Late summer is an excellent time for herbicide applications to control Phragmites, or common reed, which is a perennial plant that is increasing in Kansas waterways, wetlands, and roadsides.
There are actually two subspecies of Phragmites in Kansas: a non-invasive native species and an introduced species that is considered a noxious weed in Nebraska and Colorado, but not in Kansas. Some key characteristics that distinguish the non-native species are:
• Dense, monoculture stands with many standing dead stems (native stands have more plant diversity and fewer dead stems).
• Rough, green stems (native stems are smooth, glossy, and rose/red in the lower part of the plant).
• Leaf retention after senescence (native leaves are easily removed and often dropped from stems).
Phragmites seed heads: native (left) and non-native (right). Photo from Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative.