Elaeagnus (commutata)
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Mark E. Majerus USDA NRCS - Bridger Plant Materials Center 99 South River Road, Rte. 2, Box 1189 Bridger, Montana 59014-9718 (406) 662-3579 (406) 662-3428 (fax) mmajerus@mt.nrcs.usda.gov http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/mtpmc |
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| Family Scientific Name: | Elaeagnaceae | ||
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| Family Common Name: | Oleaster Family | ||
| Scientific Name: | Elaeagnus commutata Bernh. Ex Rydb. | ||
| Common Name: | Silverberry | ||
| Species Code: | ELACOM | ||
| Ecotype: | Pondera Floodplain Germplasm, Pondera County, Montana; Dupuyer Streambank Germplasm, Pondera County, Montana; and a Bridger PMC source, Wheatland County, Montana. | ||
| Propagation Goal: | plants | ||
| Propagation Method: | seed | ||
| ProductType: | Container (plug) | ||
| Stock Type: | Containerized material in 40-cubic-inch to 2-gal containers, | ||
| Time To Grow: | 2 Years | ||
| Propagule Collection: | Seeds are hand collected at Bridger, MT from early September through October and stored in woven synthetic sacks in a cooler at 34 to 37›XF until processing. | ||
| Propagule Processing: | Seeds are readily cleaned in a Dybvig macerator. After maceration, rinse repeatedly in a bucket to float off debris. Further cleaning generally not necessary. Spread wet seed on kraft paper in a warm, dry place for 24 to 48 hours before packaging and storing. Seed stores well for several years in paper envelopes or woven cloth sacks in a cool environment such as a basement. | ||
| Pre-Planting Treatments: | Fresh seed requires little or no cold, moist chilling to germinate. A cold, moist chilling of 30 to 60 days may increase the rate and total germination of fresh seed slightly. Imbibed seed may be chilled in a ventilated ziploc bag in a perlite, vermiculite, or sand media and then sowed into containers or the seeds can be sowed directly into containers and then chilled in a cooler or unheated coldframe. Sow seeds in at least 10-cubic-inch pots for 1-year-old production and in 40-cubic-inch to 2-gal pots for 2-year-old stock. | ||
| Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops: |
For container production, sow seeds in a well drained commercial peat lite mix in 10- to 40-cubic-inch cones. | ||
| Establishment Phase: | After chilling, place containers in a greenhouse maintained at 75 to 80›XF days for 16-hour photoperiods and 60 to 65›XF nights. Germination is variable often ranges from 60 to 80 percent under greenhouse conditions. | ||
| Hardening Phase: | Move containerized material (at least 2 months since germination or rooting) started in the greenhouse that winter to an outdoor hoophouse in late spring/early summer (i.e. "finish" the plants in the hoophouse). The hoophouse is ventilated but not cooled, and the containers are usually exposed to full sunlight for 2 to 4 weeks early in the season. The hoophouse is then covered with a 50% shade cloth until temperatures cool in thefall. Another option is to finish container plants and rooted cuttings in the greenhouse and then move them to the shadehouse in late summer, allowing 30 to 60 days of hardening prior to winter. The shade is usually removed in late summer/early fall and replaced with clear plastic. The plants harden-off gradually in the hoophouse prior to winter. Bridger is characterized by a high number of solar days that keeps the environment inside the hoophouse relatively mild until winter. In the case of premature and severely cold weather, a small propane heater is used at keep temperatures above freezing. | ||
| Length of Hardening Phase: | As a standard practice, we allow a minimum of 30 days of hardening off prior to killing frost, 60 days is preferred. | ||
| Harvesting, Storage and Shipping: | Since nearly all containerized stock is shipped dormant from Bridger in the spring, we overwinter containers in a hoophouse. The hoophouse is ventilated when temperatures reach 35 to 40›XF and heated to maintain a temperature of 5 to 10›XF. Containers as small as 10-cubic-inch overwinter well this way. The containers are placed on 2 inches of pea gravel and arranged in a side-by-side pattern. The stock is watered over the fall and winter as needed. If temperatures in the spring are too warm to assure dormancy, plant material that is designated for dormant spring planting is moved to a walk-in cooler (34 to 37›XF, 80+% relative humidity) until shipping. Plants may be shipped with or without containers in heavy waxed boxes by priority ground mail (avoid weekend holdover at post offices). | ||
| Length of Storage: | Fully dormant container store well for several weeks at 34 to 37›XF and 80+% relative humidity. | ||
| Other Comments: | An easy to grow species from seed and cuttings. | ||
Citation:
Scianna, Joe. 2003. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Elaeagnus commutata Bernh. Ex Rydb. plants Containerized material in 40-cubic-inch to 2-gal containers,; USDA NRCS - Bridger Plant Materials Center Bridger, Montana. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/04/20). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.
