Propagation Protocol for Salix vestita Pursh plants (800 ml containers)
Taxonomy
Plant Family
Scientific Name. Salicaceae
Common Name. Willow Family
Species Scientific Name
Scientific Name. Salix vestita Pursh
Varieties. Erecta, vestita, humilior, psilophylla
Sub-species. Leiolepis,
Cultivar.
Common Synonym(s). Common synonyms of the plant are “Salix leiolepis”, “Salix fernaldii”, “Salix reticulata var. vestita”, and “Salix vestita Pursh var. erecta Andersson” (USDA, n.d.).
Common Name(s). Rock Willow
Species Code (as per USDA Plants Database). Its code is “SALVES”, and according to USDA Plants Database, its symbol is “SAVE” (USDA, n.d.).
General Information
Geographical range
S. vestita occurs from southern British Columbia and Alberta to Manitoba, Washington, northeastern Oregon, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Newfoundland, and central Montana in meadows, talus and scree near or above treeline. Conclusively, it can be said that it is native to lower 48 states and Canada (USDA, n.d.).
Ecological Distribution
It is found in sheltered valleys having good protection from snow in winter. It is able to grow best in damp depressions, and can be more or less prostrate.
Climate and elevation range
The climate type of this species need further studies as it has not been evaluated in detail or it shows variability in different climates. Its elevation range is from approximately 100 meters to more than 2000 meters.
Local habitat and abundance
It is found in abundance in the moist to dry open forests, rocky streamsides, and moist meadows in the upper montane (coniferous forest) and subalpine zones, rarely in the alpine zone. Its natural habitat is woodland (35%-60% covers).
Plant strategy type / successional stage
It is early seral (successional) stages of streamsides and is a great competitor.
Plant Characteristics
Salix vestita is a shrub having average height of 20 cm to 1.5 m. Its plants are not colonial. Bloom time of its flowers is from May to June, and its flowers are green or brown in color. Branchlets are also yellow to gray-brown in color. Its branches are flexible at base. It is compaction tolerant in nature.
Propagation Details
Ecotype
Its ecotypes are Talus slopes and Highline trail.
“Propagation Goal”
Plants
“Propagation Method”
Vegetative
“Product Type”
Container (plug)
“Stock Type”
800 ml containers
“Time to Grow”
1 year
“Target Specifications”
Stock Type in this protocol is container cutting.
Height: 18 cm
Caliper: 7 mm
Root Systems are firmly plugged in 800 ml containers.
“Propagule Collection Instructions”
Vegetative propagation system for this plant is Pre-Rooting. Moreover, kind of cutting for this plant is summer softwood tip cuttings (Native Plant Network, 2008).
“Propagule Processing/Propagule Characteristics”
Cuttings are usually kept moist. These are placed under refrigeration before pre-treatment.
“Pre-Planting Propagule Treatments”
Cuttings of the plant are 10 cm in length with 1 cm in caliper. Surface pathogens are removed by placing the cuttings in a fungicide bath for 2 minutes.
Cuttings were than treated with about 1000 ppm liquid IBA, and struck in the mistbed with minimum 2 nodes under the surface of the rooting medium. Cuttings are stuck in the mistbed with warmth from the bottom, and pre-rooted for 2 to 4 weeks before its transplantation to the container.
Rooting percentage is 76% to 98%.
Salix vestita has the ability to grow from either hardwood or softwood cuttings. It has latent predeveloped root initials in the stem. Initial rooting starts in one week (Native Plant Network, 2008).
“Growing Area Preparation / Annual Practices for Perennial Crops”
The open-air mistbed automatically mist after every 6 seconds with interval coming after 6 minutes. Misting, more than this frequency, can result in rotting of stem and leaves. However, misting frequency can be changed according to the outdoor temperature as well as conditions of wind. Bottom heat is kept constant at about 21C with warming cables about 12cm beneath the rooting medium, which is half sand and half perlite. Mistbed is protected by shadecloth at the time of rooting. After potting of cuttings, they are taken to an open-air shadehouse for about one month. They are then shifted to full sun in the open-air nursery and are irrigated and watered with Rainbird automatic irrigation method during early morning until containers are completely leached (Native Plant Network, 2008).
Average developing season of the nursery is from the April after the melting of snow to the mid of October.
“Establishment Phase Details”
Time of transplantation is from 2 to 4 weeks of rooting. Cuttings of the plant that were pre-rooted are moved out of mistbed after proper formation of root systems (Native Plant Network, 2008).
“Length of Establishment Phase”
8 weeks
Active Growth Phase
After lifting of cuttings from the mistbed, they are placed in the 800 ml containers. In this case, growing medium is about 70% milled sphagnum peat, vermiculite, and perlite in the ratio of 6:1:1, and about 30% sand with “Osmocote controlled release fertilizer” and “Micromax fertilizer” at the rate of about 2 grams of Osmocote and about 1 gram of Micromax in a container (Native Plant Network, 2008).
Cuttings are irrigated after potting of the plant and put in the shadehouse for about one month.
After its productiong in the shadehouse, plants are taken to full sun in the open-air nursery.
“Length of Active Growth Phase”
Its length of active growth phase is 8 weeks.
“Hardening Phase”
Irrigation is usually decreased from September to October. Plants are given eventual irrigation before the start of winterization.
“Length of Hardening Phase”
Its length of hardening phase is about 4 weeks.
“Harvesting, Storage, and Shipping”
Its overall time of harvest is 1 year. Its harvest date is in July. Its storage conditions are overwinter in open-air nursery under nonconducting foam as well as snow.
“Length of Storage”
5 months
Guidelines for Outplanting/Performance on Typical Sites
Its outplanting site is Logan Pass, Glacier National Park, MT. On the other hand, its outplanting date is July and August after snowmelt (Native Plant Network, 2008)..
Other Comments
This plant is dwarf in nature, and due to this thing, it can easily be damaged by foot traffic, grazing, and livestock trampling.
It is pollinated by solitary mining bees live on the ground.
Information Sources
References
Native Plant Network. (2008). Propagation protocol for vegetative production of container Salix vestita Pursh plants (800 ml containers). Retrieved from http://www.nativeplantnetwork.org/network/ViewProtocols.aspx?ProtocolID=175
USDA (n.d.) Salix vestita Pursh. Retrieved from http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=save
Other Sources Consulted
Aiken et al. (2007). Flora of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Retrieved from http://nature.ca/aaflora/data/www/wlsave.htm
Native Plant Database (n.d.). Plant Detail – Salix vestita. Retrieved from http://nativeplants.evergreen.ca/search/view-plant.php?ID=02131#characteristics
Protocol Author
04/26/2015
