Juncus (balticus)

Tara Luna USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana 59936 (406) 888-7835 http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/azpmc

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Family Scientific Name:	Juncaceae
Family Common Name:	Rush family
Scientific Name:	Juncus balticus Willd.
Common Name:	Baltic rush
Species Code:	JUNBAL
Ecotype:	Iceberg Lake, Many Glacier valley, Glacier National Park, 2200 m
General Distribution:	Baltic rush is a circumboreal species that is found from Alaska south throughout all Canadian provinces to the western and central United States, and east to the upper Midwestern and northeastern states, south to Virginia and Arkansas and to northern Mexico (FNA 2000).
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	160 ml (7.0 cu.in)
Time To Grow:	10 Months
Target Specifications:	Firm root plug with multiple leaves.
Propagule Collection:	Small dry capsules are tan to brown when mature. Most Juncusspecies ripen in late summer and fall months. Each capsule contains numerous tiny seeds. Tiny seeds are elliptical and often have one or both ends of the seed prolonged into a slender, papery tail (FNA 2000). Seeds are dispersed by wind. Mature capsules containing seeds can be collected by hand stripping the flowering stems in late summer and early fall. Keep seed heads upright when cutting from dense stands so that the tiny seeds do not fall out. Use a hand lens to examine for maturity and seed fill. Filled seed will be slightly swollen in the middle and tan in color, and will often have papery winged tails at one or the other end of the seed. Filled, ripe seeds will shatter or easily shake out of the seed head. Seeds collections can be placed into paper bags.
Propagule Processing:	Store collected material in a dry place until cleaning. Large collections could be cleaned with a hammermill or with a clipper "Office" fanning mill. Small collections can be cleaned using a modified blender (Thomas 2003). There are millions of seeds per kilogram.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Seeds are soaked in water for 1 to 2 days prior to stratification. Seeds produce mucilage when they are imbibed with water. Seeds are stratified by placing them in linen bags buried between layers of moist sphagnum peat moss kept at 2ø C (35ø F) for 100 days. Sowing Methods: Direct Seeding or Transplanting emergents
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Seedlings are grown in a fully automated greenhouse. Seedlings are grown in Sunshine mix #2 with controlled release fertlizer incorporated into the medium.
Establishment Phase:	Seeds require heat, light and high humidity to germinate. Surface sow seeds for the light requirement and lightly sprinkle a very small amount of grit on seeds to hold them in place.
Length of Establishment Phase:	1 month
Active Growth Phase:	Duringactive growth, seedlings need to be kept well watered and are trimmed back and spaced as needed.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	3 months
Hardening Phase:	During mid to late summer, seedlings should be moved to the outdoor nursery to undergo hardening until late fall.
Length of Hardening Phase:	3 months
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Seedlings can be planted in the fall or overwintered in the nursery using Microfoam sheets and planted the following spring.
Length of Storage:	5 months
Other Comments:	Baltic rush spreads vegetatively through a network of long or short, slender rhizomes and forms dense, extensive stands. It can easily be propagated by divisions.
References:	Flora of North America Editorial Committee. 2000. Flora of North America, Vol. 22 Magnoliophyta: Alismatidae, Arecidae, Commelindae (in part), and Zingiberidae. Oxford University Press. Oxford (UK) 352 p. ISBN: 0-19-513729-9 (v.22)

Citation:

Luna, Tara; Dedekam, Sara. 2008. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Juncus balticus Willd. plants 160 ml (7.0 cu.in); USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana. 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.