Prunus (virginiana)
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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: | Rosaceae | ||
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| Family Common Name: | Rose Family | ||
| Scientific Name: | Prunus virginiana L. | ||
| Common Name: | Chokecherry | ||
| Species Code: | PRUVIR | ||
| Ecotype: | South Central Missouri | ||
| General Distribution: | Chokecherry is found from Alaska south and east across all the Canadian provinces to Ontario and southwestern Quebec. In the United States, it ranges south into all states except Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. The botanical varieties var. melanocarpa and var. demissa are primarily found in western North America, while var. virginiana is mostly Midwestern to eastern in distribution. Chokecherry is common in lower-elevation coniferous forests. It also occurs in montane chaparral, mountain shrub communities, and the upper limits of treeline in the mountains. Oue seed sources are from south central Missouri. | ||
| Propagation Goal: | plants | ||
| Propagation Method: | seed | ||
| ProductType: | Bareroot (field grown) | ||
| Stock Type: | 1+0 | ||
| Time To Grow: | 1 Years | ||
| Target Specifications: | Height: 24 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 fleshy fruits are red, reddish-purple, or black drupes and are 6 to 12 mm (0.23 to 0.47 on) in diameter. | ||
| Propagule Processing: |
Large collections are cleaned by a Dyb-vig. There are 1,315 to 3,810 seeds per kilogram (3,010 to 8,400 seeds per pound). Seeds remain viable for at least 4 to 6 years under cool dry storage conditions (Grisez, Barbour, Karrfalt 2004). |
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| Pre-Planting Treatments: | We fall sow seeds in late October using a Love seeder set at 2nd gear at 7.5 setting. | ||
| 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 the 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 fertilizer is 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 as 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: | 2-3 months | ||
| References: | Grisez TJ, Barbour JR, Karrfalt RP. 2004. The genus Prunus. In: Woody Plant Seed Manual (on-line version) URL: http://wpsm.net/Prunus.pdf | ||
Citation:
Hoss, Gregory. 2005. Propagation protocol for production of Bareroot (field grown) Prunus virginiana L. plants 1+0; George O. White State Forest Nursery Licking, Missouri. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/02/24). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.
