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The Forest Service National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources (RNGR) is a leading source of technical information for nurseries and land managers regarding production and planting of trees and other native plants for reforestation, restoration, and conservation.

 
NPN Protocol Details Image

Cornus (florida)

Gregory Hoss
Nursery Manager
George O. White State Forest Nursery
PO Box 119
Licking, Missouri 65542-0119
573-674-3229
GIF-native-plants@prodigy.net

Family Scientific Name: Cornaceae
Family Common Name: Dogwood Family
Scientific Name: Cornus florida L.
Common Name: Flowering Dogwood
Species Code: CORFLO
Ecotype: South Central Missouri
General Distribution: Flowering dogwood is found from central Florida northward to southwestern Maine and west through southern Ontario to central Michigan, central Illinois, Missouri, southeastern Kansas, eastern Oklahoma and eastern Texas. It is also is found in the mountains of Nuevo Leon and Veracruz in eastern Mexico. It occurs as an understory species in many eastern deciduous or coniferous forests. Our seed sources are form south central Missouri.
Propagation Goal: plants
Propagation Method: seed
ProductType: Bareroot (field grown)
Stock Type: 1+0
Time To Grow: 1 Years
Target Specifications: Height: 24 in<br> Caliper:0.25<br> Root System: Root system must balance top growth.
Propagule Collection: Seeds are purchased from local people who collect within a 50 mile radius of the nursery. Fruits mature from August to October.
Propagule Processing: Large collections are be cleaned by Dyb-vig, and must be dried thoroughly prior to storage.
There are 9,920 seeds per kilogram (4,500 seeds per pound) (Brinkman, Vankus 2004).
We store our seeds in sealed plastic bags inside sealed plastic tubs in a cooler at 36 F.
Pre-Planting Treatments: Seeds are sown in late September with a Love seeder set at 3rd gear @4. We sow seeds at least .25 inches deep to protect them from deer, rodents and birds. Seeds are covered and irrigated when soils appear to be drying out on warm days. We apply old sawdust and hydromulch after sowing.
Growing Area Preparation/
Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:
Soils: Our field soils are silty clay loams.
The spring before planting, we amend the soils with 700 lbs/acre of 1N:3 P205:5K20, grow a soybean cover crop, and fumigate in the fall. We use Roundup Ready soybeans so we can control weeds by using glycosate herbicide without harming the cover crop. During early August, we disk under the cover crop and disk the soils several times during the next 6 weeks to obtain a smooth soil surface. Soils are fumigated in late September.
Field Bed Preparation: We mark out and form beds as needed. Beds are prepared with a rototiller/seedbed former and are typically 4 to 6 inches high and 4 ft wide. Fields are cultivated for weeds as needed throughout the growing season.
Irrigation: We use overhead irrigation with two inch pvc pipe that can be moved from field to field each year. Our principle water source is from 3 on-site wells and is very good quality water.
Establishment Phase: Seeds require frequent irrigation during fall months for good rates of germination.
Length of Establishment Phase: 1 month after emergence in the spring
Active Growth Phase: Year 1: Fertilization: We apply ammonium sulfate 21-0-0-24 with a mechanical spreader. We put on the first application the last week of May and to only those 1+0 seedlings that have been germinated for at least 5 or 6 weeks. We put down our last application during the last week of July. We apply fertilizer at the rate of 125 lbs/acre. Flowering dogwood is usually fertilized 7 to 8 times during the growing season. We irrigate for at least 45 minutes following all fertilizer applications. This insures that foliage will not burn and incorporates fertilizer into the root zone.
We do not root or top prune flowering dogwood.
Length of Active Growth Phase: 4-5 months
Hardening Phase: Hardening begins during August. No fertilizer is applied after August. Irrigation frequency and duration is shortened and applied only when needed.
Length of Hardening Phase: 3 months
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping: We lift flowering dogwood just prior to shipment in February. We don't hold flowering dogwood in cooler storage prior to shipment because it does not hold well and we have had high rates of mortality in the past.
Length of Storage: 2-3 months
References: Brinkman KA, Vankus V. 2004. The genus Cornus. In: Woody Plant Seed Manual (on-line version) URL: http://wpsm.net/Cornus.pdf

Citation:

Hoss, Gregory. 2005. Propagation protocol for production of Bareroot (field grown) Cornus florida L. plants 1+0; George O. White State Forest Nursery Licking, Missouri. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/07/01). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.