Danthonia (spicata)
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Jan Schultz Forest Plant Ecologist USDA FS - Hiawatha National Forest 1030 Wright Street Marquette, Michigan 49855 906.228.8491 906.228.4484 (fax) jschultz@fs.fed.us http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/copmc/ |
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| Family Scientific Name: | Gramineae | ||
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| Family Common Name: | Grass Family | ||
| Scientific Name: | Danthonia spicata L. (R.&S.) | ||
| Common Name: | Poverty oat grass | ||
| Species Code: | DASP2 | ||
| General Distribution: | Sandy or rocky, more or less open ground, including aspen, oak, and pine woodlands on plains or dunes, particularly common on jack pine plains, where it may form a solid carpet after disturbance, occasionally found in marshy or boggy places. Distinct grass with strongly curled lower leaves and a prominent tuft of white hairs on each side of the summit of the sheath. | ||
| Propagation Goal: | plants | ||
| Propagation Method: | seed | ||
| ProductType: | Container (plug) | ||
| Time To Grow: | 0 | ||
| Propagule Collection: | Seed is collected by hand from locally native plants within the eastern central Upper Peninsula. Flowers from June to July. Seed is an achene and is harvested from July to September. Sparce producer of seed. | ||
| Propagule Processing: | Dry seeds for 1-2 weeks in open paper bags or open Rubbermaid-style bins. Seed is not cleaned. Once seeds have dried begin stratification. | ||
| Pre-Planting Treatments: | One month of moist cold stratification is required. Use a Ziploc-style bag or a small Rubbermaid-style container to mix an equal amount of seeds with either perlite or vermiculite. Add a small amount of water. (There should be no visible water within the bag or container). Place in a refrigerator or cold garage (33-42 degrees F) for at least one month. Cold store until planted (up to 3 years). | ||
| Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops: |
Propagation Environment: Greenhouse made of Standard U.V. 3HL Clear 6 mil from (J.R. Johnson's Greenhouse Supply Inc.) Fans run continuously to circulate the air. Vents open during the summer months for cooling. Container Type: Poverty grass grows best in deep cell plug trays; 100 cell (1-1/2" diameter), 18"x12"x6.5" deep. It will grow in nearly all shapes and sizes of containers. Growing Media: Scotts Redi-earth Plug and Seedling Mix. Contains vermiculite, and sphagnum peat moss. Soil is sterile. Add enough water to the soil to saturate. Mix soil with a trowel. Cover the holes in the bottom/sides of the plug tray cells with newspaper, as the soil will fall through. Fill cells with damp soil and press soil down with a spoon. Refill the cell plugs with soil to the top, this time not pressing it down. Thoroughly moisten soil in the plug cells, but do not saturate. Sow the seeds by hand at a rate of about 3 seeds in each cell. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil or gently press the seeds into the dirt. Sow January until late July. High germination percentage and out planting success rate. If seeds do not germinate within 2 months of planting, consider reseeding th plugs with seeds cold moist stratified longer than the time specified. |
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| Establishment Phase: | From Jan. until Aug. the greenhouse thermostat is set at 65 degrees F both day and night. Ambient greenhouse temperatures may reach 100 degrees F during the day in the summer. From Sept. thru Dec. the thermostat is set at 55 degrees F. During this season ambient greenhouse temperatures may reach 75 degrees F during the day. The greenhouse holds plants at all stages of growth so the the temperature setting stays the same for all plants at all stages of growth. Soil is kept consistently damp during germination. Water using a fine mist or light hose setting only. Newly planted trays are placed on the south side of the greenhouse. No artificial light is used. | ||
| Active Growth Phase: | The soil does not need to be consistently moist. Move trays to cooler north greenhouse tables. No fertilizers are used. | ||
| Hardening Phase: | In early-late spring, mature plants can be moved into a cold frame with a cover of material that diffuses sunlight to prevent scorching of the plants. When danger of frost has passed leave plants outside. Water less frequently. | ||
| Harvesting, Storage and Shipping: | In the Upper Peninsula, flats are transplanted into the field from late May to early October. Flats that are not planted in the summer remain in the greenhouse for another season. Plugs may be transplanted if necesary. | ||
| Other Comments: | Grows in many sites and has high potential as a groundcover in many openland scenarios. Germination rate poor. | ||
Citation:
Schultz, Jan; Beyer, Patty; Williams, Julie. 2001. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Danthonia spicata L. (R.&S.) plants USDA FS - Hiawatha National Forest Marquette, Michigan. 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.
