Calm Waters Ahead with Cattail Control
Cattails (Typha spp.) are tall perennials with slim stalks, long sword-like leaves, a distinctive brown flower spike, and are considered easily identifiable by their overall unique appearance. Both leaves and stalks can grow several feet tall which makes these aquatic plants a familiar sight in freshwater ponds, lakes, and marshes.
Cattails propagate, or disperse their seeds, in two ways. The first through mature seed spikes bursting, becoming airborne, and releasing seeds when contact is made with water. These seeds then sink and wait for an ideal temperature and amount of oxygen to germinate and by rhizomes fragmentation. The second is from rhizomes, or underground, continuously growing stems, that are often submerged, while other parts of the plant are emergent.
Cattails are noted historically for being the “supermarket of the swamp” as benefits range from medicinal purposes and nutritional value to habitats and protection for various wildlife and wetland ecosystems. However, this rapidly growing and invasive vegetation can also encroach on ponds and lakes reducing open water habitats. This is detrimental to pond health and native plant species as the cattails’ dense stands can outcompete and over-shade other native aquatic plant species. The dense stands can reduce the amount of light reaching the water and alter the function of the ecosystem within the waterway. In addition, cattails can limit shoreline access for recreational activities such as boating, swimming, and fishing.
Numerous mechanical and chemical management methods are available to aid in the control of cattails.
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CUTTING |
Completed using shears, weed trimmers, mowers, or machetes. Cutting the cattails at or below the waterline can disrupt their growth and eventually lead to their decline. Cattails can regenerate from their rhizomes so it is likely this method will have to be repeated. Due to cattails dense stands, this method can take longer and be physically demanding. Safety precautions should be taken when working around water.
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PHYSICAL REMOVAL |
For success, the plant must be pulled from the root at the bottom of the pond as cattails can regrow from any remaining rhizomes. This method is time consuming, labor-intensive, and will have to be repeated if the entire plant is not removed.
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EXCAVATION |
For more severe cases, excavation or dredging may be necessary. This will remove the cattails and their rhizomes from the pond, but it can also be disruptive to its ecosystem.
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FREEZING |
If the pond has a water control device, freezing the rhizomes is a method for the fall and winter months. Start by lowering the water level, then cutting the cattail below the water level, so it will freeze and help prevent regrowth. It is important to note lowering the water level too much for freezing can potentially kill the fish due to lack of oxygen. If not done correctly, freezing could result in the need to restock fish in the pond.
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CHEMICAL TREATMENT |
There are aquatic herbicides labeled for cattail control. Depending on the herbicide, it can be applied directly to the plant or to the water where the cattail is growing. |
Chemical treatment is the most common method for cattail removal. It allows for optimal control with far less physical labor. Alligare recommends treating with Imox, Diquat, Ecomazapyr 2 SL, or Glyphosate 5.4 herbicides. Waterways can be particularly sensitive due to fish habitats, livestock hydration, irrigation, swimming, and domestic activities; therefore, it is critical to ensure the product being considered is labeled for aquatic use. Many applicators prefer fall application for systemic herbicides, as energy reserves are moved downward toward the roots at that time which provides better translocation of the product. Perennial vegetation is best treated following full green up in the spring, through the growing season, and up to the first killing frost of the fall.
Alligare’s Imox is a systemic herbicide that moves down into the root system upon contact. This is ideal for cattails as they are often hard to eradicate unless the entire root system is controlled. Because the active ingredient inhibits acetolactase-synthase (ALS), an enzyme found only in plants, there are minimal water use restrictions on treated areas for irrigation and domestic purposes and no livestock watering, swimming, or fishing restrictions. While it can take up to five weeks for complete control, symptoms are visible as quickly as two weeks post treatment. It is advised to leave the cattails in the water upon showing symptoms to ensure the herbicide is traveling through the plant’s rhizomes. Alligare MSO 1 is a recommended surfactant for Imox to assist breaking down the surface tension of the leaf to get the herbicide into the plant.
Alligare’s Diquat is a non-selective contact herbicide. Non-selective herbicides can potentially kill or suppress any plant contacted, raising the potential for non-target injury to nearby vegetation. This solution will quickly kill the parts of the plant it contacts but will not travel through the plant to the rhizomes as Imox would. Rapid burndown, coupled with short activity at the treatment site, may allow for same season replanting. It is recommended to use Alligare’s Trace as a surfactant for Diquat to assist in breaking down the surface tension of the leaf and allow the herbicide into the plant. If an acidifier is needed, Alligare 7 is a trusted partner to Diquat. Diquat should be applied before flowering.
Cattails located in a pond or lake that can use Imazapyr have the option of Alligare’s Ecomazapyr 2 SL treatment. Through foliage and root absorption, this herbicide is rapidly translocated throughout the plant. It is important to note Ecomazapyr 2 SL can occasionally affect non-target or desirable vegetation by root uptake of the herbicide from the treated soil. Injury or loss of non-target vegetation may result if it is applied on or near desirable plants or to areas where roots are extended. Direct application along shorelines to foliage or the soil where desirable plants may be present or rooted should be avoided. Do not apply Ecomazapyr 2 SL to water used for irrigation except as described in APPLICATION TO WATERS FOR IRRIGATION section of the product label. Alligare MSO 1 is a recommended surfactant with Ecomazapyr 2 SL.
Alligare’s Glyphosate 5.4 is non-selective and works best above the water’s surface. While a systemic herbicide, Glyphosate 5.4 is frequently utilized alongside Imox to amplify efficacy where aesthetics are critical. Superior performance is achieved when applications are made during the summer or fall months.
With each of these herbicides, consult the label for use and safety instructions.
Conservation, M. D. of. (2016, August 17). Critter of the week: Cattail. Leader. Retrieved April 25, 2023, from
https://www.news-leader.com/story/sports/outdoors/2016/08/17/critter-week-cattail/88834606/
Lynch Jr., William. Cattail Management. Retrieved April 11, 2023, from
https://woodlandstewards.osu.edu/sites/woodlands/files/imce/0011_0.pdf
Ochterski, Jim (2003, April). Controlling Cattails. Retrieved April 11, 2023, from
Sojda, Richard S and Solberg, Kent L. (1993, January). Management of Cattails. Retrieved April 11, 2023, from
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1032&context=icwdmwfm
Any discussion of herbicides, label language, including application rates, listed use sites, etc. does not constitute a formal pesticide recommendation. For a formal pesticide recommendation, please reach out to an Alligare representative. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW LABEL INSTRUCTIONS
