Shearing
Hand Cutting, Dragging Objects (i.e. Chains, Heavy Metal Weights, Etc.) Behind Boats
Cut or shear plants at sediment level and leav or collect by hand or machine.
Considerations
- Labor intensive
- Most suited for small areas i.e. ponds or shores or confined areas i.e. canals
- Applicable for submersed or emergent plants
- Collect plants after cutting
- To prevent jams
- Prevent fragments from re-colonizing elsewhere in the water body
- Need disposal site near control area to minimize costs
- Immediate results, especially in small areas
- May not be suitable in waters with numerous underwater obstructions (snags, rocks, pilings, etc.)
- Re-growth may be rapid if roots are not removed
- No water use restrictions
- May disturb sediments depending on size and weight of dragged apparatus
- Not selective
Examples of Feasible Control
- Various hand-thrown cutting blades and rakes are commercially available to shear and retrieve submersed and emergent plants in small areas (e.g. lakeshores and around boat docks)
- South Florida Water Management District dragged heavy steel frame along bottom of canals to shear hydrilla for retrieval and removal downstream