Some trees around the pond would actually be nice and good for the ecosystem. Perhaps you could some plant some that would be well adapted to your area and that would discourage new growth of the rushes. But you need to replace the rushes with some water-edge vegetation. Basically, if you want fish to breed in the pond, they need somewhere to do it.
one way to do this is to cut down a few small trees and through them into the lake. I do this with my 5 acre lake. And you are right, you also need a few live trees to make some shade in the water too. We usually burn in the winter (frost) here in Missouri so there is less chance of it getting out of hand. I wouldnt burn every year. There are ecosystems that take a long time to develop.
I’m assuming those trees were Weeping Willows. I’m curious as to why you didn’t leave a few of the largest scattered around your pond. Some shade can really help your fish, lessen evaporation, compete with the cattails, provide nesting sites for wild birds, and make the pond more beautiful.
Was thinking the same thing. A couple of the trees would’ve been extremely beneficial for the pond in the long term. I suspect they’re going to have some algae problems this year.
Because they don't seem to be forward thinkers. Not an insult just an observation. See this a lot with people who are urban dwellers that buy land. They have an idyllic vision of what they want it to look like without regard to what the land needs.
@@gd2234_ They don't erode with their roots. If anything they build up organic matter over their growth and death cycle whilst preventing erosion by rooting
Cattails are a natural filtration system for the pond, keeping algae from getting too intense. They also are an environment for birds, amphibians and other wildlife.
I dont think they have wildlife in mind tbh, i believe itll grow back well but i do feel it could have an impact on the levels in the pond for the fish ar some point
Burning the old growth isn't a bad idea. It resets the area for new growth, and the ashes make good fertilizer. It might take a couple years to come back, like with a natural wildfire, but it will make the area healthier in the long run.
Recommendation… blueberry bushes!! My family has a lake house in upstate PA and some of my fondest memories as a kid was when we’d go up in the summer for the weekend, and on Sunday morning, my great grandfather would show up before anyone was awake, get his waders and half a dozen giant old coffee cans, and take the row boat across to the wild blueberry bushes on the far end of the lake. At lunchtime he’d be back with all the cans loaded, and I have to say they were the best damn blueberries I’ve had anywhere. The land has since been developed and no more blueberries, but the marshy land that’s now burned out might be a good spot to get some blueberries growing!!
@@eileenjurek6898 | Raspberries are a menace. They spread way too quickly. Worst part is, if you decide to eradicate them, you really can't unless you use chemicals, or just scoop out the dirt where they were growing. They will just regrow every time otherwise. But they're so delicious.
@@lesliejohnson2982 | Like seriously. Our back yard had strawberries, various flowers and some vegetables, and my dad literally brought a single raspberry plant with the root, which he dug out in someone's yard while at work. Wasn't very productive that year, the next year it bore some raspberries, by the third year it turned into a small bush, but every year it just doubled in size, and several years later, the strawberries and the flowers died out, we stopped planting vegetables, and we now have only raspberries and a prune tree. My dad tried to limit their growth by trimming them, they just regrow. He then cut them at ground level, regrew again. Then he dug out the earth with the roots, to try and grow raspberries and vegetables again, that year we had some veg but barely any strawberries, but the next year raspberries again rose up from the spot and the strawberries died out. I guess some root segments remained, and they regrew from that. They are very persistent but we don't mind it anymore. We love raspberries and we eat a lot of raspberries in summer. Tbh, I prefer them over strawberries. Today we collect all the ripe ones, tomorrow there is the same amount of ripe ones again, and almost the entire summer is like that.
I seriously have very little grass in my yard. There is a bunch of wild strawberries and chives growing everywhere. I wouldn’t mind a raspberry problem, better than Virginia creeper. You get fruit edible fruit in return.
