Cattails are part of the natural habitat for wetland ecology. However, cattail infestations may reduce water movement in drainage ditches and reduce oxygenation and microbial activity in lakes and wetlands. Cattails provide an excellent habitat for blackbird nesting in the spring and roosting in the fall during migration.
Blackbirds feed on nearby sunflower in the fall.
Blackbirds have become a major pest for Upper Midwest sunflower growers. Reducing cattail stands located near sunflower fields should reduce losses due to feeding by blackbirds. Cattail control is difficult due to the large rhizome system that enables the plant to reestablish rapidly after top-growth is killed. Several carbohydrate depletion techniques such as mowing, crushing, burning, and discing have been used to control cattail but with limited success. Herbicides provide the most effective control method.