Robinia (pseudoacacia)
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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: | Fabaceae | ||
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| Family Common Name: | Pea Family | ||
| Scientific Name: | Robinia pseudoacacia L. | ||
| Common Name: | Black locust | ||
| Species Code: | ROBPSE | ||
| Ecotype: | South Central Missouri | ||
| General Distribution: | Black locust is found throughout the United States; being absent only in Arizona. It inhabits a variety of mixed forests and riparian areas. Our seed sources are from south central Missouri. | ||
| Propagation Goal: | plants | ||
| Propagation Method: | seed | ||
| ProductType: | Bareroot (field grown) | ||
| Stock Type: | 1+0 | ||
| Time To Grow: | 8 Months | ||
| Target Specifications: | Height: 30 in<br> Caliper:0.25 in<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.The dry fruit is a hairy pod about 7.6 cm long (3.0 in) long containing several seeds. Seeds are dark brown and kidney shaped | ||
| Propagule Processing: |
We air dry legumes on stacked, ventilated screens to facilitate seed extraction. We clean seeds with a brush machine followed by a Jesse aspirator to remove fine chaff. There are 59,920 seeds per kilogram (24,000 seeds per pound) (Olson, Karrafalt 2004). Seeds are dried to less than 10% seed moisture content prior to storage. We store our seeds in sealed plastic bags inside sealed plastic tubs in a cooler at 36 F. Seeds can be stored for several years at freezing temperatures without seed viability loss. |
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| Pre-Planting Treatments: |
We scarify seeds with concentrated sulfuric acid 1:1 (v:v) acid to seeds for 45 minutes. After acid treatment, seeds are thoroughly rinsed in water to remove residual acid. We plant seeds in late April using a Love seeder set at 3rd gear at 12 setting in prepared field beds. |
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| 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. |
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| Establishment Phase: | 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. | ||
| Length of Establishment Phase: | 1 month after emergence in 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. Frequency of application depends on the species and how they look that 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. ROOT PRUNING PROCEDURES: Seedlings are root pruned during June. Pruning depth is at least 10 inches for 1+ 0 stock. Irrigate heavily for 2 to 3 days prior to pruning to saturate the root zone. Set pruning blade to slightly wrench seedlings as they are pruned. Check pruning depth frequently and adjust as needed. Irrigate for a minimum of 2 hours following root pruning to settle soil back around roots. This step is critical to eliminate post root pruning mortality. Irrigate field heavily for 2 to 3 days to further settle the soil. TOP PRUNING PROCEDURES: We top prune only to keep seedlings from being damaged by the mechanical lifter. Our clients prefer seedlings that have not been severely shoot pruned. |
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| Length of Active Growth Phase: | 4-5 months | ||
| Hardening Phase: | Hardening begins during August. No fertilizeris applied after August. Irrigation frequency and duration is shortened and applied only when needed. | ||
| Length of Hardening Phase: | 2-3 months | ||
| Harvesting, Storage and Shipping: | Lifting window is from late November to April, depending on species. We try to obtain a large a root mass as possible. We try to lift when the majority of leaves have dropped. Seedlings are hand lifted after the seedling beds have been undercut at an average depth of 10 or 12 inches using a lifter. Lifted nursery stock is immediately stored in cooler until graded and bundled. The majority of species are graded, bundled and shipped during February. | ||
| Length of Storage: | 3 months | ||
| References: | Olson DF Jr., Karrafalt RP. 2004. The genus Robinia. In: Woody Plant Seed Manual (on-line version) URL: http://wpsm.net/Robinia.pdf | ||
Citation:
Hoss, Gregory. 2005. Propagation protocol for production of Bareroot (field grown) Robinia pseudoacacia 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.
