Symphoricarpos (albus)
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Mark E. Majerus USDA NRCS - Bridger Plant Materials Center 99 South River Road, Rte. 2, Box 1189 Bridger, Montana 59014-9718 (406) 662-3579 (406) 662-3428 (fax) mmajerus@mt.nrcs.usda.gov http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/mtpmc |
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| Family Scientific Name: | Caprifoliaceae | ||
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| Family Common Name: | Honeysuckle Family | ||
| Scientific Name: | Symphoricarpos albus (L.) Blake | ||
| Common Name: | Common snowberry | ||
| Species Code: | SYMALB | ||
| Ecotype: | Numerous Glacier National Park seed sourcesas well as western Montana and Wyoming ecotypes. | ||
| Propagation Goal: | plants | ||
| Propagation Method: | seed | ||
| ProductType: | Container (plug) | ||
| Time To Grow: | 0 | ||
| Propagule Collection: | Most tested seed sources are prolific and consistent seed producers under cultivation. Rooted stem cuttings from mature phase tissue will begin producing small amounts of seed the second year after rooting. In year 2000, 53, 4-year-old snowberry plants propagated from rooted cuttings produced 385 lb of fruit that cleaned to 14.11 lb of seed (89% tetrazolium viability). Despite reports to the contrary, deer will strip nearly all fruit from each snowberry plant in the late fall/early winter even in mild, open years. We fence our snowberry orchard to prevent seed losses and plant damage. Fruit maturation varies from year to year and occurs in Bridger, Montana from mid-October to mid-November. The pulp of fully ripe fruit is nearly pure white or clear -- not green. Snowberry fruit is persistent, and can be left on the plant until most fruit are white. Avoid waiting so long that the fruit turns dark brown and soft, as collection and storage are difficult in this condition. Harvest berry laden plants by stripping each branch by hand (wear gloves). Harvested leaves are removed by spreading the fruit and leaves in the back of a pickup and driving down the road. An air compressor or strong wind can be used to remove leaves from small lots. Firm, white berries store well for several weeks in woven, nylon sacks. Avoid overfilling an individual sack, the weight may cause leakage and molding. Store berries in a 34 to 37øF cooler at 80+% relative humidity. Storage under these conditions will sometimes soften the fruit skin and improve processing. | ||
| Propagule Processing: | Macerate snowberry in a DybvigT cleaner. A light-gauge welded wire screen inserted in the base of the cylinder may help maceration. After depulping, rinse the seed repeatedly in a bucket to clean and float off debris and light seed. Spread the seed on kraft paper in a warm dry location for 24 hours. Package in a paper envelope or finely woven cotton sack and store in a cool, dry place such as a basement. | ||
| Pre-Planting Treatments: | Snowberry requires a warm, moist stratification of 45 to 90 days followed by 5 to 6 months of cold moist chilling. For field production, sow mid-summer to meet warm moist stratification requirement. Fall sowing usually results in germination the second spring. For container production, warm, moist stratify the seeds at 70øF for 45 to 90 days followed by 6 months of cold moist chilling at 34 to 37øF. | ||
| Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops: |
Use a well drained commercial peat-lite mix. | ||
| Hardening Phase: | Move containerized material (at least 2 months old) started in the greenhouse that winter to an outdoor hoophouse in late spring/early summer (i.e. "finish" the plants in the hoophouse). The hoophouse is ventilated but not cooled, and the containers are usually exposed to full sunlight for 2 to 4 weeks early in the season. The hoophouse is then covered with a 50% shade cloth until temperatures cool in the fall. Another option is to finish container plants and rooted cuttings in the greenhouse and then move them to the shadehouse in late summer, allowing 30 to 60 days of hardening prior to winter. The shade is usually removed in late summer/early fall and replaced with clear plastic. The plants harden-off gradually in the hoophouse prior to winter. Bridger is characterized by a high number of solar days that keeps the environment inside the hoophouse relatively mild until winter. In the case of premature and severely cold weather, a small propane heater is used at keep temperatures above freezing. | ||
| Length of Hardening Phase: | As a standard practice, we allow a minimum of 30 days of hardening off prior to killing frost, 60 days is preferred. | ||
| Harvesting, Storage and Shipping: | Since nearly all containerized stock is shipped dormant from Bridger in the spring, we overwinter containers in a hoophouse. The hoophouse is ventilated when temperatures reach 35 to 40øF and heated to maintain a temperature of 5 to 10øF. Containers as small as 10 cubic inch overwinter well this way. The containers are placed on 2 inches of pea gravel and arranged in a side-by-side pattern. The stock is watered over the fall and winter as needed. If temperatures in the spring are too warm to assure dormancy, plant material that is designated for dormant spring planting is moved to a walk-in cooler (34 to 37øF, 80+% relative humidity) until shipping. Plants may be shipped with or without containers in heavy waxed boxes by priority ground mail (avoid weekend holdover at post offices). | ||
| Other Comments: | Germination success has been variable by seed source and lot. | ||
Citation:
Scianna, Joe. 2003. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Symphoricarpos albus (L.) Blake plants USDA NRCS - Bridger Plant Materials Center Bridger, Montana. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/05/06). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.
