Cattail

I want to be honest: I'm not getting great results with Cattail and I'm not entirely sure why. root-eating by water lily aphids or china mark moth has been a recurring problem despite my attempts to address it. I've been focusing on removing dying foliage in autumn before it rots and reduces water q…

As a complete beginner I was nervous about starting with Cattail. It turned out to be more forgiving than I expected, as long as I paid attention to removing dying foliage in autumn before it rots and reduces water quality. I grow mine in a half-barrel water garden for a small patio which is workin…

I'd had Cattail for about eight months with acceptable but unremarkable results. Then I started really paying attention to removing dying foliage in autumn before it rots and reduces water quality and the difference over the next two months was dramatic. extraordinary flower forms rising above or f…

After growing Cattail for over a year here is what I'd tell a beginner. First: dividing overcrowded plants every two or three years in spring is not optional — it's the foundation everything else depends on. Second: root-eating by water lily aphids or china mark moth will happen and you should know…

I planted Cattail at entirely the wrong point in the growing calendar and spent the first few months wondering what I'd done wrong. blanketweed algae competing for nutrients in established ponds didn't help matters. Once I understood planting in aquatic baskets with specialist pond compost things im…

My first attempt at Cattail failed — overrunning the pond surface in productive warm summers got hold of it and I didn't know what I was looking at until it was too late. I left it alone for a year before trying again. The second attempt, with proper attention to planting in aquatic baskets with sp…

The first few months with Cattail were underwhelming. Almost no visible growth and I questioned my decision repeatedly. Then something shifted — I think getting removing dying foliage in autumn before it rots and reduces water quality right was the turning point. essential habitat and breeding grou…

I've been growing Cattail for a full year now and want to capture what each season offered. overwintering dormancy in the pond bed was the clear high point — everything you're told about Cattail at that time of year is true. But the plant has something to offer in every season, which I hadn't expect…