Habitat 2000 / Learning About Wildlife

	jump to other activities... Restore a Ribbon of Life Half-barrel Pond Grow Seedlings of Hope Build an Amphibian Pond Curb Aquatic Exotics Accomodate Colonial Birds Restore an Aquatic Plant Community Work Wonders for Wetlands Keep Loons Afloat Lend Wings to Ospreys Prevent Pollution Protect Prairie Potholes and Streams Provide Toad Abodes Relieve the Underwater Housing Crisis Adopt an Urban Waterfront Keep the Waterfowl Comeback on Track
Restore an Aquatic Plant Community

Grow native aquatic plants by sowing seeds or transplanting vegetation from a donor site. For a list of suitable species, see Aquatic Plants.

Plant from seed

1. In late summer or early autumn, collect ripe seeds and flowers from many plants over a large area, taking no more than 10 per cent of a crop.

1. Dry flowers for a day or two by spreading them out on newspapers. Then separate seeds from floral parts.
2. Place cleaned seeds in sealable containers that will keep them moist. Store in a refrigerator at about 3 C for several months.
3. Choose a planting location with soil and water conditions similar to those of the harvest site.
4. In early summer, after water levels have fallen, sow seeds onto the soil of a littoral zone. Cover cat-tail, arrowhead, sedge, blue flag, swamp milkweed, and water plantain seeds with a thin layer of soil. Bulrush, alder, and water willow seeds need only be sown on the surface.

Transplant

1. Collect small portions of common plants from sites with conditions similar to your own.
2. Use a shovel to remove plants in clumps with a few stems and soil surrounding their roots. Do not uproot entire bunches.
3. Keep plants damp in a bucket and transplant them to the new site as soon as possible.
4. Dig holes with a shovel or by pounding a stake into sediment.
5. Push roots about 5 cm below the surface, firmly packing soil around them
6. Roots must be securely anchored. If necessary, hold each clump down with a forked dead branch.