"June Hughes" wrote in message
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In message , K
writes
Janet Baraclough writes
The message
from "bull durham" contains these words:

Please , how best to establish watercress in a clean non-polluted
stream .
This is a shallow stream over gravel or small rock and I would like to
establish watercress right at the source . Will probably be slightly
acid as
it comes off a peat moor - is this a disadvantage . Can I get seed ,
or will
it need a bunch of rooted stuff , and if so , from where ?

Er, your nearest supermarket? Stand a bunch in water and it will root
in days.
I haven't seen it growing in peaty water, only in chalk streams. But
cress is so cheap why not try? I should think you could treat it
exactly like a pond plant, plant it in a pond-plant container and
submerge it gradually. You may need to use stones to anchore the pot.

Agree supermarket.
In a pond I've always just chucked it in. It's one of the ways to
reduce algae by reducing the nutrient level - chuck in a handful of
watercress at the beginning of summer, and harvest by the armful though
the rest of the season.
In a stream it might be advisable to weight it down to stop it drifting
away. Tie a bit of string around the bunch and tie a large stone to the
other end.

It doesn't need to have chalky soil - it grows around here with no
problem, and we're neutral to acid.
I hadn't thought of putting watercress in our pond. I shall give it a
go. Presumably it will work in a koi pond with a water filter and
ultra-violet lamp?

I've grown watercress in my pond to try to reduce the nutrient level, but I
wouldn't eat it from that source - it goes straight into the compost.