One day, nobody was available to help, so I decided to go after a small patch of phragmites myself.
The important thing to understand, is that the more of the rhizome you can get out, which is underground, and connected to other rhizomes, the better. Imagine a giant, soggy piece of ginger root, with an eight-foot tall piece of grass attached to it.
My technique was to loosen the rhizomes with a shovel (being careful not to break off any fragments, which could root), and then see if they would pull out. If you find one that’s impossible, then work around it, removing its neighbors. In a few minutes, when you return to the stubborn one, it’s often ready to give up. All bits and pieces have to be carefully piled onto a tarp.
“Well, that doesn’t look like much!” I hear you say. However, when you get down closer, you see how big they really are. Note the skinny shovel, which can be more precise, and also lighter, that gives an idea of the scale of things.
