In principle, it is possible to grow some aquatic plants from seeds. In the following article you will learn how seed propagation works in detail.
Most aquatic plants form their seeds in autumn
Propagation by seeds - instructions
- Collect the ripe seeds from the ripe infructescence in late summer or fall.
- Keep seeds moist and cool until sowing. Attention: If you do not take this into account, the seeds will dry out and then need much more time to germinate. You should also note that you must store the seeds in a cool and dry place if you plan to sow them next spring. Otherwise they will grow mold and are then no longer usable.
- Use a plate as a germination dish. Line this with cellulose and moisten the whole thing with a spray bottle. Then spread the seeds evenly over the pulp. Finally, cover your work with a transparent film.
- Prick out the seedlings as soon as they appear. Then put them in a flat plastic box with potting soil and put this container in a slightly larger bowl. Fill the latter with water - enough so that the soil with the seedlings is about three centimeters under water.
- Transplant the young plants into individual pots as soon as they outgrow the water surface. Place these potties in a glass or plastic aquarium filled with water.
- From April you can move the aquatic plants to the garden pond.
Possible alternatives to seed propagation
As you can see from the instructions, it takes a relatively large amount of effort to grow aquatic plants from seeds. Fortunately, there are also much easier ways to propagate aquatic plants. We are talking about vegetative methods (e.g. propagation by cuttings).
Important: Not all aquatic plants produce fruit and, as a result, seeds under local climate conditions. This means that with these plants you cannot avoid choosing a vegetative variant if you want to grow them.