Salvia (apiana)

Michael Herrera Nursery Manager Catalina Island Conservancy PO Box 2739 Avalon, California 90704 (310) 510-2904 (310) 510-3157 (fax) mherrera@catalinaconservancy.org www.catalinaconservancy.org

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Family Scientific Name:	Lamiaceae
Family Common Name:	Mint Family
Scientific Name:	Salvia apiana Jepson
Common Name:	White Sage
Species Code:	SALAPI
Ecotype:	Catalina Island, California
General Distribution:	White sage is found throughout southern California and the Channel islands. On Catalina Island, it inhabits dry, rocky slopes and ridges and coastal sage shrub communities.
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	vegetative
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	#1 Treepot
Time To Grow:	6 Months
Target Specifications:	Height: N/A<br> Caliper: N/A<br> Root System: Firm root plug in container.
Propagule Collection:	We collect softwood tip cuttings during late April.
Propagule Processing:	We keep cuttings moist during collection and transport back to the nursery by placing them into plastic bags inside a cooler. We try to treat cuttings same day of collection.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	We recut cuttings at the base and remove lower leaves. We dip cuttings into a Physan disinfectant. We treat cuttings with Hormex #3 rooting powder and place them under an intermittent mist system. Ideal rooting medium is 1:1 (v:v) perlite and vermiculite. We have obtained up to 91% rooting using this medium. Do not use peat based rooting medium as it keeps cuttings too wet during rooting. Cuttings should only be misted at short intervals; too frequent misting promotes stem rot.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	The James H. Ackerman Native Plant Nursery is located on Catalina Island off the coast of southern California. From 1993 to 2004, the average maximum and minimum temperatures have been 75.4 F and 46 F, with an average of 361 frost free days per year and annual rainfall of 14 inches. The facility is comprised of shade houses, mist propagation house, and an outdoor growing area. All propagation environments are utilized at different stages of seedling growth to provide for the variance in temperature and shading requirements needed during the growing season. We irrigate all containers with an overhead emitter system in the shadehouses and use a drip system or hand water in the outdoor nursery.
Establishment Phase:	Cuttings begin to form roots 2 to 4 weeks after treatment. We remove flats from mist and the shadehouse 4 weeks after treatment.
Length of Establishment Phase:	1 month
Active Growth Phase:	After cuttings are well established with multiple roots, they are transplanted into into #1 Treepots (173 cubic inches) filled with a4:1:1 (v:v:v) peat, perlite, and compost. We incorporate Osmocote time release fertilizer (9 month release rate) (14 N:14P2O5:14K2O) at the rate of « cup per 0.75 cubic yard of medium. Containers are watered with an overhead emitter system as needed. Following transplanting, seedlings are moved to another shadehouse with more temperature variance where they remain for several weeks.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	4 months
Hardening Phase:	Any nursery stock grown under shadehouse conditions are hardened by placing them in full sun exposure for a minimum of 2 weeks prior to outplanting.
Length of Hardening Phase:	2 to 4 weeks
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Containerized cuttings are over wintered directly in the open growing area.
Length of Storage:	Variable; depends on out planting date.

Citation:

Herrera, Mike; Takara, Janet. 2006. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Salvia apiana Jepson plants #1 Treepot; Catalina Island Conservancy Avalon, California. 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.