Zizania palustris
WILD RICE
Fall $6.25 /lb Spring $6.95 /lb
Prices are for wild rice seed picked up at our warehouse. For wild rice prices shipped throughout the country click here.
TYPE:
Annual grass
HEIGHT:
5 to 8 feet
HABITAT:
Ponds, lakes and streams
WETLAND STATUS:
OBL
SEEDING RATE:
50 - 100 lbs per acre
There is nothing that attracts waterfowl as well as wild rice! It's is an aquatic grass that grows in water 8-36" deep. It produces more than 2,000 lbs of seed per acre and readily reseeds. It can mature in permanently flooded ponds or seasonal wetlands, provided there is water into July. Grows best with good water control.
*** According to the USDA this species is native to the lower 48 states of the USA.***
Planting Instructions: Use general ground prep method (click here).
For a step-by-step instructional video on how to plant wild rice click here. To learn more about how we got started with wild rice and all of the tips we have learned over the years on how to successfully grow it, read our article Wild Rice, Duck Candy, How to Move a Flyway. For general planting instructions read on below.
Requires 60 days of cold but seed purchased from us has already broken dormancy since we store it in a cold box. Keep in mind, if you don't have cold enough winters (33 to 35 degrees), the new seed will not break dormancy and you will not get a volunteer crop the next year.
FALL PLANTING (August to October)
You can plant your rice seed in a dry prepared seedbed. Harrow the planting area. Spin spread seed on -75+ lbs per acre. (It won't go through a seed drill because of the almost 1" awn.) Apply fertilizer- about 70 units N + 5 units P + 5 units K (about 150 lbs 46-0-0 and 50 lbs 16-16-16) Harrow in, a cultipacker is best, going around and around then crossways. Then roll planted area. There is enough moisture, even when the soil seems dry, to maintain seed viability.
SPRING PLANTING
When you receive your Wild Rice seed it will have a pungent odor. This is normal after being stored in water in a coldbox all winter. It does not mean your seed is bad. Being stored in cold water (33 degrees) for 5 months allows the rice to break dormancy. When you receive it, it is ready to sprout, you can broadcast the seed on the water. It will sink to the bottom. The earlier in the Spring that you plant, the better. If you can work the ground of your rice pond area, follow Fall plant instructions. If not, just broadcast the seed on the water. It will sink to the bottom and sprout when water temp reaches 42 degrees.
TIPS
- If fall planting in water too shallow, the waterfowl can eat your seed. This isn't an issue if seeded in worked ground, harrowed and rolled.
- When the rice has ripened and mostly fallen off into the water you can drain the pond to discourage waterfowl from feeding too early. Refill with shallow water for the season.
- If your pond has a sloping or uneven bottom, you can encourage or discourage feeding using water depth.