- Plant cattails correctly
- care tips
- Which location is suitable?
- What soil does the plant need?
- When is flowering time?
- Cut cattails properly
- Fertilize cattails properly
- pests
- hibernate
- Breeding cattails
- Which lamp cleaner types are recommended?
- Are cattails under nature protection?
- trivia
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From June to August, they boast mighty, cylindrical flowers surrounded by stiffly upright, lanceolate leaves. At the same time cattails act as natural water filters and ensure clear water in the pond. Those who are familiar with the cultivation of lamp cleaners will enjoy the aquatic plants for many years. The following answers to frequently asked questions explain clearly how to do it.
Cattails are a beautiful choice for bank planting
Table of Contents
Show all- Plant cattails correctly
- care tips
- Which location is suitable?
- What soil does the plant need?
- When is flowering time?
- Cut cattails properly
- Fertilize cattails properly
- pests
- hibernate
- Breeding cattails
- Which lamp cleaner types are recommended?
- Are cattails under nature protection?
- trivia
- Cut out wilted leaves periodically to keep them from floating in the water
- Cut inflorescences for use as dry decoration in summer, well before full bloom
- In the event of deficiency symptoms, administer a special fertilizer for aquatic plants
- Before the first frost, tie the stalks loosely together with sisal
- Division of the root ball in spring
- Separation of rhizome cuttings in order to plant them in the swampy soil at the new location
- Harvest the seeds in autumn to sow the cold germs directly at the edge of the pond
- Broad-leaved bulrush: Majestic lamp cleaner with a height of 200 cm and a width of 100 cm; keeps the water clean
- Narrow-leaved cattail: The more delicate counterpart with a slim silhouette and leaves that are half as narrow; Growth height 150 cm
- Dwarf cattails: Thanks to their graceful stature with a height of 60 cm and a width of 40 cm, they are the ideal species for the small pond
Plant cattails correctly
The planting season of cattails extends from spring to autumn. We recommend using separate plant baskets to prevent the vigorous ornamental plant from conquering your water world. Fill this with a fine silty mixture of humus and sand to insert the rhizome. To keep the substrate from being washed away or dug up by curious fish, spread a thin layer of pebbles over it. Then place the lamp cleaners on the swampy bank up to a water depth of 60 cm.
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care tips
In order to professionally care for lamp cleaners, the care program includes the following measures:
In early spring, cut back cattails to the ground so that the fresh leaves can sprout unhindered.
Which location is suitable?
A cattail feels in good hands on the sunny edge of still or gently flowing water. Half-shade locations are tolerated, but detract from the beauty of the impressive flower heads. Place a broad-leaved or narrow-leaved bulrush on a swampy bank or in 20 to 60 cm of water. The dwarf cattail should not be deeper than 40 cm in the water.
What soil does the plant need?
In order to elicit the best side of a lamp cleaner, it is important to have a balanced combination of soil and water quality. The ornamental plant prefers to spread its mighty rhizomes in nutrient-rich, humus-rich, slightly acidic soil that is bathed in water with a medium to soft degree of hardness.
When is flowering time?
Lampbrush blooms from July to August. After a mild winter, the dwarf cattail unfolds its conspicuous fruit ears in a sunny location as early as June and lasts well into August.
Cut cattails properly
Only cut back a lamp cleaner in early spring to make room for fresh shoots. Throughout the winter, the aquatic plant adorns the otherwise empty pond with its stiffly upright leaves and decorative, brown inflorescences. If you are a hobby gardener and want to while away the lazy winter time with private floristry, you can cut off the distinctive cobs in good time in summer before they fully bloom. Dried in an airy place over a period of 2 weeks, they have become indispensable as part of creative arrangements or magnificent drying arrangements.
Fertilize cattails properly
In view of its considerable urge to spread, a supplementary nutrient supply for lamp cleaners only comes into consideration in exceptional cases. Fertilizer is only applied when symptoms of deficiency become apparent, such as stunted flower spikes or yellowed leaves. Specialist shops have special preparations available in liquid form or as sticks, which you can apply to the affected aquatic plant with pinpoint accuracy.
pests
The starchy, fleshy rhizomes are high on the menu for ravenous voles. Therefore, lay out the plant basket (€11.99) with a close-meshed wire mesh to keep the pests at a distance.
hibernate
While the winter calm settles in the pond, lamp cleaners remain active. Since the aquatic plant thrives both hardy and wintergreen, it makes an important contribution to maintaining gas exchange in the water during the cold season. Therefore, only cut back cattails at the end of winter. In the fall, tie the stems together loosely to keep dried leaves from floating around in the water.
Breeding cattails
Once a cattail has colonized the pond or stream, you can save yourself the financial expense of purchasing more specimens. These methods of propagation are available:
Alternatively, fill a waterproof seed tray with mud soil to plant the seeds 1-2cm deep. Filled with lime-free water up to a height of 1 cm, place the vessel on the partially shaded, warm window sill at 20 degrees Celsius. The seed then receives a cold stimulus for 4-6 weeks on the wintry balcony or in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator, whereby the water must not freeze through. Germination then begins at the warm window seat. The young lamp cleaners are pricked with 2 pairs of leaves. Of course, cattails propagated by seedling take 2 to 3 years before the first cob blossom.
Which lamp cleaner types are recommended?
In order to spice up the private water world with lamp cleaners, the following 3 types are the focus of interest:
All three types not only stage an opulent appearance, but also act as effective water purifiers. As heavy consumers, lamp cleaners filter the nutrients out of the water and deprive annoying algae of their livelihood.
Are cattails under nature protection?
Contrary to popular belief, cattails are not protected. In fact, volunteers from the nature conservation association NABU are working to stop lamp cleaners from spreading. Under the influence of its powerful rhizomes, ponds and lakes are at risk of silting up. Consequently, there is more of a need to protect nature from cattails.
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trivia
Long forgotten is another amazing attribute of cattails. Their massive rhizomes are rich in natural strength. As archaeological finds have shown, people processed the rhizomes into flour more than 30,000 years ago. If one hectare of marshland is planted with lamp cleaner, the yields amount to a whopping 8 tons of flour.