nor.com.au>]

The only way to 'control' water plants is by making ponds too deep for their
habitat. Rushes, reeds, waterlilies, lotus, all water plants with roots
attached to the soil, have depth restraints. Create a shallow pond, you've
created the ideal environment for total colonisation by plants.
Generally the littoral zone (the edge inhabited by plants) goes to 5
feet/1.5m depth. You could pull the plant out but they, or some other will
simply grow back
Robyn F

On 19/3/05 4:41 AM, "efmonaco@comcast.net" <efmonaco@comcast.net> wrote:

>> ...oxygen. And just pulling the reeds isn't a long-term solution, as the
>> empty 
>> niche will quickly be filled by some other, perhaps less beneficial,
>> species. 
>> 
> Speaking of pulling reeds...
> I've got a shallow pond built by a previous owner that is full of pickeral
> weeds, which are very beautiful and the flowers are supossedly edible
> (although I haven't tried yet); however, they have nearly spread completely
> over the whole pond in the last 2 or 3 years.  I've decided to deal with it
> this year but I'm dreading the job of wading in there and pulling up a big 
> mat
> of biomass, I'm envisioning that it will be like trying to pull wire mesh 
> out
> of concrete.  There will be tremendous turbulence as well.  Any advice?  
> Slash
> rather than pull? Waterbourne goat? Diesel fuel and fire?
> -Gene Monaco
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