Betula (nigra)
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Gregory Hoss Nursery Manager George O. White State Forest Nursery PO Box 119 Licking, Missouri 65542-0119 573-674-3229 GIF-native-plants@prodigy.net |
| Family Scientific Name: | Betulaceae | ||
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| Family Common Name: | Birch Family | ||
| Scientific Name: | Betula nigra L. | ||
| Common Name: | River birch | ||
| Species Code: | BETNIG | ||
| Ecotype: | South Central Missouri | ||
| General Distribution: | River birch is found in central, southeastern and northeastern portion of the United States; from Nebraska south to Texas and east to Minnesota and Wisconsin, and New England south to Florida. It inhabits river banks and floodplains, often where land is periodically inundated with water. Our seed sources are from south central Missouri. | ||
| Propagation Goal: | plants | ||
| Propagation Method: | seed | ||
| ProductType: | Bareroot (field grown) | ||
| Stock Type: | 1+0 | ||
| Time To Grow: | 8 Months | ||
| Target Specifications: | Height: 12 to 24 in<br> Caliper:0.25 in<br> Root System: Root system must balance top growth. | ||
| Propagule Collection: | Seeds are purchased from local people who collect within a 50 mile radius of the nursery.The fruit is a small, single-seeded golden brown nutlet, with lateral wings which aid in dispersal by wind and water. River birch produces abundant seeds which are dispersed from May to June. | ||
| Propagule Processing: |
Collections can be placed on drying racks at warm air temperatures so the scales will open and release the seeds. Once the catkins open, they can be cleaned by rubbing and shaking, followed by screening to remove the fine debris. There are approximately 631,000 to 1,206,000 seeds per kilogram (287,000 to 548,000 seeds per pound) (Karrafalt 2004). |
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| Pre-Planting Treatments: | Seeds are sown after cleaning in June into prepared field beds. Seeds require light for germination and are lightly pressed into contact with soil. No mulch is applied to beds. | ||
| Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops: |
Soils: Ourfield soils are silty clay loams. The spring before planting, we amend the soils with 700 lbs/acre of 1N:3 P205:5K20, grow a soybean cover crop, and fumigate in the fall. We use Roundup Ready soybeans so we can control weeds by using glycosate herbicide without harming the cover crop. During early August, we disk under the cover crop and disk the soils several times during the next 6 weeks to obtain a smooth soil surface. Soils are fumigated in late September. Field Bed Preparation: We mark out and form beds as needed. Beds are prepared with a rototiller/seedbed former and are typically 4 to 6 inches high and 4 ft wide. Fields are cultivated for weeds as needed throughout the growing season. Irrigation: We use overhead irrigation with two inch pvc pipe that can be moved from field to field each year. Our principle water source is from 3 on-site wells and is very good quality water. |
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| Establishment Phase: | Seed beds must be kept moist during germination. | ||
| Length of Establishment Phase: | 1 month | ||
| Active Growth Phase: |
Year 1: Fertilization: We apply ammonium sulfate 21-0-0-24 with a mechanical spreader. We put on the first application the last week of July and to only those 1+0 seedlings that have been germinated for at least 5 or 6 weeks. We apply fertilizer at the rate of 125 lbs/acre. Frequency of application depends on the species and how they look that season. We irrigate for at least 45 minutes following all fertilizer applications. This insures that foliage will not burn and incorporates fertilizer into the root zone. We do not root or top prune river birch because it is sown later than other species. |
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| Length of Active Growth Phase: | 2 months | ||
| Hardening Phase: | Hardening begins during August. No fertilizer is applied after August. Irrigation frequency and duration is shortened and applied only when needed. | ||
| Length of Hardening Phase: | 3 months | ||
| Harvesting, Storage and Shipping: | Lifting window is from late November to April, depending on species. We try to obtain a large a root mass as possible. We try to lift when the majority of leaves have dropped. Seedlings are hand lifted after the seedling beds have been undercut at an average depth of 10 or 12 inches using a lifter. Lifted nursery stock is immediately stored in cooler until graded and bundled. The majority of species are graded, bundled and shipped during February. | ||
| Length of Storage: | 2-3 months | ||
| References: | Karrafalt RP. 2004 The genus Betula. In: Woody Plant Seed Manual (on-line version) URL: http://wpsm.net/Betula.pdf | ||
Citation:
Hoss, Gregory. 2005. Propagation protocol for production of Bareroot (field grown) Betula nigra L. plants 1+0; George O. White State Forest Nursery Licking, Missouri. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/04/11). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.
