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Vaccinium (myrtillus)

Tara Luna
USDI NPS - Glacier National Park
West Glacier, Montana 59936
(406) 888-7835
http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/azpmc
Family Scientific Name: Ericaceae
Family Common Name: Heath Family
Scientific Name: Vaccinium myrtillus L.
Common Name: Dwarf bilberry
Species Code: VACMYR
Ecotype: Lodgepole pine forest, Marias Pass, 5250' elev.
General Distribution: V. myrtillus is a circumboreal species; occurring from Alberta south to New Mexico, and east to Newfoundland and south to New England. It is also found across Eurasia.
Propagation Goal: plants
Propagation Method: vegetative
ProductType: Container (plug)
Stock Type: 800 ml containers
Time To Grow: 15 Months
Target Specifications: Stock Type: Container cutting<br> Height: 6 cm<br> Caliper: 4 mm<br> Root System: firm plug in 800 ml container.
Propagule Collection: Vegetative Propagation Method: Pre-Rooting
Type of Cutting: Summer softwood stem cuttings collected in mid June.
Propagule Processing: Cuttings are kept moist and under refrigeration prior to pre treatment.
Pre-Planting Treatments: Cutting Treatments: Softwood cuttings were re-cut and terminal buds were removed. Cuttings were placed in a 2 minute fungicide bath to remove surface pathogens. Cuttings were treated with 2000 ppm liquid IBA, and placed in mist bed with at least 2 nodes below the surface of the rooting medium.
Rooting %: 48% in 14 weeks
Softwood cuttings had significantly higher number and quality of roots compared to semi softwood cuttings taken one month earlier. This species has responded well to nursery cultivation.
Growing Area Preparation/
Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:		 The outdoor mistbed has automatic intermittent mist that is applied at 6 second intervals every 6 minutes. Too frequent misting will result in leaf and stem rot. Misting frequency is increased or decreased according to daily outdoor temperature and wind. Bottom heat is maintained at 21C with heating cables 12 cm beneath rooting medium. Rooting medium is 50% perlite and 50% peat. Rooting medium should be inocultated with beneficial fungi.
Mistbed is coveredwith shadecloth during rooting. After cuttings are potted, they are moved to an outdoor shadehouse for 4 weeks. They are later moved to full sun exposure in the outdoor nursery and are irrigated with Rainbird automatic irrigation system in early morning until containers are thoroughly leached. Average growing season of nursery is from late April after snowmelt until October 15th.
Establishment Phase: Time to Transplant: 15 weeks.
Cuttings that were pre rooted were lifted out of mistbed after adequete root systems were formed. Roots generate from the nodes below the surface of the rooting medium.
Length of Establishment Phase: 15 weeks
Active Growth Phase: After cuttings were lifted from the mistbed, they were potted into 800 ml containers. 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 grams of Osmocote and 0.5 gram of Micromax per conetainer. Cuttings were irrigated after potting and placed in the shadehouse for 4 weeks. After establishment in the shadehouse, plants were moved to full sun exposure in the outdoor nursery.
Length of Active Growth Phase: 6 weeks 1st year, 12 weeks 2nd year
Hardening Phase: Potted cuttings were irrigated thoroughly prior to winterization.
Length of Hardening Phase: 4 weeks
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping: Total Time to Harvest: 1.3 years
Harvest Date: September
Storage Conditions: Overwinter in outdoor nursery under insulating foam cover and snow.
Length of Storage: 5 months
Other Comments: Seed Propagation:
Method: Direct Seeding, not tried.
Seeds/Kg: 11,600,000 / kg
Seed Processing: The fruit is collected in August. Seeds are tan at maturity. Seeds are cleaned by a macerator and screened at NRCS.
Seed Storage is up to 12 years in sealed containers.
Seed dormancy is classified as physiological dormancy.
Seed treatments: Seed is surface sown on finely milled peat and kept moist at 17 to 21C. Seed requires light for germination. A 21 day stratification is recommended.
References: Flora of the Pacific Northwest, Hitchcock and Cronquist, University of Washington Press, 7th printing, 1990.
Seeds of the Woody Plants in North America, Young and Young, Dioscorides Press, 1992.
The Reference Manual Of Woody Plant Propagation, Dirr and Heuser, Varsity Press, 1987.
Glacier Park Native Plant Nursery Plant Propagation Records, unpublished.

Citation:

Luna, Tara; Evans, Jeff; Wick, Dale. 2008. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Vaccinium myrtillus L. plants 800 ml containers; USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/11/23). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.