Bulrushes (Scirpus spp.) -- also called tules -- are aggressive, grasslike plants that thrive near bodies of water in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9. If not controlled, these clumping plants will quickly create a thick colony. Physically removing bulrushes by cutting, digging or mowing can help, but rarely eliminates the problem because the bulrushes can reestablish themselves from rhizomes and seeds. Combining physical and chemical removal will increase your odds against these weeds.
Grasp a group of bulrushes with your gloved hand. Use a pair of sharp pruning shears to cut the grouped bulrushes below the surface of the water.
Remove the cut plants immediately and dispose of them in a garbage bag.
Cut back new growth each week if it emerges above the water. You can also dig plants out of the pond or soil with a shovel.
Pour 2 fluid ounces of an aquatic herbicide that contains glyphosate as the active ingredient in 1 gallon of water. Add 1 teaspoon of a non-ionic surfactant labeled as safe for aquatic herbicides. Mix the contents thoroughly with a wooden stir stick.
Transfer the diluted aquatic herbicide into a hand held garden or pump sprayer.
Spray to cover the leaves thoroughly with the herbicide but not to the point of runoff. Apply the herbicide after the plants finish the flowering stage but before the seed heads set.
Repeat the herbicide treatment when new plants emerge above the water surface.
Things You Will Need
- Work gloves
- Pruning shears
- Garbage bag
- Small garden shovel
- Aquatic herbicide containing glyphosate
- Non-ionic surfactant
- Wooden stir stick
- Hand held garden or pump sprayer
- Only apply herbicide when the bulrush has foliage above the water surface and never spray the herbicide directly into the water.
- As the bulrushes decompose, they use up oxygen in the water. This oxygen depletion can threaten the lives of fish living in the body of water. To protect aquatic wildlife, work in sections and let each clump of plants decompose for two weeks before moving to a different section.
- Read and follow the instructions on the herbicide label. Wear protective eyewear, gloves, a long-sleeved shirt and long pants.
- If you have fish in your pond or water garden, make sure the herbicide is rated as safe for fish and other aquatic life.
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Scirpus Atrovirens
- Las Pilitas Nursery: Scirpus Californicus
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Bulrush
- Ohio State University Extension: When to Apply Aquatic Herbicides
- DoMyOwnPestControl.com: Rodeo Specimen Label
- Southern Ag: Surfactant for Herbicides
- Nashua Regional Planning Commission: Invasive Species to Monitor in Nashua, New Hampshire
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