What "bog" plants are easy to pull (when it's time to thin them)

[Meyer Jordan]

Root pruning does absolutely nothing positive for a plant. Instead of having energy to support top growth, the energy must be expended first to replace the roots that have been removed. In a 'bog' you want root mass as that is what is removing the Nitrate and Phosphorus from the water, not to mention many other pollutants.

 

[addy1]

What do you guys do to a bog in the spring exactly?

I rake the bog, removing dead plant matter, leaves etc. Then take a shovel, hands, pitchfork and yank out about 1/3 of the plants. no real rules.
The yellow flag, I work from the edges and cut out tubers until it is the size I want to keep it at, the small tubers at the edge are easier to remove. Sometimes using the pitch fork to remove/loosen them.
Rush, pitchfork out, take a serrated knife and cut in half. I do not trim roots of any plant.
Water willow I let it just grow, nice root mat. It is mainly in one end of the bog.

Off and on I remove plants by yanking them out. Toss down the hill behind the pond. I attempt to keep my rock path open to be able to walk in the bog.

I leave areas open so the birds can bath.

 

[Lisak1]

@addy1 just described my spring routine - although her bog is about 5 times the size of mine! I just look everything in the eye and decide who's scaring me the most and cut them down to size! Irises cannot be ignored - they will dominate. Rushes can also get overgrown, so you want to watch those. I have some dwarf cattails - they are pretty easy to control. Trying to think what else - I discovered some arum growing in my bog the other day. That was a surprise. Lots of watercress. Some water celery. Both easy to keep under control. You'll soon learn which ones need the most attention.

 

[Mmathis]

What about: pro's / con's for these? Due to the small-ish nature of the bog, going to narrow it down to just 2 or 3 plant-types....

Arrowhead
Thalia
Horsetail rush
Pickerel rush
Lizards tail
Sweetflag

 

[addy1]

Sweetflag, 3ish feet tall spreads via tubers, smells good!.
Lizards tail 2ish feet tall spreads via tubers.

 

[Mmathis]

Sweetflag, 3ish feet tall spreads via tubers, smells good!.
Lizards tail 2ish feet tall spreads via tubers.

How invasive, easy/difficult to pull?

 

[pimen]

I just share mynewbie experience
dwarf papyrus is really easy to pull out
, if the old papyrus become brown or u just want to thin them, cut in the foliage
then wait for several days, then pull out slowly the foliage that u cut while u hold the left plants , and u can pull that foliage to the roots without dig the bog gravel
it applied to dwarf papyrus only not to umbrella palm and normal papyrus