Originally Posted by ChasnSac
We avoid any chemicals and removed limited growth by pulling the plants out by hand. It was a lot of (wet) work, but it dit the best job for 2+ years. Some plants have returned, but those are good cover for the waterfowl that inevitably arrive. I wonder if removing the seed pods will limit the growth? We also were told that if you cut off the plants below the waterline, they will not proliferate, but that theory is untested. My two cents.

The cattail spreads by 2 means, seeds and tubers with tubers being the most aggressive and hard to kill once the rhizome starts to store carbohydrates it becomes "smart" in that it senses some chemicals and can close off enough to stop the chemical from being delivered in the day growth/night draw period. This is where surfactant really shines as it allows flow through the veins the plant can't keep out.