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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

Lotus (crassifolius)

Lee Riley
Horticulturist
USDA FS - Dorena Genetic Resource Center
34963 Shoreview Road
Cottage Grove, Oregon 97424
541-915-7324
541-767-5709 (fax)
leriley@fs.fed.us
Family Scientific Name: Fabaceae
Family Common Name: Pea
Scientific Name: Lotus crassifolius
Common Name: Big deervetch
Species Code: LOCR
Ecotype: Umpqua National Forest, Oregon; Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, Oregon
General Distribution: Its native range includes southwestern Washington, western Oregon, California and Baja California, Mexico at elevations up to 8000 feet.
Propagation Goal: Plants
Propagation Method: Seed
ProductType: Container (plug)
Stock Type: 262 ml (16 in3) container
Time To Grow: 16 weeks
Target Specifications: Stock Type: Container seedling Root System: Firm plug in container.
Propagule Collection: Hand collected into paper bag
Pre-Planting Treatments: Deervetch seeds require scarification prior to stratification. There are two effective methods to accomplish this. Seeds can be placed in fine mesh bags, soaked for 10 seconds in water at 95 °C and then immediately placed in cold water. Alternatively, seeds can be placed in a sandpaper-lined scarifier (Trent and others 2005) and scarified for 3 hours. Seeds are then placed into a 1% hydrogen peroxide (3:1 water/3% hydrogen peroxide) soak for 24 hours, rinsed, and placed in water for an additional 24 hours.
Mesh bags are placed in a sealed container. The containers are placed in refrigeration at 1 to 3 °C for 90 days. It is very important to check seeds weekly. If mold is evident, seeds should be treated with 1% hydrogen peroxide.
Growing Area Preparation/
Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:		 Greenhouse growing facility.
Seeds are directly sown into containers. Seeds are lightly covered with nursery grit.
Growing medium used is 40:20:20:20 peat:composted fir bark:perlite:pumice with Nutricote controlled release fertilizer (18N:6P2O5:8K2O with minors; 180-d release rate at 21C) at the rate of 1.5 gram Nutricote per 262 ml container.
Seedlings remain in the greenhouse for 16 weeks, and are then moved to an outdoor growing area to induce dormancy.
Establishment Phase: Germination is moderate to high, depending on seed quality. It is usually complete in 2 to 3 weeks. Following germination, plants are fertilized with soluble 12-2-14-6Ca-3Mg at 100 ppm for 2 weeks.
Length of Establishment Phase: 2 to 3 weeks
Active Growth Phase: Seedlings grow rapidly throughout the active growth phase. During the growing season, fertilization depends on weather. Soluble 20-9-20 NPK, 20-18-18 NPK, or 17-5-24 NPK at a range of 100 to 150 ppm is applied weekly throughout the growing season.
Length of Active Growth Phase: 14 weeks
Hardening Phase: No dry-down is done to induce dormancy. Seedlings are moved to an outdoor growing area in mid-September.
Length of Hardening Phase: 2 to 3 weeks
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping: Harvest Date: Mid to late October
Storage Conditions: Seedlings are usually outplanted in fall to early winter. No storage except in outdoor growing area. Plants are well irrigated prior to shipping and shipped in containers.
Other Comments: Big deervetch is an early colonizer of disturbed areas. Because it is a rhizomatous legume, it stabilizes soil while adding essential nitrogen and organic carbon to these depleted soils. Plants often volunteer on bare road cuts. Deervetch can be direct-seeded or established from root cuttings onto disturbed sites such as old roadbeds, road cuts, clear-cuts, fire-damaged land, stream banks and pastures for erosion control cover and critical area plantings.
References: Dorena Genetic Resource Center Propagation Records, unpublished.

[NRCS] USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Lotus crassifolius (Benth.) Greene big deervetch. URL: https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=LOCR
(accessed 8 Oct 2018).

Trent A, Kuhn T, Burr KE. 2005. Improved whitebark pine seed scarifier. 0524 2331. Missoula (MT): USDA Forest Service, Missoula Technology and Development Center. 6 p. URL: https://www.fs.fed.us/t-d/php/library_card.php?p_num=0524%202331 (accessed 8 Oct 2018).

Young-Mathews A, Darris D. 2011. Plant fact sheet for big deervetch (Lotus crassifolius). Corvallis (OR): USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Plant Material Center. URL: https://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_locr.pdf (accessed 8 Oct 2018).

Citation:

Riley, Lee E.; Klocke, Allison. 2018. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Lotus crassifolius Plants 262 ml (16 in3) container; USDA FS - Dorena Genetic Resource Center Cottage Grove, Oregon. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/07/02). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.