# Phragmites - Spraying considered to kill weeds



## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

GROSSE POINTE FARMS EYESORE: Lake view is lovely, if you look past weeds
Unsightly weeds along Lake St. Clair, north of Pier Park in Grosse Pointe Farms, may soon be a thing of the past.

The city has removed the weeds and hopes to replace them this summer with plants native to Michigan, such as black-eyed Susans and grasses.

The $30,000 for the plants has been included in the city's budget for the next fiscal year, which begins in July. The plants are expected to go into the ground shortly after that, if the budget is approved.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070426/NEWS04/704260474/1006


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Contact: Robert McCann
August 6, 2007 (517)241-7397

Guide Brings Attention to Control of Invasive Plant and Habitat Protection

The Department of Environmental Qualitys Office of the Great Lakes has released a brochure focusing on the control of phragmites entitled, A Landowners Guide to Phragmites Control.

The invasive, non-native variety of Phragmites australis, commonly known as phragmites, is a perennial wetland grass that can grow up to 15 feet tall. Phragmites tend to grow creating dense stands which degrade wetlands and coastal areas by crowding out native plants and animals, blocking shoreline views, reducing access for swimming, fishing, and hunting, and potentially creating fire hazards from dry plant material. Phragmites can generally be found growing in coastal and interior wetlands, lake margins, roadside ditches, and other low, wet areas, although it can also be found in dry areas.

This extremely tall and invasive plant is becoming widespread and is threatening the ecological health of Michigans wetlands and Great Lakes coastal shoreline, said Office of the Great Lakes Director Ken DeBeaussaert. This guide provides landowners with information to help them effectively control and manage phragmites on their property.

The guide was developed as part of a larger cooperative project involving the Saginaw Bay Coastal Initiative, the DEQ, other state and federal agencies, and various stakeholders to address the rapid spread of phragmites in Saginaw Bay and other areas in Michigan. The guide was created to better demonstrate and communicate effective treatment methods and regulatory requirements to the public and resource managers.

Local, state and federal permits may be required for phragmites control. For state permit information and deadlines for applications, contact the DEQ Environmental Assistance Center at 1-800-662-9278 or email [email protected].

Financial assistance for this project was provided, in part, by the DEQ Michigan Coastal Management Program through a grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. For copies of the guide, contact the Office of the Great Lakes at (517) 335-4056 or fax at (517) 335-4053. The guide is also available at the DEQ web site at http://www.michigan.gov/deqinlandlakes.

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Editors note: DEQ news releases are available on the departments Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

Protecting Michigans Environment, Ensuring Michigans Future


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## Airoh (Jan 19, 2000)

I saw Oaklnd County trucks spraying them on a Sunday around the Bass Pro area of Auburn Hills.


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## walleyeman2006 (Sep 12, 2006)

allways fun trying to kill vegitation legally near water....im a comercial vegitation sprayer and this stuff is going to a pain for a while...i ve had countless farmers ask me how to kill it......and with in the next few years the drain comisions will want it dead too....allready plugging up more then few around around here......


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

"Guide Brings Attention to Control of Invasive Plant and Habitat Protection"

That was fast. I just posted about this and two days later a DEQ envelope shows up with my copy. I didn't request it, but they know my work on watersheds and knew I should have it for reference.


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

Invasive plant nuisance for island residents
Workshop will offer control tips for species
http://www.thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070829/NEWS01/708290308/1002

Bob Williams of Harsens Island will lead a Fighting Phragmites Workshop from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at Stewart Farm, 2007 Stewart Farm Road, Harsens Island. The workshop is free and is located in the barn on the farm. Williams will discuss the ways landowners can eliminate phragmites through herbicide application. Participants will visit areas where herbicides have been successful in reducing phragmites. For details, call Williams at (248) 388-0465, email him at [email protected] or visit www.stewartfarm.organd click on "Upcoming Events."

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality issued A Landowner's Guide to Phragmites Controlin early August. For copies, call (517) 335-4056 or visit www.michigan.gov/ deqinlandlakesand click on "Aquatic Nuisance Control." The guide is posted in the "Information" section.


