Schizachyrium (scoparium)

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:	Poaceae
Family Common Name:	Grass Family
Scientific Name:	Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash
Common Name:	Little bluestem
Species Code:	SCHSCO
Ecotype:	Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Kentucky, 1150' elevation, Kentucky Portal; Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, 2500' elevation, Skyline Drive.
General Distribution:	Schizachyrium scoparium grows in dry soil, fields, prairies and open woods from New Brunswick and Quebec to Alberta and south to Florida, Texas, and Arizona.
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	Container plugs
Time To Grow:	16 Weeks
Target Specifications:	Height: Kept at 8-10" with cutbacks; multiple stems. Root System: Full, firm plug which leaves no loose soil when pulled full.
Propagule Collection:	Collected in Cumberland Gap National Historical Park by R. Russell on 10/15/91; Shenandoah National Park by J. Englert on 11/5/92 and 11/15/93; National Plant Materials Center by D. Dusty on 11/18-20/96, 11/10/97, and 11/13/98.
Propagule Processing:	Seed Processing: Seeds are harvested from our production field with a combine, and passed through a debearder to remove the hairy pappus from seeds and then through a 2-screen clipper to remove any other chaff or empty seed. Seed storage: In seed bags in NPMC cooler @ 40F, 35% relative humidity. Seeds/Kg: 1,000,000. Germination: 38% average; NPMC has produced between 18 and 40 finished plugs per gram of seed depending on park and seed year.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Seed Treatments: None. Some improvement in germination has been seen with 3-4 weeks of cold stratification @ 40F. Germination is drastically improved by covering seeded plug trays with clear, lightweight plastic and exposing them to full sunlight in the greenhouse. Media is kept continually moist by lifting plastic to mist as needed. Plastic is removed when 50% of target number have germinated.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Propagation Environment: Greenhouse with alternating day/night temperatures (75-80/65-68F) and 12-14 hours of daylight extended with high-pressure sodium lights. Seed Propagation Method: Hand-sown in germination plug trays. Container Type and Volume: Seeds are sown in 392 plug trays; seedlings are transplanted to either 72 plug trays or Ropak multipots depending whether out-planted with a planter or by hand-dibbling. Growing Media: Seeds are sown in Fafard Germinating Mix. Seedlings are transplanted into a 2:1 mix of Sunshine #5:Compro, with 180 day Nutricote Total 18-6-8 SR incorporated @ 20 oz./batch of mix. (Compro is used to prevent chlorosis that occurs in some warm season seedlings grown in soilless media. Substitutes for Compro are being evaluated).
Establishment Phase:	Sowing Date: December, January or February depending on outplanting date. Second sowing is often needed to reach target number. Emergence and Date: With plastic cover and good solar exposure about 50% of target seedling count germinated in 10 days. The balance germinated in about 2 weeks. Without plastic cover 50% germinated in 4-5 weeks; the balance in 7+ weeks. Sowing/Planting Technique: Seeds are hand-sown heavily into 392 plug trays at a rate computed to produce target number of plugs and compensate for very low germination rate. Seeds are lightly covered with germination mix, and watered. The plug trays are covered with clear lightweight plastic (see seed treatment). Establishment Phase: Germination plugs are kept moist. Transplanted to 72 plug flats or Ropak multipots. Avoid over-watering until roots develop. Continually wet media with organic matter attracts fungus gnats and shore flies and encourages algae crusts on soil surface.
Active Growth Phase:	Rapid Growth Phase: Occurs when greenhouse solar levels increas in the spring. Established plugs are cut back periodically to 6-8" to enhance root and stem growth and to manually eliminate insect pests. Plugs are fertilized as needed (every 1-2 weeks) with Technigro 16-17-17 Plus, @100 ppm.
Hardening Phase:	Hardening Phase: 2-3 weeks prior to out-planting, fertilization is stopped, water is decreased, and greenhouse temperatures are reduced or plugs are moved outdoors.
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Harvest Date: Plugs are ready for out-planting about 14-16 weeks after seedlings germinate. Second sowings often result in staggered maturation of plugs. Storage Conditions: N/A.
Length of Storage:	<b>Storage Duration: </b>N/A.
Other Comments:	The main barrier to production has been the low germination of the seed. At 5%, huge numbers of seed are required to produce the target of 2- 4,000 plugs. Since germination seems to vary depending on greenhouse climate, estimation can be difficult.
References:	Manual of Vascular Plants, Gleason and Cronquist, D. Van Nostrand Co., 1963.

Citation:

Kujawski, Jennifer L.; Davis, Kathy M.. 2001. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash plants Container plugs; USDA NRCS - Norman A. Berg National Plant Materials Center Beltsville, Maryland. 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.