@@eileenjurek6898 | Then go for it. They require no care at all. We never water them. They just need to be in the sun, because if not, the raspberries will take long to get ripe. We have a part of the bushes that doesn't get a lot of sunlight, and compared to the other bushes that have ripe raspberries every day, the ones in the shade take like a 4 days to a week since the last harvest to ripen again.
the cattails are very healthy for your pond, even though they get all over you when you walk through them, they filter the water taking harmful things out such as nitrate, nitrite and amnomia with is deadly to fish and other inhabitants. algae is also great since it can spread fast and give small tadpoles and fry places to hide out at, both of these aquatic, and semi-aquatic plants are very beneficial and i'd highly recommend them for a healthy natural pond. also cattails are a great home for small animals such as birds, rabbits, and moles. :D
And fire is a healthy and natural cycle too. The pond will be healthier if there is a fire every couple of years as opposed to using a backhoe to remove it totally
We had the same problem with our pond. Now that you've burned, add an approximate amount of grass carp. They will clean it up and not eat other fish. And keep it mowed down
I remember when my son was six years-old, we lived in a fairly large town: trucks flying by on the main road, muscle cars, motorcycles, etc. But behind our neighborhood there was a large forested area which, to my son was full of mystery: old broken walls, mysterious 8ft deep cisterns, Saw Palmettos, and a small pond with an old live oak. It had a rope swing and you could swing 1/4 of the way into the water. There was just a little algae. It had a natural stock of fish and a small alligator (about 3 ft. at the time) who stayed on the other side under the weeping willows. The old cattails were replaced by new ones every year. Armadillos and snakes lived in the area (some cottonmouths so you had to be careful-bad snake). There were also Painted Buntings, Barred Owls, Pileated Woodpeckers, Red headed Woodpeckers, Yellow finches, Ruby Throated Hummingbirds, Racoons, Opossums, Just about everything. But that pond was the center of it all. Then the developers came and tore it all down to make condos. They kept the pond, cut everything around it except the Oak (It's mostly illegal to do that here) everything around it was shaved and pulled up. Grass was sodded up to the shore. The alligator was removed. The worst was when they put a fountain in the middle. The fish were removed. It became overrun with algae. When I walked by it I gave a cynical laugh. This is what they call progress? The next time I leave my house, which will be a long time from now (because I hate to see the world fall apart day after day), My neighbors will have concrete yards painted green with fake plastic trees. The sad part will be that they will all be driving electric cars next to the synthetic forest that used to be photosynthetic. Cut it all down. It's the American way. Why have beauty when you can have convenience.
It wasn't convenience, it was profit. The miracle of American Capitalism is that you can sell the happiness and common spaces right out from under people's noses.
I grew up on a reservoir that was also stocked with brown and rainbow trout for a local fishing club. Some members of the club would complain about the bull rushes because they couldn’t fish from the bank where they grew, (it was one small corner of two large lochs, no one ever wanted to fish at the other corner they grew because it was too far to walk to). My dad always refused to remove the bull rushes completely because they provided a filter system which was essential for preventing algae and it provided a tiny bit of cover for some fish. If people really wanted to fish they could use the row boat. My dad did manage the bull rushes with a scythe that prevented them spreading further, maybe once you’ve had use of all area of your pond you can decide where you’ll allow some to regrow because ponds do need it as well as your ducks needing them.
@@Dobviews crayfish feed better in water that’s flowing, they may also eat the fish, can’t remember if the fish in this pond are likely to eat eat the crayfish
@@Dobviews it’s okay, I’ll rely on my aquaculture and fisheries degree, I just found your suggestion interesting and wondered where you were going with it
@@Dobviews what ladies and bastards are you referring to? I managed to get into my chosen career under my own steam with no grinding down by any bastards. I don’t know about other women in other “STEM” careers but I didn’t find it hard at all and now run my own offshore fish farm.
@@Dobviews I think I see what you’re actually meaning by your last comment quoting “Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum” as you’ve also deleted your comment telling me to go use google. You should just go ahead and delete all your comments if you’re trying to say I’m being sexist towards fellow women, yes that’s right I’m female! Oh and incidentally a fountain would be no good for their pond as they want to fish in it.
