My experience with cattails is limited to Ohio. As an aquatic applicator we have managed them for some years with very good results with varied means. As far as water depth and soils go 3-4 ft seem to be the max and 1 ft of water common and spreading up shore lines several feet is common also.I have them in poor compacted soils and loose rich soils but shallow water always seems to be key. I have had customers try to dig them out with backhoes and skid loaders only to suppress them for a season or so. I find most herbicide failures due to wrong timing or wrong if any surfactant used.Glyposate(roundup) type products often are sprayed prior to full leaf elongation and seed head formation and usually does not kill the below ground portion with this mistiming.Cutting off the above water or ground portion within 4-6 weeks after spraying is also a problem. In the midwest spraying late in the fall with any product and getting a good frost or freeze within 4-5 weeks will also allow new growth next season.Also cats usually have mature plants and young plants growing side by side and is difficult to keep spray off of the young ones and this leads to regrowth later in the season. The window for glyphosate is kind of narrow. Diquat products (Reward, Weedtrine D) can be sprayed anytime you see green tissue but you will have to stay on them as more are usually going to emerge soon. This is our first year with a Habitat label from BASF in Ohio and we have about 3 acres of cats sprayed to observe the longterm effect. We also have Habitat sprayed beside glyphosate in the same pond for regrowth comparison next spring. Varied rates of Habitat(2-3 and 4 pt per acre) and different surfactants (nonionic vs veg oil MSO) are also sprayed to compare.The AI in Habitat for you soybean farmers is very similar to Pursuit and the type of surfactant is critical to the weed target in soy production so will see if it is a factor on cats.We manage some ponds where the owner wants them in certain areas only and I think they are fairly easy to keep contained,key being to stay on top of them with whatever method you use.The biggest failure I have wittnessed is wanting Amurs to have an effect, most know they arent going to be a factor but do see from time to time pond owners overstocking Amurs in hopes they will work on the cat population.Have not had it work to date.Lastly I get calls 3-5 weeks after we have sprayed any product that some cats are turning brown and some of the same visual maturity are not.Some are just tougher than others and may be the difference in which are male and which are female, Im guess'n the females are the tough ones,how bout you. Everyone have a great Thanksgiving and as always "Good Luck" Ted
