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Re(2): Phragmites, Skeleton Lake Posted on September 19, 2019 at 04:06:16 PM by DBurton
Marilee is leading a group on Lake Bernard to deal with this problem. The roots can go 10m deep (33 feet), airborn seeds can go 40km and each seed head has about 2000 seeds. Herbicide is effective on land, but cannot be used in or near water bodies. There are herbicides for water use approved in the USA, but they have not been approved here. It does have one weakness... it requires a tube of air to reach the roots, which seems unfathomable for an aquatic plant. It is possible to drown the roots if you cut the plant off at the base in water 16 inches deep. This has a 90% kill rate. If their are no "snorkels" the root mass will begin to lift and float to the surface in the following year. We use raspberry cane cutters for cutting. It is also possible to cut the stalk below the surface of the ground with a sharpened spade twice a year and starve the rhizome of energy. If you cut it with a lawn mower it will last forever, but won't produce seed. Replies: There have been no replies.
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