I. Purposes
A. To promote the keeping and propagation of a wide variety of aquatic plant species.
B. To recognize outstanding achievement in the propagation of aquatic plant species.
C. To encourage research into the propagation of the more difficult species.
D. To make accounts of successful propagation techniques available to society members.
II. Function and Authority of ECAAC Committee:
A. The committee shall oversee and enforce all rules and regulations governing the Horticultural Award Program (HAP). Among these are verifying and awarding points to qualifying members, keeping proper records of points and awards, making proper awards to qualifying members and reviewing the rules and regulations for possible improvements.
III. The Program:
A. The program is made up of six levels of achievement. The levels and requirements are as follows:
Novice – five qualified propagations
Horticulturist – fifteen qualified propagations
Intermediate – twenty-five qualified propagations
Advanced – forty qualified propagations
Master – sixty qualified propagations
Grand Master – one hundred qualified propagations
B. Attainment of any level will be recognized at the next general meeting after official verification.
C. Uncommonly propagated species may be considered by the HAP for special recognition.
D. Award levels for speciality propagation (i.e. Aponogeton, Echinodorus, Cryptocoryne, Hygrophila, etc.) will be determined by the HAP committee as required.
E. Participants achieving the level of Grand Master will be awarded a Lifetime membership in the ECAAC.
III. Requirements:
A. Plants reproduced must conform with the following definition of an aquatic plant: an aquatic plant is one that, in the wild or native site, can be found in the submerged state as a normal occurrence at some time during the course of any calendar year.
B. Plants submitted for verification must be identified by the individual participant and confirmed by the ECAAC committee. If correct identification cannot be made the species in question may be assigned a code number for recording purposes until identification can be made.
C. Propagation must occur in the member’s own tanks or facilities as defined below:
1. Floating plants – doubling the original amount.
2. Stem plants – doubling of the original amount to be determined by a root count of growing stems.
3. Reproduction by runner or division – one healthy plant capable of living independently from the parent plant while the parent plant is still alive and in good health. Bunch plants are not part of this classification.
4. Sexual Reproduction – one plant reproduced from seed produced from the aquarist’s own parent plant.
D. Proof of propagation is defined as one portion, bunch, or plant, from the submitted propagation verified and donated to the regular monthly meeting auction.
E. Propagation points will be awarded after proof of propagation and submission of a completed HAP report form. Points will only be awarded once for any individual defined species. No additional points will be awarded for multiple modes of reproduction, flowering, or colour varieties.