Schoenoplectus (tabernaemontani)

Janet M Grabowski USDA NRCS - Coffeeville/Jamie L. Whitten Plant Materials Center 2533 County Road 65 Coffeeville, Mississippi 38922-2652 (601) 675-2588 (601) 675-2369 (fax) jgrabowski@ms.nrcs.usda.gov http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/mspmc

---

Family Scientific Name:	Cyperaceae
Family Common Name:	Sedge Family
Scientific Name:	Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani (K.C. Gmel.) Palla
Common Synonym:	Scirpus validus
Common Name:	Softstem bulrush
Species Code:	SCHTAB
Ecotype:	Mississippi
General Distribution:	Softstem bulrush is found in marshes and muddy shores at lower elevations and is tolerant of alkali. It is a widespread species throughout temperate North America south into tropical America.
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	1+0 container
Time To Grow:	6 Months
Target Specifications:	Height: n/a <br> Caliper: n/a <br> Root System: n/a <br>
Propagule Collection:	Ripening dates for softstem bulrush seeds vary from early August through mid October and I harvest them by pulling or cutting the fruit clusters from the stem.
Propagule Processing:	Without further drying the plant material, I loosen seeds from fruit clusters using a brush machine (Westrup a/s Slagelse, Denmark) and sieve seeds through a 1/13 (1.953 mm) round hole screen to remove inert matter.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	I have achieved germination rates around 30% after 4 wk using 2 storage methods: 1) storing seeds under moist, cold conditions for 5 to 7 mo; or 2) dry for 2 to 3 mo followed by 3 to 4 mo cold, moist stratification treatment.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	I use a 3:1 (v:v) sphagnum peat moss:sand growing medium amended with commercially recommended quantities of pelletized slow-release fertilizer (for example, 1.8 to 3.6 kg/m3 [3 to 6 lb/yd3] Osmocote 13N:13P2O5:13K2O; 8 to 9 mo release rate at 21 øC [70 øF] or 1.8 to 3.6 kg/m3 [3 to 6 lb/yd3] Sierra 17N:6P2O5:12K2O; 3 to 4 mo release rate at 21 øC [70 øF]; The Scotts Company, Marysville, Ohio), 4.7 to 5.9 kg/m3 (8 to 10 lb/yd3) dolomitic lime, 0.89 kg/m3 (1.5 lb/yd3) Micromax micronutrient fertilizer (The Scotts Company, Marysville, Ohio) and a wetting agent (I use 0.59 kg/m3 [1 lb/yd3] 2000 G AquaGro [Aquatrols, Cherry Hill, New Jersey], which is no longer marketed). I pasteurize the sand in an electric soil sterilizer for 30 min at 82 øC (180 øF) to reduce weed problems.
Establishment Phase:	Seeds germinate best in a saturated growing medium, kept saturated on on a commercial ebb and flow greenhouse bench (Midwest Trading, Denmark) with water maintained 0.6 to 1.2 cm (0.25 to 0.5 in) deep. Greenhouse temperatures range from 13 to 38 øC (55 to 100 øF). and seedlings grow well under both moisture regimes.
Active Growth Phase:	Subsequent seedling growth is best on medium kept moist by regularly watering containers situated on normal greenhouse benches.
References:	The observations on seed propagation of 5 Mississippi wetland species, Grabowski, J., Native Plants Journal, Spring 2001. USDA NRCS. 1999. PLANTS database, Version 3.0. URL: http://plants.usda.gov/plants (accessed 29 Sep 2000). Baton Rouge (LA): National Plant Data Center.

Citation:

Grabowski, Janet M.. 2001. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani (K.C. Gmel.) Palla plants 1+0 container; USDA NRCS - Coffeeville/Jamie L. Whitten Plant Materials Center Coffeeville, Mississippi. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/12/26). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.