An example of phragmites. (Photo provided/www.invasiveplants.net/phragmites)

KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — Kosciusko County has been invaded and the culprit can be difficult to get rid of.

Phragmites, also known as the common reed or giant reed, has been in the U.S. since at least the 1800s, but more recently has made its way to northern Indiana — and Koscuisko County.

Phragmites is an aquatic invasive plant found mainly in wetland areas. According to Scott Fetters of the Indiana DNR Fish and Wildlife Service, reeds were once used as a packing material for overseas shipping. It was first discovered along the east coast and has moved westward from there.

“It spreads from both seed and, its primary means of spreading is the underground root or rhizome system,” Fetters said.

This makes it easy to transport from place to place undetected.

“We’ve actually seen this happen among the interstate highway system; say they’re cleaning out a roadside ditch and they take the same piece of machinery three counties away and they do the same process,” Fetters said. “Those tubers and cuttings are very adept at getting themselves established somewhere else.”

Fetters also noted he has heard ATVs can pick up invasive plants and transport them somewhere else.

“I don’t know if anybody’s really done any hard research on it to document it, but I do know it’s transportable via machinery and so forth,” he said.

As far as making its way to the Hoosier State, Phragmites made its first appearance along Lake Michigan between 15 and 20 years ago. By about 10 years ago, it had spread into Kosciusko, Elkhart, Marshall, Noble, LaGrange and other northern Indiana counties.

“Now, it’s starting to move farther east, into the farther northeastern counties,” Fetters said.

One factor that makes non-native plants like phragmites so invasive is that they do not have natural “enemies” to keep them at bay. Phragmites, Fetters said, grows much faster than native wetland plants and reaches heights of 6 to 13 feet. In addition, it grows in dense stands.

On the plus side, this makes phragmites easy to identify. On the down side, these tall, dense stands choke out other plant species, destroying habitat for native fish and wildlife. Phragmites is also difficult to get rid of and requires multiple applications of a pesticide that is U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-approved for use in or near wetland and aquatic areas.

Examples of such products include Aqua Neat, Aqua Master and Rodeo. However, Fetters warned, these products do not just target phragmites.

“The thing you have to be aware of is that it’s just like your normal Roundup,” he said. “It’ll kill anything that’s green, but usually when you’re spraying for phragmites, you’re not too concerned about what else is there because there usually isn’t anything.”

He added that users need to read the manufacturer’s label before applying a pesticide. The best time to spray is late August through early October, Fetters said, because that is when the plant is pulling more nutrients to its root system, so the pesticide will be drawn in more deeply. However, it usually takes spraying during three consecutive falls to completely rid an area of phragmites.

The Indiana DNR has more information about phragmites here.