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Native Tall Grasses for Goose Prevention #875632

Asked July 02, 2024, 11:22 AM EDT

Hi there, We live on one of the many man-mand lakes/ponds in Muskegon County and we have a problem each year with Canada Geese. Each year, it seems to get worse and with the uptick in H1N1 along with other fowl and fecal bacteria, we want to prevent the geese from coming up on our lawn. Do you have any suggestions for native tall grasses we could plant on the edge of the water or in the water itself that we could plant to make the space seem unsafe for geese? Thank you!

Muskegon County Michigan

Expert Response

Hi Jackie,

Here's a fun educational video that may interest you: 

I'll list off a few plants below, but for a more full list, here's a link to the Michigan Natural Shoreline Partnership's page on plants to use along shorelines. Scroll about half way down the page to look at plant lists based on zone. 

Without knowing your yard/ waterbody, it hard to know exactly what plants, but here are a few good ones that work in many types of locations:

In the water:

  • Hardstem bulrush
  • Three- square bulrush
  • Pickerelweed

At the shoreline/water interface:

  • Burreed
  • Lake sedge
  • Arrowhead
  • Joe Pye weed

On the shoreline/ land immediately above the water:

  • Prairie Cord Grass
  • Canada Blue Joint
  • Fox sedge
  • Big Bluestem

I hope this helps!


~Erick


An Ask Extension Expert Replied July 09, 2024, 11:16 AM EDT

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