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Solidago (canadensis)

Tara Luna
USDI NPS - Glacier National Park
West Glacier, Montana 59936
(406) 888-7835
http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/azpmc

Family Scientific Name: Asteraceae
Family Common Name: Sunflower family
Scientific Name: Solidago canadensis L. salabrosa (Piper) Jones
Common Synonym: Solidago elongata Nutt.
Common Name: Canada goldenrod
Species Code: SOLCAN
Ecotype: Forest margin in well drained soils, Fish Creek, 3500' elevation, Glacier National Park, MT.
General Distribution: S. canadensis is a widespread, circumboreal species, occurring throughout North America and southern Canada and Alaska and Eurasia. It grows in moist soil of meadows, thickets, avalanche slopes and in open forest.
Propagation Goal: plants
Propagation Method: seed
ProductType: Container (plug)
Stock Type: 160 ml conetainers
Time To Grow: 3 Months
Target Specifications: Height: 10 cm, 8 to 10 true leaves<br> Caliper: n/a<br> Root System: firm plug in 160 ml conetainer.
Propagule Collection: Seeds are hand collected in October when the pappus is fully extended and the achenes turn dark brown and are easily separated from the disc.
Seeds are collected in paper bags and are kept in a well ventilated drying shed prior to cleaning.
Propagule Processing: Seeds are cleaned with a hammermill and office clipper at NRCS.
Seed longevity is up to 5 years at 3 to 5C in sealed containers.
Seed dormancy is classified as nondormant.
Seeds/Kg: 4,400,000/kg
% Purity: 100%
% Germination: 50%
Pre-Planting Treatments: None.
Growing Area Preparation/
Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:
Greenhouse and outdoor nursery.
Sowing Method: Direct Seeding. Seed is lightly covered with medium.

Careful attention should be made when covering seeds. Germination rate will decrease if seeds are buried too deeply in 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 gram of Osmocote and 0.20 gram of Micromax per conetainer.

Conetainers are filled and sown and irrigated thoroughly. Greenhouse temperatures are maintained at 22C day/ 13C night during germination and growth.
Establishment Phase: Medium is kept evenly moist during germination.
Germination is usually complete in 1 to 2 weeks. Seedlings are thinned at the true leaf stage.
Length of Establishment Phase: 3 weeks
Active Growth Phase: Shoot and root development occur rapidly following germination. Plants are fertilized with 20-10-20 liquid NPK fertilizer at 100 ppm until root tightness is obtained. Plants are rhizomatous and quickly fill conetainers in 4 to 5 weeks.
Length of Active Growth Phase: 5 weeks
Hardening Phase: Irrigation is gradually reduced in September and October. Plants are leached with clear water and fertilized with 10-20-20 liquid NPK fertilizer once before winterization.
Length of Hardening Phase: 4 weeks
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping: Total time To Harvest: 3 months
Harvest Date: June
Storage Conditions: Overwinter in outdoor nursery under insulating foam cover and snow.
Length of Storage: 5 months
Other Comments: S. canadensis readily establishes on road shoulders and old burns and is vigourously rhizomatous. It is an excellent forb for erosion control.
There are 3 botanical varieties in the Pacific Northwest: subserrata, gilvocanescens, and salebrosa
References: Flora of the Pacific Northwest, Hitchcock and Cronquist, 7th edition, University of Washington Press, 1973.
Seeding Rate Statistics for Native and Introduced Species, Hassell, Wendel, U.S.D.I. and U.S.D.A., April 1996.
Seeds: Ecology, Biogeography, and Evolution of Dormancy and Germination, Baskin and Baskin, Academic Press, 1998.

Citation:

Luna, Tara; Evans, Jeff; Wick, Dale; Hosokawa, Joy. 2008. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Solidago canadensis L. plants 160 ml conetainers; USDI NPS - Glacier National Park West Glacier, Montana. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/03/29). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.