Populus (tremuloides)

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:	Salicaceae
Family Common Name:	Willow Family
Scientific Name:	Populus tremuloides Michx.
Common Name:	Aspen
Species Code:	POPTRE
Ecotype:	Many Glacier, Glacier National Park, MT.
General Distribution:	P. tremuloide is found from Alaska to Labrador, south to California, New Mexico, Tennessee, and New Jersey.
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	3 L Containers
Time To Grow:	2 Years
Target Specifications:	Stock Type: Container seedling<br> Height: 45 cm<br> Caliper: N/A Root System: Firm plug in 3L container.
Propagule Collection:	Seeds are collected during the first week of June at 1585 meters elevation. Catkin bearing branches are cut from female trees just before the capsules split open. Capsule color should be yellow at time of collection. Catkins are removed from branches and kept in a drying shed for 1 week until capsules open. Seeds are pulled from catkins and sown immediately. Mature seed color is tan.
Propagule Processing:	Seed Storage: 1 year at 0C. Aspen seeds are short lived and are sown immediately after collection. Seed dormancy is classified as nondormant. Seeds/Kg: 14,700,000/kg % Purity: N/A Germination: estimate 50 to 70% using fresh seed.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	None.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Greenhouse and outdoor nursery growing facility. Sowing Method: Direct Seeding. Surface sow seed; needs light for germination. Sow several seeds per container to obtain 100% fill rate. Container Type and Volume: 172 ml conetainers. Growing medium used is 6:1:1 milled spaghnum peat, perlite, and vermiculite with Osmocote controlled release fertilizer (13N:13P2O5:13K2O; 8 to 9 month release rate at 21C) and Micromax fertilizer (12%S, 0.1%B, 0.5%Cu,12%Fe, 2.5%Mn, 0.05%Mo, 1%Zn) at the rate of 1 gram of Osmocote and 0.20 gram of Micromax per 172 ml conetainer. Seedlings are hand watered an remain in greenhouse until mid July. Seedlings are then moved to outdoor nursery for the remainder of the growing season.
Establishment Phase:	Germination begins 24 to 48 hours after sowing. Germination is uniform and is usually complete in 2 weeks. True leaves appear 2 weeks after germination. Seedlings are thinned at this stage.
Length of Establishment Phase:	3 weeks
Active Growth Phase:	Seedlings grow at a rapid rate after establishment. Plants are fertilized with 20-10-20 liquid NPK at 100 ppm during the growing season. Plants average 15 cm in height and 5 mm caliper in 4 months. The following spring, plants are uppotted into 3L ( 1 gallon) containers and are root tight at the end of the second growing season.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	16 weeks 1st year, 20 weeks 2nd year
Hardening Phase:	Plants are fertilized with 10-20-20 liquid NPK at 200 ppm in the fall, pots are leached with clear water, one final irrigation is applied before overwintering.
Length of Hardening Phase:	8 weeks
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Total Time To Harvest: 2 years for 3L containers. Harvest Date: September Storage Conditions: Overwinter in outdoor nursery under insulating foam cover and snow.
Length of Storage:	5 months
Other Comments:	This speices is also propagated by root cuttings.
References:	Flora of the Pacific Northwest, Hitchcock and Cronquist, University of Washington Press, 7th printing, 1981. Seeds of the Woody Plants in the United States, Agriculture Handbook No. 450, U.S.F.S., Washington D.C., 1974. Seeds of Woody Plants in North America, Young and Young, Dioscorides Press, 1992. Glacier ParkNative Plant Nursery Propagation Records, unpublished.

Citation:

Luna, Tara; Evans, Jeff; Wick, Dale; Hosokawa, Joy. 2001. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Populus tremuloides Michx. plants 3 L Containers; 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.