Aralia (racemosa)

Cathy Thomas Propagator Chicago Botanic Garden - Propagation 1000 Lake Cook Rd. Glencoe, Illinois 60022 847-835-8240 847-835-1635 (fax) cthomas@chicagobotanic.org http://chicagobotanic.org

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Family Scientific Name:	Araliacea
Family Common Name:	Ginseng Family
Scientific Name:	Aralia racemosa L.
Common Name:	American spikenard
Species Code:	ARRA
Ecotype:	woodland, Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, IL
General Distribution:	woodlands and thickets Range: Eastern N. America - Quebec to Georgia west to Kansas and Minnesota
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	one gallon container
Time To Grow:	10 Months
Target Specifications:	firmly rooted in a one gallon container
Propagule Collection:	berries collected in late August
Propagule Processing:	seeds extracted from pulp with running water over a screen
Pre-Planting Treatments:	seeds sown fresh as soon as possible after collection
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Growing Environment: a fully automated greenhouse and a quonset equipped with heater and limited cooling capacity Containers: Seeds were sown into ITML brand 128 cell plug trays. Plugs were transplanted into T.&O. Plastics SVD brand 4 1/2 inch containers then into Nursery Supply Inc Classic 300 brand 1 gallon containers. Media: Seed was sown into Fafard Super Fine Germination Mix. Plugs were transplanted into Sunshine SB300 Universal bark mix.
Establishment Phase:	Sow date was early September. Seeds were hand sown 2 to 3 seeds per cell to compensate for possible lower germination rates. Seed was covered witha thin layer of coarse vermiculite and watered in under a mist system. Flats were grown for 8 weeks in a fully automated shaded greenhouse under an automated mist system set at 3 seconds of mist every 30 minutes. Air temperature was set at 65 F and bottom heat was run at 70 F. Flats were moved to a shaded quonset for 16 weeks. Temperatures were kept as close to 38 F as possible but not allowed to go below freezing. The soil surface was kept moist. Flats were then moved to a fully automated greenhouse. Temperatures were initially set at 58 F days and 54 F nights and raised to 68 F days and 64 F nights after 2 weeks. Day length was extended to 12 hours using HID lights. The soil surface was kept moist until germination occurred. After germination, seedlings were fertilized weekly with 20-2-20 fertilizer at 200 ppm. Seedlings were thinned to one per cell.
Length of Establishment Phase:	7 months
Active Growth Phase:	Plugs were transplanted into 4 1/2 inch pots when firmly rooted. Plants were grown in a fully automated greenhouse where temperatures were set at 65 F days and 61 F nights. Day length was extended to 12 hours using HID lights. Plants were hand watered when dry and fertilized with 20-10-20 fertilizer at 237 ppm weekly. Plants were then transplanted into 1 gallon containers after 7 weeks and grown under same conditions.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	3 months
Hardening Phase:	Plants were moved outdoors to a cold frame once established in the 1 gallon pots and grown outdoors until planting.
Length of Hardening Phase:	2 weeks
References:	Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. 2007. Native Plant Database (http://wildflower.org, 2 October 2007) Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Austin TX 78739 USA USDA, NRCS. 2007 The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 24 September 2007) National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA

Citation:

Thomas, Catherine Suzanne. 2007. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Aralia racemosa L. plants one gallon container; Chicago Botanic Garden - Propagation Glencoe, Illinois. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/04/03). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.