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

Emailed to HR:

Elvis sings 'I've got phragmites on my mind'

Maybe I didn't treat for you 
Quite as good as I should have 
Maybe I didn't root out you 
Quite as often as I could have 
Little things I should have said and done 
I just never took the time

I've got phragmites on my mind 
I've got phragmites on my mind

Tell me, tell me that your sweet marsh hasn't died 
Give me, give me one more chance 
To keep you marshified, marshified...

http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/photos/ais/phragmites.html
&
http://images.google.com/images?tab=li&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=phragmites Michigan


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 18, 2007

Contact: Robert McCann (517) 241-7397

Initiation of Phragmites Control and Demonstration Project in Saginaw Bay

The site of phragmites, an invasive wetland grass, is becoming increasingly common along the Saginaw Bay Coastline. The Department of Environmental Quality and Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with a stakeholder work group, will soon begin a phragmites control demonstration project as part of an effort to eliminate or significantly reduce phragmites in select coastal shoreline locations in Hampton Township as well as demonstrate the effectiveness of the chemical and mechanical treatment of phragmites and the benefits to coastal wetlands. 

Phragmites can generally be found growing in coastal and interior wetlands, lake margins, roadside ditches, and other low, wet areas, although it can also be found in dry areas. Phragmites tend to grow creating dense stands that degrade wetlands and coastal areas by crowding out native plants and animals, blocking shoreline views, reducing access for swimming, fishing, and hunting, and potentially creating fire hazards from dry plant material.

This demonstration project will contribute towards restoring fish and wildlife habitat in the Saginaw River/Bay Area of Concern. In addition to a control site, various treatments will be conducted on five demonstration plots including mowing, herbicide treatment using imazapyr and glyphosate, as well as treating with an imazapyr/glyphosate mixture. 

Funding for this project has been provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys Great Lakes National Program Office, BASF, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. Other contributors include Ducks Unlimited, Cygnet Enterprises, Hampton Township, and Consumers Energy. For more information, contact the DEQ at 517-241-7734. 

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Protecting Michigans Environment, Ensuring Michigans Future


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

Here is how to distinguish native and european genotypes of phragmites: 
http://www.invasiveplants.net/phragmites/morphology.htm


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

Emailed to HR:

The Nature Conservancy and other managers, including Ducks Unlimited, MDNR and the Erie Shooting and Fishing Club, have been successful at bringing increasingly large patches of Phragmites under control using a mixture of herbicides (wetland approved, of course) applied aerially, followed by flooding (to control sprouting from any surviving rhizomes), and then burning (to remove accumulated dead biomass and allow native plants to establish). This works in areas in which water levels can be controlled, an advantage not present in open-water areas. Even after these three steps, which take about a year, follow-up treatment of small surviving patches is required. We have seen the recovery of native plants in our initial treatment areas at the Erie Marsh Preserve and are moving forward with additional areas. Until biological controls become available, herbicides provide the only practical tool for such large-scale invasions. It is expensive and there can be non-target effects (though these effects can be minimized with careful application), but the habitat value of phragmites for native plants and animals is so minimal that the risks are acceptable to us.

Douglas R. Pearsall
Senior Conservation Scientist
[email protected]
(517) 316-2259 (Phone) 
(517) 316-9886 (Fax) 
(517) 927-4419 (Mobile) 
nature.org


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## brokenarrow (Oct 6, 2003)

So, what is the verdict on eliminating them in a non-wetland area? Glysophate application, three times, at 4-5oz per gallon?

Dzag, how did you eliminate that patch that you planted?

I see that I have about 50 of them (round estimate, did not count them )
that sprouted this summer. Im hoping that hitting them repetitively with RU next year will eliminate em before they get out of control.


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## walleyeman2006 (Sep 12, 2006)

brokenarrow said:


> So, what is the verdict on eliminating them in a non-wetland area? Glysophate application, three times, at 4-5oz per gallon?
> 
> Dzag, how did you eliminate that patch that you planted?
> 
> ...


time to spray it is now just hit a few patches for the dnr in shiawasse and fish point........this stuff spreads through the roots more then seeding in order to kill the root a fall spray aplication works better because the plant is taking the nutrients from the leaves into the root.......if it is a green at all spraying now will be better then waiting until spring......


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## everlast1 (Nov 9, 2006)

Late july-early august is actually the best time to spray. Thats when the plants are taking the most nutrients and you still have time to burn before flooding for fall. If you can get the water out fast after season, late winter burning works best. Either way you have to get water on it after you burn. If thats not possible plant RR corn. You will never get rid of it all together, you can only control it.


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## Big Frank 25 (Feb 21, 2002)

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/deq-ogl-Guide-Phragmites_204659_7.pdf


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

Why are European strains of phragmites so aggressive with their infestations and spread so rapidly? It turns out that the European invasive phragmites strains release a phytotoxin ....gallic acid....that attacks other plant species and kills their roots.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21365483/


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## walleyeman2006 (Sep 12, 2006)

im going by how the DNR wants it done ........we never even started touching it until september.........we have tried spring aplacations and earlier fall applications........september and october aplications simply kill the stuff better........

but it really makes no difference its here to stay never going to see it gone now..........and its going to make many messes including spring floodings before its done


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## everlast1 (Nov 9, 2006)

Hamilton Reef said:


> Why are European strains of phragmites so aggressive with their infestations and spread so rapidly? It turns out that the European invasive phragmites strains release a phytotoxin ....gallic acid....that attacks other plant species and kills their roots.
> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21365483/


Phragmite spreads by seed and more importantly by rhizomes, which have a growth rate of 3 or more feet per year.


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## walleyeman2006 (Sep 12, 2006)

everlast1 said:


> Phragmite spreads by seed and more importantly by rhizomes, which have a growth rate of 3 or more feet per year.


thats why it forms such tight clusters.....allso why burning with out spraying is bad and tilling can litterally spread it instantly..very good point there everlast


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## answerguy8 (Oct 15, 2001)

Hamilton Reef said:


> Emailed to HR:
> 
> Elvis sings 'I've got phragmites on my mind'
> 
> ...


Stick to your day job. You do have a day job don't you?

But seriously. I'm not sure why a swamp full of phragmites is any worse than a swamp full of cattails. What do cattails provide to wildlife that phragmites don't? They both seem to provide pretty thick cover and that's it.


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

New report says global warming will lead to more phragmites along our shoreline

http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1196180104208700.xml&coll=4&thispage=1

11/27/07 By Jeff Kart [email protected] | 894-9639

If the previous warnings about global warming weren't bad enough, a new report says warmer temperatures will allow phragmites to thrive in the Great Lakes region. 

The invasive, monster weed has already overtaken large swaths of Saginaw Bay and spread along other shorelines and farther inland, showing up in farm fields and ditches. 

Charley Curtiss says the global warming predictions, from a National Wildlife Federation report to be released today, aren't surprising.

Curtiss, who lives on the bay in Bangor Township, just can't imagine how the towering reeds could get any worse. 

''It's hard for me to believe they could become more aggressive,'' said Curtiss, 72, whose once-sandy beach has been overtaken by phragmites growing up to 12 feet tall. 

The NWF report, a compilation of the latest global warming science, says that by 2050, spring and summer temperatures in the Great Lakes region may increase by up to 9 degrees and 7.2 degrees, respectively, and lake levels in lakes Michigan and Huron may drop by as much as 4.5 feet. 

It also says phragmites spread more quickly when water levels drop and temperatures rise. 

''Phragmites can be expected to thrive and expand throughout lower Great Lakes coastal wetlands,'' the report reads, referencing a study published in the Journal of Great Lakes Research. 

Curtiss' back yard was designated as an environmental area by the state decades ago. 

That area still exists, to the tree line, where the water of Saginaw Bay used to be, Curtiss said.

But that water line has retreated by about 250 feet, and a dense wall of phragmites has sprouted up in the exposed bottomlands. 

''Every year, when the water goes out, the phragmites move out farther,'' Curtiss said. 

Invasive phragmites, believed to be native to Europe, choke out native vegetation and wildlife habitat and block views of and access to the water.

Recent research by the University of Delaware found that the roots of phragmites secrete a toxic acid that allows them to kill neighboring plants, and spread. 

Molly Flanagan, water program manager for the NWF in Ann Arbor, said her group compiled the report to draw attention to the need to protect Great Lakes water resources from large withdrawals. 

Phragmites only make low water levels worse, by destroying wetland vegetation and diminishing the natural filtering capacity of wetlands, the report says. 

''We know that hot, dry places in the U.S. are only going to get hotter and drier,'' Flanagan said. 

The NWF is urging state legislators to adopt the Great Lakes Compact, which has already been approved by Minnesota and Illinois lawmakers, to provide a framework for protecting the lakes from large withdrawals by regions in need of water. 

''Currently, the protections that we do have in place aren't strong enough,'' Flanagan said. 

In Bangor Township, Curtiss said he used to have a permit to mow the phragmites to 18 inches. But he couldn't find equipment big enough to cut the thick stalks. 

''From the waterline out, I can't get through my yard,'' Curtiss said. ''I have to use the neighbor's yard.''


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