Seed balls are made up of finely ground clay and seeds. Compost may also be added to increase fertility. Another possible inclusion is diatomaceous earth to deter ants from carrying away the seeds.
Glenda Pitman, with help from Juanita and other GMA members has laboriously collected seeds from within the Koala corridor. Glenda and Juanita have also collected clay from the site and ground it finely. A mix of fast (eg wattles) and slow growing species are included in the seed ball.
Seed balls may well be a good way to speed up revegetation of eroded river banks. It's probably a tougher job for the seed balls to do their thing in a recovering riparian zone in amongst existing vegetation - in our subtropical climate grasses (particularly introduced pasture grasses) grow like crazy during the wet season and can sometimes cover any bare ground especially where considerable light is getting through. Some groundcover is better than none, though the ideal would be native grasses and forbs. The rapid growing grasses make it harder for natural regeneration to happen because the seedlings have to compete with the grass. Careful management of grazing can help shift the balance toward natural regeneration.
Love Mary day will include a workshop to make the seed balls. This will be a great activity for kids and their parents to do together. Big kids also very welcome!
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| Individual piles of seeds from several species in the corridor ready to be made into more than a dozen seed balls - and yes the tiny specks are seed - from a eucalpyt! |
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| Glenda explaining how to make a seed ball |
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| The end product - these are left to dry, ready to be thrown or dropped into the riparian zone or bank |
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