Cattail Control: How To Get Rid of Cattail

Cattails are a common aquatic weed known for its distinctive appearance which makes it stand out: a long cigar-shaped brown flower spike. This emergent weed sticks up prominently out of the water and can be an eyesore on water bodies.

When the conditions are favorable, Cattails can grow and spread quickly via its root system. They will easily outcompete any other plant for resources. Cattails are not all bad, though, as they do provide some benefit to the ecosystem. They provide an excellent habitat for wildlife wherever they are growing. The problem arises when the plant gets to the point where their thick stands can overtake your pond and ruin the aesthetics as well as interfere with recreation. That’s when action needs to be taken.

If you have Cattails invading your pond, lake or other body of water, this DIY guide will help you get rid of the infestation through the use of our professional quality aquatic herbicides.

Identification

Make sure that you are certainly dealing with Cattail by properly identifying it. Misidentification can lead to using the wrong treatment methods which only wastes your time and money. Below we have shared some identifying traits of Cattail:

• Cattails are often confused with other weeds like bulrush. To be absolutely sure, Cattail can be most easily identified by their flat to slightly rounded leaves that twist slightly over their length. Stands of cattail can grow quite tall, reaching between 5 to 10 feet in height.
• Cattail flowers are dark brown, and are shaped like a cigar or a plump hot dog at the end of spikes.
• Cattails spread quickly because their seeds blow in the wind and float on the water's surface.
• Cattails also spread from underground rhizomes.

Use our description and image to help you identify whether the plant you are dealing with is Cattail. If you need some assistance, contact us and we will help you correctly ID the plant and offer control recommendations.

Inspection

After you have confirmed that you are dealing with Cattails, we recommend conducting a thorough inspection and survey of the body of water where the Cattail is growing. This will help you to determine how much product you will need and where to focus your treatment.

Where To Inspect

It must be taken into consideration how the lake or pond is used, the size of the lake and the aquatic life that inhabits the water as well as the wildlife that frequents the water.

Asking yourself these questions will help you to determine what the best aquatic herbicide should be used for your particular situation and how to approach treatment so there is no harm done to the habitat and the aquatic wildlife.

What to look for

If you have Cattails, they won't be hard to find. Look for the fuzzy brown "cattail" near the top of the stalk. Leaves are long, flat, and about 1-inch wide.

Treatment

When approaching Cattail control, there are several options that you can try to eliminate their invasion but few are very effective. Mechanical control by using a backhoe can work but depending on how much cattail plants you have to cut down it could be quite a heavy chore. We wouldn’t recommend physical removal by hand.

The best option is to use aquatic herbicides. These work very effectively and are good for when you do not have the energy or time to remove weeds through the more labor-intensive means of control.

Our top recommendation to treat Cattail is Ecomazapyr 2 SL Herbicide, which cannot use to treat cattail in water, but can be used on grassy areas. 

Step 1 - Prepare and Mix the Ecomazapyr 2 SL Herbicide

Before mixing and application, determine how much Ecomazapyr 2 SL Herbicide you will need based on the square footage of the treatment area. To do this, measure the length and width of the treatment area in feet then multiply (length X width = square footage). For acreage, take the square footage and divide it by one acre (square footage / 43,560 sq. ft. = acre).

According to the label, Ecomazapyr 2 SL Herbicide should be mixed at a rate of 4 to 6 pints of product per acre. 

Step 2 - Apply Ecomazapyr 2 SL Herbicide to target Cattail

Once the product is well-mixed. Spray the mixed solution over along the shoreline but not in the water. Use a fan spray nozzle to ensure an even coating on the top and bottom of the weed leaves.

Timing is important when treating cattail as it is recommended to spray them between late July and first frost when the plant is actively growing.

Step 3 - Follow Up Applications

Reapplication may be necessary 14 days after the initial application is complete. Cattail can be a stubborn weed to remove so monitoring your treatment area is key and repeated application is crucial to get complete control.

Prevention

To keep Cattail from returning on your pond, we recommend applying Vision Pond Dye. Vision Pond Dye hinders plant development by blocking sunlight into the water and also gives your pond a clean blue color.

Measure the appropriate amount of Vision Pond Dye into a bucket based on your pond area measurement findings. The label recommends applying at a rate of 1 quart per 1 surface acre of water at a 5-foot average depth. 

Pour the pond dye over the edge directly into the body of water and the water's natural movement will disperse the dye.

Key Takeaways

What are Cattails?

• Cattails are of the most common weeds that are problematic on bodies of water like ponds, lakes, or marshes.
• Cattail is characterized by a unique spongy brown flowering spike with leaves resembling a sword and flower-heads which look like medium brown hotdogs.
• Cattails are very aggressive plants in that they spread thickly and rapidly. Under the right conditions and left unchecked, they can grow into a network of tightly wound, impenetrable strands that can quickly take over the open water.

How To Get Rid of Cattails

• Ecomazapyr 2 SL Herbicide is our go-to recommendation to treat Cattails. 

Preventing Cattail Reinfestation

• Apply Vision Pond Dye after the cattail has been treated to discourage it from regrowing. Pour the dye into your waterbody and allow it to disperse throughout the water.