Subject: Growing Cattails from Seed

From: [email-masked] (wojcik)
Date: 8 Dec 1994 18:06:57 GMT

I know this seems like a stupid question, what with the acres of
cattails that one finds in every marsh, but I have a variegated version of
cattail that produced two "tails" this year and I'd like to get more of them.
	I pulled one of the tails apart and all I see is fluff. If there are
seeds there, they must be extremely small. Assuming I have seed, how should
I germinate them? Just float them on water? Sow into a pot sitting in water?
Use regular potting soil?
	Any suggestions would be appreciated.

- Al Wojcik
  Ford Motor Co., Dearborn, MI

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From: [email-masked] (John Pedlow)
Date: Fri, 9 Dec 1994 19:02:12 GMT

>>        Any suggestions would be appreciated.
 
i collected cattail fluff in march/april (following a buffalo, ny winter)
and spread it as thinly as possible on the surface of vermiculite, dirt
and sand in a container which was in another container of water (to keep
it constantly wet).  i then sprinkled a few grains of (dry) sand on top
in case the seed required covering.  and then i sprinkled some additional
fluff on top of that (very sparsly) -- in case the seed didn't want to
be covered.  the cottage cheese container with the seed was then placed
6" under "everyday" florescent lights (with pepper and tomato seeds/
seedlings).  i seem to recall it took about a month for grass-like shoots
to appear.  then another month for them to attain any kind of size at all.
i transplanted the entire container into the garden (where i have cattails
growing).  unfortunately this clump of seedlings died during a dry spell
(i forgot to water them).  they were s-l-o-w growing... probably would
have preferred a swampy area in which to develop.  i only did this as a
lark to learn if the fluff would germinate.  it did, so i was happy.
john pedlow   in buffalo, ny        tksjohn at ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu