This year I’ll be adding cat tails and yarrow to the wilderness area around by pond. For those you who aren’t playing the home game, I dug a large, deep pond last year in a very swampy area of my property. The land was wet all year around and exploring it has cost me more than one shoe that got stuck in the mud and couldn’t be freed.
This was moderately successful, the area surrounding the pond is still always muddy but far less so but it also drained and solidified some of the muddy land that was farther away from the pond. The pond’s also given me a little “nature habitat” that isn’t just a muddy swamp full of mosquitos and dragon flies.
So why am I planting cat tails and yarrow?
The cat tails being planted for three main reasons – they’re cool looking, they have a lot of survival uses and they’ll also absorb any stray agricultural runoff and keep the pond water healthy. The cat tails will be planted on the very edge of the pond where it’s moist all year around. Cat tails love that kind of thing.
Yarrow, on the other hand, I’ll plant further away where the soil is a little more solid and a little less mud. I’m planting Yarrow entirely for it’s medicinal purposes. It’s an incredibly useful and hardy perennial plant that I can use for a number of herbal remedies.
I’m also restocking the pond with fish – more on that in the future.
All about Cat Tails
Cat tails are just plain cool looking. I’ve loved them ever since I saw their spooky animated from in the Legend of Sleepy Hollow cartoon movie from Disney.
More important than looking cool, cat tails also absorb phosphorus, nitrogen and some other chemicals from bodies of water. This an especially useful trait when you live in a farm town. The cat tails should help keep the pond water healthy and free of Ag run-off. This, in turn, will prevent the fish from dying and prevent algae blooms.
Cat tails are also edible from root to seed pod (the big brown part at the top). The pods taste like nuts, the stems are starchy and the roots can be cooked like a potato or ground into flower. I don’t anticipate myself needing to ever actually eat a cat tail to survive but it makes for a fun party trick that will shock and impress my city friends.
Cat tails are also great for weaving and making baskets. I’m kind of into basket weaving so harvesting something I make baskets with is kind of cool.
Cat tails also create great habitats for small fish and fish eggs as well as shelters that attract mammals and birds in the winter (like delicious deer and turkey).
Cat tails are notorious spreaders. They can spread through seeds and through their root network – their root network can produce its own offspring. To control them you either need to use herbicides (Diquat or Glyphosate) or mechanically destroy their root network. Since this is a pond environment I’ll obviously avoid using herbicides. I’m also not too concerned about this since I mow around the edges of the pond regularly so if they do spread it won’t be noticable.
All about Yarrow
Yarrow is a plant I first learned about while playing Red Dead Redemption 2. I guess there’s probably a worse way to learn about the world…but not many worse ways. Yarrow’s a perennial flowering plant that grows between 3 and 4 feet tall. It’s incredibly useful in herbal medicine and since that’s something I’m currently learning about and experimenting with, it makes sense to plant some of this wonder plant.
Yarrow’s robust and hardy and can handle both full sunlight and shade so, much like cat tails, it doesn’t require a lot of care which is great since I want it to grow wild and not need attention like a vegetable garden does…if I have to build one more raised garden bed my back will snap in half.
It grows best in well-drained soil though so I’ll be planting it in the regular soil of the pond area and not the muddy mess. I’ve started the seeds inside and expect them to germinate in about 20 days. Then I’ll plant them in about 6 weeks which puts them sometime at the end of April. Frost will kill them.
Medicinal uses of Yarrow
Disclaimer: I’m not an expert, this is not medical advice. They’re just my incomplete notes. Consult a doctor and an expert…I’m not either of those.
- Yarrow may prevent or slow blood clotting properties when eaten.
- Yarrow may have diuretic properties when eaten.
- Yarrow has been used to treat fevers
- Yarrow has been used to treat hay fever
- Yarrow has been used to help start menstruation
- Yarrow has been used to treat dysentery & diarrhea & GI discomfort
- Chewing fresh leaves may relieve toothache
- Yarrow can be applied to the skin to help stop bleeding from hemorrhoids and wounds
- A sitz bath may help cramping in women
- May also help with bloating and gas
- Yarrow can also be used as an astringent