Wild Rice - Duck Food Advice on flooded marsh pond

Griggs HarbingerBoatworks

Griggs HarbingerBoatworks

New member
Does anyone have advice or experience planting wild rice or other aquatic plants in semi stagnant water? Pictures below show a one acre or so pond on a flooded marsh. Some areas are ankle deep and some muskrat holes teleport you straight to china... there isn't what I would consider real soil or any sand anywhere...

Where do you recommend getting tubers or seeds at? Kester's nursery is the only place I have found somewhat specializing in this.

Also looking for smartweed or millet for a beaver pond - gum swamp edges.

best

Griggs

Best, image0.jpegIMG_3784.jpg
 
Griggs, I'm not far from you in Pasquotank county. If you want bulk seed you can get it from Meherrin. I actually have half a bag in my shop right now from them.
The issue I have had is the muskrats eating the rice before it can do any growing. I've tried direct sowing, having it in mud filled cheese cloth bags, and seed starting and plants the plants and each time the muskrats destroy it.

There might be better options to plant instead of rice, like the smartweed and millet. I feel like @Eric Patterson would have a lot of knowledge in that from the work he has done and hopefully will chime in to help.

Are you able to regulate the water at all?
 
Ben & Griggs

All my experience is with terrestrial plants and seasonal flooding, millet, corn, sorghum, moist soil plants. The only aquatic plant work I've done is spraying to get rid of undesirable invasives. I'm not much help in this situation.
 
benp said:
Griggs, I'm not far from you in Pasquotank county. If you want bulk seed you can get it from Meherrin. I actually have half a bag in my shop right now from them.
The issue I have had is the muskrats eating the rice before it can do any growing. I've tried direct sowing, having it in mud filled cheese cloth bags, and seed starting and plants the plants and each time the muskrats destroy it.

There might be better options to plant instead of rice, like the smartweed and millet. I feel like @Eric Patterson would have a lot of knowledge in that from the work he has done and hopefully will chime in to help.

Are you able to regulate the water at all?
Click to expand...


I don't really have any way of regulating the water for the marsh...

I'll give meherrin a call. Looks like they are in elizabeth city.
 
benp said:
Yeah they are near the coast guard base. Actually just drove past them this morning on the way to work.
Click to expand...
I think it would be well served if you would get some wigeon grass established. I think ducks like it even more than rice. And it will continually replenish itself annually.
 
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