The snake is a brown / dekay snake. We get them up here in Illinois too.. The one you had was even flattening himself out to look intimidating lol. Always loved those little guys!
I couldn't tell if it was a harmless water snake or what, but it didn't look like a decays snake. Although it did want to look intimidating by flattening out, at least it wasn't a venomous snake! Lol
@@GlorifiedGremlin cool name… I had one that my son kept. Turned out to be a female with babies. The babies were puny… they were like 3-4 inches at birth. And about as wide as the inner ink part of a pen.
I think planting some manageable growth around the pond would be very beneficial, you could do some fruiting trees like apples or pears or berry bushes as a previous comment suggested. Cattails are relatively slow growing so if you can get something in there to outcompete them they won't grow back in such force. It's also important as others have stated, to have some sort of plant life around a pond to maintain an ecosystem, plants produce shade and hiding spots for baby fish as well as plants absorb chemicals from the water so it would be a good idea to replace them with something you fancy more than cattails
For the future I would get rid of the carp ASAP! Carp are really bad for ponds unless it's specifically made for them. They make the water muddy and algae filled because they disturb the muck.
@@VincentsReptiles maybe hair algea sometimes. They don't eat waterborne algea they are not filter feeders. And they make so much waste that they create much more algea than they eat
I was so entertained at how quickly the fire cleared the cat tails away. It's quite amazing how the most simplest and natural way of doing things works out being the best and in many ways the least expensive way. As always thanks for sharing.😊👍😊
I'm sure someone has said it, but if you want to limit the cat tails, you're going to have to have steeper edges to the pond. Cattails won't grow at a 3 foot depth or deeper. In fact they have a hard time after 1.5 feet or so. Burning them will just get the tops and the tubers will re-sprout soon enough.
You should try planting a Weeping Willow tree at the edge of the pond (about 3 to 4 foot from the edge) they drink a lot of water so being next to the pond it wont have any issues but they make enough shade to keep the cat tails down around it
Helping hand. My grandpa had to help with something like this for the elks lodge, or his sportsmen clubs pond. I was down visiting them one summer and got to help, I was part of the fire crew, I got to light it up, but he had an that same tool. So after we got the burning done he dug out all the roots and burned those in a burn barrel, they still haven't come back, and it's been almost 10 years.
I found that putting about a meter or 2 of beach sand around ponds helps keeps cattails and other weeds from growing. Not sure if it would work with such a large pond like yours but it helped with mine and it gives the ducks a nice feelings of lying down in the warm sand when its cold.
Good idea for cattail removal. I would encourage some to grow back - maybe 1/8th to 1/5th of the perimeter. Put in a sandy beach when you can, for about a quarter or so of the area. Encourage some native attractive trees in another, and allow grasses to grow down the rest of the way to that pond. Would maximize both your use and the use of wildlife/fish/your ducks. You really don't need total access to that pond from all directions - but yes, you did need to take care of the over-abundance of cattails! I could see setting in a very small dock on that putative part of sandy beach - for fishing from, or for tying up a canoe or kayak or similar. No reason your pond can't be multi-purpose! I don't know what your current trees were - foliage hadn't come out. Looked a bit too scraggly by being boxed in by cattails, probably.
Nice job! If you dig out some off the roots consider keeping a controlled spot with them so your fish has someplace to hide. It'll help the natural restocking and keep them from getting fished out by wildlife. You certainly don't need as much off it as you had just a small spot should do you good. Keeping up with burning all the dead stuff is still a really good idea it'll help the new growth as well as clearing it up for your pond access
Two years ago due to floods we had a cattails growing everywhere! They grew in the fields, in the ditch, in the yard, anywhere there was water which was everywhere. Last year we had a drought so where ever the cattails grew we were stuck with them because it was too dry to burn them. Finally this year during the spring melt we were able to burn them reclaim ground. Did you consider harrowing around the pond to try and get at some of the roots now?
@@mrprogamer3070 Burning is how the Native Indians used to clear the land in the spring. It takes care of old weeds and extra fodder. It also puts nutrients back into the ground. Their pastures would grow back faster and cleaner and healthier after controlled burns. We do it here on my farm. In 2 weeks the vegetation is so much thicker and healthier and grows better.
