Planting bear scat???

[Gloria]

This article has me ready to schedule a hiking/camping trip in bear country this year. I so would like to see what would come up and grow. I like that they intend to plant some of the seedlings in the area where the scat was found. Return to mother nature her own. I must remember that and do likewise if successful. Read this awesome account...


What Happens When You Plant a Pile of Bear Scat? – Cool Green Science

Adding to the excitement is the human labor scat saves. Woody plants, like chokecherry, are hard for people to germinate. Nature is better at it. Park staff tries to mimic natural germination by soaking seeds in acid baths, but it doesn’t work nearly as well as a bear’s stomach.

The scat seedlings, which are twice as tall as any human-grown sprout, are not an official scientific study with volumes of data and hours of research. They’re unofficial and called pocket science. This mini-experiment produced the kind of results that make adding real science motivating.

“I’m getting a lot of questions like, what will come out of deer poop or elk poop? I say, ‘Nothing. They don’t eat berries,’” Stockton says. “It’s opened up a conversation for sure. That’s wonderful. I’m totally into what I’m doing and when I get anybody interested in what I’m doing and they let me talk for five minutes, I’m thrilled.”

Trish Stockton, Rocky Mountain National Park biological science technician, checking on her 1,200 seedlings sprouting this spring in bear scat collected last fall. Photo courtesy of Rocky Mountain National Park

[dapjwy]

Love it!

Thank you for sharing, Gloria.

[katjh]

This is so cool! Thanks for sharing, Gloria

[havalotta]

Actually...... I'm one of the weirdos that have planted a poo or two.
While walking about the forest I run into many variable forms of scat. I sometime take a more close look to see what may have left it.
Sometimes, it's chuck full of crayfish shells (Coon) sometimes seed. Here and there, seeds I have never seen before fill the earthy nuggets.

I once found scat so full of some sort of triangular and glossy seeds it had a high shine. (Possibly from a partridge??)
Soooo that lead me to wondering, What from and in order to find out...... I gathered it up and set it aside for future Planting. BUT......
I either saved it a little bit too long or it needed Winter stratification. Nothing sprouted.

Wiki: In horticulture, stratification is the process of retreating seeds to simulate natural conditions that a seed must endure before germination. Many seed species have an embryonic dormancy phase, and generally will not sprout until this dormancy is broken.

[katjh]

Originally Posted by havalotta

Actually...... I'm one of the weirdos that have planted a poo or two.
While walking about the forest I run into many variable forms of scat. I sometime take a more close look to see what may have left it.
Sometimes, it's chuck full of crayfish shells (Coon) sometimes seed. Here and there, seeds I have never seen before fill the earthy nuggets.

I once found scat so full of some sort of triangular and glossy seeds it had a high shine. (Possibly from a partridge??)
Soooo that lead me to wondering, What from and in order to find out...... I gathered it up and set it aside for future Planting. BUT......
I either saved it a little bit too long or it needed Winter stratification. Nothing sprouted.

I would absolutely try this if I lived in an area where I could find "good" scat. Around here, it's going to be just cat or dog.

[jack]

I'm already in Florida for the winter, but the next time I see raccoon or coyote scat, i'm going to plant it!!!