Home Forums Miscellaneous Topics Rural Living Controlling/killing cattails?

Cattails had gotten thick on the banks of one of my ponds. It's been really dry (like 17" behind normal) so I bushhogged them all down. This may have been a mistake spreading them even more but it is what it is...for now until spring the banks will be clear.

When they start growing back, what's the best way to control them? I've done no research on options yet.

If you can, burn them out.
We did it to a large area in the winter when there was about 2-3" of snow on the ground.

Spray them with Roundup, or glyphosate (generic of Roundup)

It kills cattails easy, and won't damage fish, frogs, etc.

If new ones come up, you spray them too.

The old fashioned way to remove cattails was to wade out and pull them up by the roots. You have to get all the root to stop them.

That's what we use. Anyone remember the old tree hugger guy on TV that used to eat cattails. Seems like his name was Eule Gibbons ?

Spray sounds like the way to go when they start back.

I tried burning them a couple of years ago. If I ever burn cattails again there will be snow on the ground.... Burning "corn dogs" float...in the air. I only lost about 5 acres of bermuda.

I had them too. Cut them ,then sprayed round up on the fresh cuts. It's been over a year and they have not come back.

Aquacide stuff is good, if you want invest your life savings into weed control in your pond, most prefer generic roundup!!!!!!!

Roundup isn't approved for spraying around water. Use Rodeo, or a generic equivalent. They have the same active ingredient as Roundup, but a different carrier.

Cattail root tastes like watermelon rind. The head makes crazy flammable fire starter.

if possible flood them, raising the water level 3 or 4 inches for a period of time will drown them.
for immediate results use rodeo as others have said, not roundup!

We have a piece of I beam with chains on each end that we pull across the pond to break the stalks. It does a decent job on the other weeds that show up. You can pull it across them pick a new line and repeat. Those cattails eat a lot of water.