@@mrprogamer3070 Actually Burning is the natural process. It's us human that mess it up. Lighting strikes would burn up the dried plant life and it would be added to the soil, but because we stop this natural process we have a build up of dried-up material. This causes the massive wildfire we see now. A little burn good, a lot bad.
I believe your County Agent could advise with things like excessive cattails in a family fishpond - or else the Fish and Wildlife Service - and still stay within your fire regulations.
The sound of kids laughing and having fun is the best part of the video followed closely by two parents who've worked hard all day and still have shining smiles on their dials. Life.
We live on an extremely large retention pond shared by only 10 houses. It is extremely difficult to control the vegetation and we often have to do the same have these controlled bank fires, it's the only viable way to keep it down so we can access the pond properly. It is a weird sensation fire and water so close together.
I hated to see you burn them. Cattails are a truly remarkable plant. They may be the perfect survival food. They are also easy to harvest and a supply can be laid aside for later use as well as for medicinal purposes, clothing and shelter. They are altogether a truly remarkable plant that taste like a peppery cucumber.
I would never be mad at them for doing what they had to do on their property. They are a wonderful family and I was only saying what cattail are useful for. I'm truly sorry if my comment offended anyone. 😢
I’m sure you need to have a fairly thick skin to put yourself out there on you tube. I think if they bother you, take care of them. They will come back. It’s not like you sprayed a bunch of dangerous chemicals. People can manage their property the way they want. If you decide that maybe be time, you’ll burn some and leave some, cool. Or maybe you’ll decide that this was the best thing ever and you should have done it a long time ago. You do you.
Depending on how old the farm pond is it might be worth looking into having a spot dredged and cleared to use for swimming and family use. I would leave cat tails and other aquatic plants to filter the water quality.
Local volunteer fire depth usually will burn off fields/areas for free as training exercise. Thongs can get out of hand quickly so it's good to have then involved.
To help with the reeds growing, cover the burned area in about 2 inches of sand. Lay some tarps over it, and remove the tarp in a month. It will kill the roots and allow a softer entry into your pond. Usually fresh water sand is best, but getting salty sand will help dry and kill the reeds.
I've done this every year in a smaller area but that stuff comes back every year. Actually there is no need to burn it down. The brown, dry stuff is dead anyway but the roots in deep soil will shoot in spring, send out multiple scions and spread even more. As you've could already see in the video. It's hard to get rid of it. Excavting is more of a long term solution. You have to dig out all the roots. A more environmentally friendly solution may is to block block sunlight after burning or cutting it down by putting on a fat layer of cardboard, grassclippings, mulch, sand or whatever to prevent new growth. But the roots are tough and won't die that easy. You could also riaise the waterlevel for a year so the Water is too deep for the plants. Put they will grow back from the edge of the pond where it hits the land. In addition you can add crass fish or carp to stir up the ground to prevent sunlight shining thru the surface. They will even eat small amounts of fresh sprouts. Same with goose or crayfish. Maybe restrict smaller existing areas of cattail by planting other plants next to it that don't spread that much or that are easier to handle. Most effective way is stil excavating all the roots and retract or restrict the area where plants are already growing so that they do not spread out and take over more space. You can use big stones or metal sheets like a wall that reaches deep into the soil in order to prevent roots from growing under and over the barrier.
Oh man my anxiety was high that whole video.. LOL we do the same around our pond but ours is tiny compared to yours and we always have a hose and water ready to go just in case... those winds were no joke either. Glad you got it done though it looks amazing now.
Just a word of caution real quick that you’ve added fertilizer pretty much to the soil and pond, so you might see an increase in the amount of nuisance plants around and in the pond. Other than that, looks amazing!
When the new cat-tail shoots come up you can eat them. When young they can be eaten raw and taste like cucumbers. When older they'll need to be cooked. I understamd native Americans also ate the roots or tubers.
