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permaculture - Re: We are one-fish'n cat tails

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: <permed@nor.com.au>
  • To: "permaculture" <permaculture@franklin.oit.unc.edu>, "permaculture" <permaculture@franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: We are one-fish'n cat tails
  • Date: Thu, 2 Nov 00 09:31:12 +1100


>I have a problem with Cat tails clogging up the
>pond in the Guarani indian reservation where I work once a week here in
>Sao Paulo, Brasil. I hear that they are edible, but don't know if the
>Guarani would be into eating them, as they are pretty traditional in their
>ways. Apart from pulling them out by the roots, is there some way that we
>can reclaim the pond to stock some fish???

Cat tails (Typha) like most aquatic plants have a depth limit, thus
bottom attached plants including cattail don't grow in water deeper than
1.5m (5ft). On the edges rushes, sedges and other water plants clean the
water by trapping matter, taking up excess nutrients and heavey metals,
destroying pathogens and parasites, and driving the whole aquatic food
chain. The cattail's doing an important job around the pond (it's a good
spp for wetland waster water treatment). Harvest it for mulch before the
seed heads mature - this also stops the seed from spreading. Deepen (even
enlarge if possible) a section of the pond to over 2m (7 ft) to have some
clearwater surface and encourage control by traditional harvest for food
& fibre.
I have a small filtration pond planted with cattails (we call them
bullrushes) perched up at the inlet to a 3/4 acre dam with a clearwater
bowl 5m (16ft) deep. The rushes have not taken over and we remove the odd
seedling emerging around the big dam - which has excellent water quality
and produces fish, eels and freshwater prawns.

Robyn

Djanbung Gardens Permaculture Education Centre
home to:
Permaculture Education
ERDA Institute Trust
Nimbin Eco-Village Project Office
Robyn Francis - permaculture designer & educator
PO Box 379, Nimbin NSW 2480 Australia
permed@nor.com.au www.earthwise.org.au





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