How to Grow Cattails in a Garden

Cattails are tall wetland plants that can grow up to 10 feet in height. Gardeners plant cattails as a way of contributing ornamental interest, establishing a border and creating privacy. It is important that gardeners to grow their cattails in a wet area. These plants need "wet feet" for most of the year to thrive. There are two ways of obtaining cattails: Buying transplants or collecting seeds to grow plants. Transplants are planted right in the ground, while seeds must be cleaned before young cattails are ready to plant.

Shears
Paper bag
Mesh
Spade
Rake
Container
Potting soil
Lamp

Instructions

- 1
  Snip off seed heads or the fluffy end of the cattail with a pair of shears. If you go onto private property, get permission first before removing seed heads. Strip the seed heads with your hands. The flower head contains roughly 250,000 tiny seeds, so there are plenty for a gardener to plant with one seed head.
- 2
  Place seeds in a brown bag to dry out. Wait two to three days or the seeds to dry out.
- 3
  Wash seeds off to remove dust and debris. Place the seeds on wire mesh and rub water over the seeds. Use your hands to pick debris from the seeds.
- 4
  Pick an area next to a body of water to plant cattails. The best time to plant is when the water level is low. Remove any grass or weeds from the area by digging them up. Rake the soil.
- 5
  Broadcast seeds into the planting area. Cover the seeds with 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch of soil. Not all the seeds will germinate because of flooding. However, gardeners have enough seeds from a seed head to grow numerous cattails.

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