Eli looks so serious 1:08 holding that torch! a very dedicated worker from the looks of things :-) not too sure and I don't think it applies to cattails, but a lot of plants and trees use Fire to propagate. your little girl is growing so fast!
Hi, I have 85 ponds on my farm in Florida and I too hate cattails! And I too use fire for weed control. I go to the dollar store with a trailer to load up with cardboard boxes and then I systematically lay out cardboard in a line right on the waters edge to burn the weeds in the water. It’s helpful to keep some large flat pieces of cardboard to lay on top of a well burning fire to direct the heat downwards. It will encapsulate and intensify the heat where you really need it. I’ve found that vegetables love growing in the freshly burnt ground
Your snake is a baby western ratsnake, often called a “black snake”. Ratsnakes always have white chins just like this little one! My dad found one on his property in eastern MO last week (they’re found statewide) & he sent pictures to me to ID for him. :)))
@@patmccrady6063 DeKay’s have two rows of spots on their back. That one didn’t look like it had them. I think 17caratYTsquad is correct in their identification. Baby western ratsnakes start off grey.
No matter what, keep it. It’ll eat mice, gophers, moles and other pests. Note to your son…if starting a fire always make sure you have an escape route. From the camera angle it looked like he lit the fire with the water behind him and on the side and in front was fire. It can turn on you in a half second. Getting a small pump to siphon water out through a hose for extra safety
You guys might consider a couple of trees to plant along the edge of the pond. Maybe a willow and an oak or two to provide shade for the fish and nesting for other animals, as well as a place or two to hang rope swings for the future. They will also look nice. Some cattails are fine. They help remove metals and toxins from the soil and the water. 🙃
A+ on the drone footage. I kept thinking.. with all that ash, proximity to fish emulsion and full sun - that's going to be one fertile area. Landscaping fabric - the black ground cover stuff, might hold some of it at bay.. though that did look pretty crunchy for the biodegradable variety I'm using.
Watching this reminds me of the good old days when in North Queensland ( Australia)they use to burn the sugar cane fields and yes the flames were hot even when you were a long way from there.
The plus side your grass will grow in really nice. I live out in the country and idk why I was fascinated with watching them burn the ditches. But the grass always came back super green and thick.
I love all your videos. Always been fascinated with how families live off their land. Country farm living is what I call home. I enjoy watching the kids grow up to be such good kids. The pond is amazing! Many Blessings to your whole family.
I live in Sydney Australia and I find this very unsettling seeing you burn off without any fire prep. I’m so pleased that it didn’t get out to of control. You had me worried about you all. The fire did do its job.
You should add a "beach" around the entire perimeter of your pond. Could be sand, crushed gravel, whatever really. Just anything to prevent them from regrowing.
@@whitehouseonthehill Plan a smaller nice beach. With a dock or pier. You can manage around that. Saves a lot of money. And keep the cattails in one section that you want to be be natural. There may be a a state resource to ask about what fish are good. They will make it healthier and eat algae, maybe let you fish for trout later
The cattails are important for the environment and wildlife. If they want healthy fowl and aquatic life in and around the pond the last thing they should do is encircle it with sand or rocks… at least 1/3 should have been left alone
I'd suggest you build a deck now ... and maybe rent a bobcat and clear some of that and fill it in with a sand beach or even fine pea gravel.... 🤔 Maybe you should contact aquascape ... Greg the pond guy or Ed the pond professor ... maybe they can add a wetland filter and a stream that connects to your aviary pond.... and get a balance to the vegetation the area.
Love the vids I learn so much from you all❤️. I am dealing with poultry as well. Just got some bourbon red turkeys and ringed neck pheasants. Also can’t wait to see the 1 MILLION plaque in the emu house!!!❤️❤️❤️
There's just something about fire that's incredibly beautiful, not to mention how healthy it is for soil. Good luck with the battle, I know it's an ongoing issue for many pond/lake owners.
