Hamamelis (virginiana)

John M. Englert USDA NRCS - Norman A. Berg National Plant Materials Center Bldg. 509, BARC - East, E. Beaver Dam Road Beltsville, Maryland 20705 (301) 504-8175 (301) 504-8741 (fax) john.englert@wdc.usda.gov http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/mdpmc/

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Family Scientific Name:	Hamamelidaceae
Family Common Name:	witch-hazel family
Scientific Name:	Hamamelis virginiana L.
Common Name:	witchhazel
Species Code:	HAMVIR
Ecotype:	Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Shenandoah National Park, George Washington Memorial Parkway
General Distribution:	General Distribution:Moist woods; Quebec and Nova Scotia to northern Michigan and Minnesota, south to Florida and Texas. (Gleason and Cronquist, 1991)
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Bareroot (field grown)
Stock Type:	bareroot seedlings and specimen plants in 2 or 3-gallon containers
Time To Grow:	0
Target Specifications:	Seedlings are harvested after growing for two years in outdoor nursery beds. Most go out to the park bareroot in early spring following harvest. In late spring, some bareroot seedlings are potted up as specimens into « or 1-gallon containers. They are moved to a shade house where they are grown to 1, 2 or 3-gallon size as specified by the park. It takes an additional 3-4 years for roots to fill a 3-gallon container.<br><br> Bareroot seedlings should have a well-developed root system. Long roots are pruned as needed at harvest.<br>Containerized plants should have a fibrous, firm root system that fills the pot. NPMC containers are treated with Spin Out, a copper hydroxide product that promotes development of fibrous root systems and inhibits root girdling.<br> Height: Two-year bareroot seedlings are 12-24 inches. Plants in 3-gallon containers are up to 84".
Propagule Collection:	Fruits were collected in the three parks in autumn before they split open, from September 8 to October 26.
Propagule Processing:	Cleaning: Fruits are dried in a paper bag. As they dry out, they open, allowing seeds to be easily hand-separated or screened from fruit. Storage: if seeds are not sown the season of collection, they are stored dry in paper bags or in large cloth bags (depending on amount of seed) in a seed cooler at 40F, 35% relative humidity Purity is estimated at 98% after cleaning; germination has ranged from 7% to 33%, depending on park, year and seed lot. Seeds per kg/LB: variable but around 22,200
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Seeds have both seed coat and embryo dormancy. (Brinkman, 1974) Alternating periods of warm and cold stratification may be needed for optimal germination. (Dirr, 1987) Seeds are sown outdoors in woody nursery beds soon after collection and cleaning to allow natural stratification to occur.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Propagation environment: bareroot seedlings are grown in outdoor woody nursery beds; container specimens are grown to finished size in a shade house. Sowing date: early November Sowing/planting technique: Seeds are dusted with fungicide and hand-sown into rows. (Rows are 5-6 inches apart and seeds are sown less than 1 inch apart within each row). Endomycorrhizae are sprinkled over the seed and the row is covered with about _ inch of soil. The beds are then mulched with aged sawdust, which is scraped back in the spring before seedling emergence.
Establishment Phase:	Seedlings generally emerge during the spring following fall sowing. Newly emerged seedlings are monitored closely for irrigation needs. Young seedlings are shaded as soon as they emerge with 30% poly screening. Shade cloth remains over seedlings until mid-August.
Active Growth Phase:	Outdoor woody nursery: Because NPMC soil is a nutrient poor, sandy loam, seedlings in the outdoor nursery beds are fertilized once weekly from mid-April through early June with a granular 10-10-10. From mid-June through late July, the 10-10-10 is alternated with a granular urea. Fertilization from late July through late August is bi-weekly with 10-10-10. Overhead irrigation is used after each fertilization. The rate of water applied is determined by soil moisture prior to irrigation. Container nursery: Containerized seedlings are held in a shade house during the growing season and bumped up in successive seasons until reaching outplanting size of 2 or 3 gallons. Plant roots usually need a season or more after each bump up for roots to fill the containers. NPMC uses a customized woody mix (3.8 cu. ft. bale Sunshine #1, 4 cu. ft. pine bark mulch, 4 cups 180 day controlled release Nutricote 18-6-8 with micros and about 4 cups of endomycorrhizae per batch). Daily overhead irrigation is adjusted depending on natural precipitation. 2 and 3-gallon containers are moved to drip irrigation in full sun. If additional nutrients are needed, containers may be top-dressed with controlled release Nutricote at manufacturer-recommended rates.
Hardening Phase:	Outdoor woody nursery beds: During mid- to late summer, fertilization is cut back to twice monthly. Beginning in September, irrigation is only used in a severe droughty situation. <br>Container nursery: frequency and duration of irrigation is reduced as plants go dormant, depending on natural rainfall.
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Bareroot: Dormant bareroot plants are harvested in early to mid-December. A bareroot seedling harvester is used to lift plants in the woody bed. Seedlings are then hand-sorted by size and tied in manageable bundles. Roots are pruned as needed and kept moist until packing. Bundles are packed in plastic bins with drainage holes and roots are covered with moist sawdust. Bins are held in cold storage at 40F and watered as needed. Containers: dormant containerized stock is overwintered outdoors under a microfoam-insulating blanket. After leaves have fallen, the clean, well-watered containers are overlapped on their sides on weed barrier fabric and covered with microfoam. Rodenticide baits are placed at intervals under the blanket to discourage gnawing rodents. The microfoam is then secured.
Length of Storage:	3-5 months
References:	Brinkman, Kenneth A.1974. Hamamelis In: Seeds of Woody Plants in the United States. Forest Service, USDA. Agricultural Handbook 450. Washington, DC. 443-444. Brown, Russell G. and Melvin L. Brown. 1992. Woody Plants of Maryland. Port City Press, Baltimore, MD> Dirr, Michael A. and Charles W. Heuser, Jr. 1987. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Varsity Press, Inc., Athens GA. Gleason, Henry A. and Arthur Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. 2nd. Edition. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY. USDA-NRCS National Plant Materials Center. Woody bed and container nursery plant records. Unpublished.

Citation:

Davis, Kathy; King, Brandy; Kujawski, Jennifer. 2002. Propagation protocol for production of Bareroot (field grown) Hamamelis virginiana L. plants bareroot seedlings and specimen plants in 2 or 3-gallon containers; USDA NRCS - Norman A. Berg National Plant Materials Center Beltsville, Maryland. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/07/03). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.