How to Use Salt to Kill Cattails
- 1). Locate all the cattails in your pond or stream. If you want to kill them, it's important to initially note their appearance so that you'll know if your salt efforts are working.
- 2). Pour table salt or winter/anti-slip salt into the water in your pond or stream to kill the cattails. There's no specific formula on how much salt to add, but if the water isn't running, as is the case with a pond, you won't have to add much. The U.S. Department of the Interior - Fish and Wildlife Service recommends mixing salt with water at a ratio of 10 parts per thousand. This ratio isn't ideal to calculate with precise laboratory tools, so it's best to just add salt to the water and wait to see the reaction.
- 3). Take note of the cattails over the weeks following your salt application. If they appear to yellow or weaken, it's likely that your treatment is working. If they appear the same as they did prior to the salt, add more and continue to monitor them.
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