In message , K
writes
Sally Thompson writes
On Sun, 18 Mar 2007 08:49:18 +0000, Pam Cook wrote
(in article ):

hi,
new to the group...I have a problem that I hope u can help me with
plz.....We have a pond, natural, no liner or anything, I have planted
daffodills all round it but the wild ducks have brought a plant that is
choking them,, it is a tall grass like plant with spikey stalks and little
brown balls that grow part way up the stem.... It is spreading like fury,,
even tho' hubby dug it up last year...originally they were individual
plants, but now they are just continual....Is there anything I can use to
get rid of them that won't harm other plants or the hundreds of fish that
breed in the pond...or..frogs or frogspawn etc.??? I am at a loss as to what
to do.....
Thanks,
Pam



Pam, welcome to the group although you have joined it at an all-time low in
its history. However, please don't be put off but just try to avoid the flak
if you can :-)

I have a pond too, but I can't identify your plant from the description,
although someone else may instantly recognise it. Is it possible to take a
photo and put it on a web site somewhere so we can all look at it? There are
plenty of free photo-hosting places around. Also, is it growing in
particularly boggy patches?

It sounds like one of the rushes or sedges. I'm assuming it's growing
in the ground around the pond rather than in the pond itself, so there
are two questions:

I'd plump for Juncus conglomeratus, which on glancing in Keble-Martin
seems quite distinctive. It's also quite a common plant.

a) has the area got wetter over recent years, thus allowing this thing
to flourish? In which case, it may be becoming too wet for the daffs,
so it may be a lost cause.
b) if not, then would applying something like glyphosate to individual
plants have any ill effects on the amphibian life?


The surfactants in glyphosate formulations are said to be toxic to
amphibians.



--
Stewart Robert Hinsley