What happened to cattails??

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There is a pond on our property that always had a lot of cattails. So many that you could hardly fish. Last year & so far this year, none! What would have caused them to die off?? Not upset over it, but wondering if it has affected the fish. Would it be safe to eat the fish now?? When I can catch one. :-( I have never seen cattails just stop growing. They usually keep multiplying. Any ideas??

-- Wendy (weiskids@yahoo.com), April 17, 2002

Answers

Did the pond get deeper? I think that they like shallower ponds.

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), April 17, 2002.

If you have muskrats in the pond they love to eat the tubers the stalks grow from.

-- Paul (pmcm@pcom.net), April 17, 2002.

Muskrats? Yup, any holes in the bank? Sit and watch the pond, any activity? Actually, cattails here means it's time to dredge out the pond. They're pretty, but usually denote stagnant water.

-- Dennis Enyart (westwoodcaprine@yahoo.com), April 18, 2002.

Any medium to tall purple flowering plants around? Up here, purple loosestrife (sp?) has become a big problem and is taking over the habitat of the cattails.

-- Cindy in NY (cjpopeck@worldnet.att.net), April 18, 2002.

You may need to lower the water level during the growing season. Cattails and many other emergent plants need mudflats to germinate. Can you control the water level?

-- Doug in MN (namwen64@juno.com), April 18, 2002.


Wendy;

Here is another possibility: I have noticed that when ponds are very low in the winter the cattails will freeze out if there is as really cold spell.

I am not sure of the reason, but I have always suspected that the roots, or tubers, might be only inches beneath the pond bottom. If the pond is low and the bottom freezes several inches deep it might kill the cattails.

If this is the case in your pond it will have no effect on the fish; they should be perfectly safe to eat. Mac

-- Jimmy S (Macrocarpus@gbronline.com), April 18, 2002.


Wendy, If your concerned about eating the fish, get one of them checked out at whatever your local wildlife office is. Or get the water, and silt tested. If there is no outward signs, of muskrats, of freezing, or of any other natural phenomenon, I would certainly not take lightly the disappearance of a plant as hardy as the cattail. Having enviro-testing done is pricey, but so is health care, after a chemical poisoning, from eating high on the foodchain. What is the past history of your pond system, and property? Where does the pond come from? Is there a possible contaminant that could come downstream? As far as the cattails are concened, they like anything from a puddle of water to a crack, and usually won't grow submerged much deeper than three feet. As far as them being a sign of stagnant water, I wouldn't say that is entirely accurate, although they are likely to sprout in ponds that are stagnating, because of a preference for shallower water. The freezing scenario posted seems quite probable, as do the muskrats, and I seem to recall some people mentioning to me of a certain fish being added to irrigation canals to keep the cattails out. Could your pond have been invaded by other fish? I hope this was helpful.

-- roberto pokachinni (pokachinni@yahoo.com), April 20, 2002.

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