Cattail Control Options

Cattails are long, slender grassy plants that are commonly found in lakes and ponds. Their stalks can reach heights as high as 10 feet. Because they multiply rapidly through roots and seeds, these pests can quickly spread in only a few years, taking over a pond. When cattails overtake ponds, a pond loses its aesthetic appeal and can’t be used for recreational purposes, or may be in violation of stormwater regulations. In addition, some studies have found that thick cattail patches increase the presence of mosquitoes. If you have a pond, here’s are some cattail treatment control options.

Mechanical Management

You can manually remove cattails when they first begin invading an area. This is done by pulling them up by hand after they’ve grown roughly six inches above your pond’s surface. Make sure you pull out entire plants, which includes roots.Use a sharp cutting tool to cut cattails. You can also use a weed-trimmer—Just make sure it’s gas-powered and not electric. After cutting the cattails, rake leaves away from your pond.You can also flood plants when the bases of cattails are totally submerged under water. This is done by cutting a 2 or 3-inch section below the surface of your pond water.

Chemical Control

Using chemicals to control cattails is the way cattails are usually managed. An advantage of chemicals is that it’s easier than mechanically controlling cattails as you don’t have to be constantly vigilant. However, chemical control should be done by professional aquatic applicators to prevent damage to wildlife or other beneficial plant species.Therefore, it’s critical you carefully follow application instructions. Improperly using chemicals and herbicides can harm fish, as well as injure people swimming in your pond. In most cases, a single application is all that’s needed. Diquat and glyphosate are the two chemical compounds that work the best.

Considerations and Warnings

Don’t cut cattails in May because this causes growth stimulation. Instead, cut them in late summer, especially if you only plan to cut them only once. Cut them below the water line of your pond. By cutting them two to three times in a single season, you can reduce the amount of cattails growing back later.

Biologically controlling cattails usually is ineffective. Although crass carp is believed to control cattails, cattails actually aren't their food of choice.

While some pond owners want to totally eliminate cattails, others want to keep a portion of these plants for aesthetic purposes. What’s more, cattails serve as a habitat for fish and wildlife. If you want to keep some cattails, mark the spots where you want to keep them.

Sometimes managing cattail growth can be overwhelming. If you need help controlling cattails in your pond, or other pond management services, contact Dragonfly Pond Works.