Guys I think it's a good thing that he let his kids help him and be with his company. We all know some of kids when they grow and begin to teenage phase some of them stop hanging too much to their parents cause they got other stuff. Cherish the moments✌
Great job! Hopefully you can figure out how to get rid of the cattails so they won't grow back. Around the pond it looks so good. The kids are living their best lives! I love your family channel!
I believe the snake is a hog nose, very common in KS and MO. Great snakes to have around too. They won’t mess with the kids, and are pretty docile as you saw holding it. We got our Chainsaw. It isn’t a chainsaw. What do you call it? A trimmer with a blade on it.😂 An edger.
Great video. Cattails are incredibly useful, especially medicinal. Now that they are cleared, if you manage them, you can do some awesome things with them, and even sell them. Good luck! 😉
I got a small pond with the same Cat-Tails, but also have overhanging Willow Trees, Ducks Nesting, and the Heatwave making everything tinder dry. So it looks as if I won't be able to set them on fire any time soon. It will be interesting to see what plants emerge for you next year. We did also have a patch of Water Lillies earlier this year.
This doesnt seem like a very good idea. burning is almost never the answer unless the ecosystem evolved alongside it, I'd probably reccomend diversifying the plant life to compete with the cattails and introducing steps in the vegetation to provide water retention and breeding spaces for fish at varying water levels. Most common weeds are a symptom of a deeper problem and can often tell you something if you read the signs. I am not too familiar with cattails specifically but if you maybe look into the role they play in the ecosystem, try to assist with that process and you may find them to die back naturally. Along with introducing competition, this could solve your pond dilemma
I just love this channel! The algorithm brought me here because I watch Nate the Hoof guy. Lol. I’m telling you after a long day at work in the hustle and bustle of everyday society this channel is a relief and a pleasure to watch. Thank you all again for sharing your life with us. I look forward to watching you teach us all and learning. ❤
fire is mans earliest way to keep areas under control and prevent forest fires - the Austraian Govt stopped the Aboriginal people from back burning for years then had such massive forest fires that they had to look again at their controlled burning method they have used for hundreds of years
I don't agree with this practice for so many reasons. First the root is edible, second it helps to keep the water clean, which is the most inportant, second it's a home for birds to nest in and animals to hide in. You get rid of them because you're uncomfortable??????What are you going to plant there now that will help keep the water clean?? You need some kind of long grass. Now frankly it just looks like hell. I hope you have better plans than this. So disappointed. No place for fish or turtles to hide in. Now you'll notice that your fish will die because there is no oxygen in the water. There is a danger to this also. A pond is not supposed to look like this. Also now that plants are not around to grow on algae, your pond is gonna get chocked with it and turn a gross green...like it is now and worse.
Calm down unless he goes in and digs up every single root those things will grow back with a vengeance. Not only that but he will get other water plants to grow around it now too because he has given them space to do so. What do you think happens in the wild when a fire burns through a lake side.. it recovers quite nicely.
the fire will have activated the dormant seed bank. thereby germinating species that have been dormant and smothered out due to the cattail. As these new species grow, they will help you outcompete the cattail and overshadow it.
I noted one other person that pointed out that cattails have many benefits. The reeds have been used to weave baskets, the roots can be pounded, mixed with water then dried and sifted for a flour substitute. If you catch them when they are pollinating, the yellow pollen is extremely rich in vitamins, minerals and enzymes, and can be added with flour to breads - it will add a sunny yellow color along with the nutrients. The base of the cattail itself, after peeling off all the leaves, can be sliced and eaten like cucumber. The seed fluff makes good insulation or stuffing for pillows and is an excellent tinder for starting fires. I don't particularly object to clearing most of the pond, but the fire almost certainly killed some frogs, maybe some snakes. There are multiple suggestions for reducing the area that the cattails take over; hopefully some of them will reduce the need to burn out excess growth.
It’s amazing to see the haters coming out of the woodwork. A controlled burn is way better for the land and the surrounding ecosystem than an uncontrollable fire that decimates and enter swath of land (I.e. hundreds or thousands of acres), that take home and trees and possibly farmers crops.
