Symphoricarpos (oreophilus)

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
Family Common Name:	Honeysuckle Family
Scientific Name:	Symphoricarpos oreophilus utahensis (Rydb.) A. Nels.
Common Name:	Utah snowberry
Species Code:	SYMORE
Ecotype:	Ecotype from water treatment plant area of Yellowstone National Park.
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	vegetative
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	Forty-cubic-inch, 4.5-inch azalea, or 1-gal pots, depending on plant size.
Time To Grow:	0
Propagule Collection:	Collect summer cuttings in early August from current season's growth back to 1- to 3-year wood.Take 6- to 8-inch long cuttings with as large of a basal diameter as possible (this species has fairly thin stems). Place the cuttings inside a ziplock bag moistened with water, and then store in a portable cooler packed with ice. Store the cooler in a shaded location such as the back of a pickup with a camper top. Minimize storage time. The cuttings we collected were held in the cooler less than 16 hours before being moved to a walk-in cooler maintained at 34 to 37øF and 80+% relative humidity. Inspect each bag periodically to assure high humidity and re-moisten as necessary. We collect cuttings from numerous individual plants in an attempt to sample to the diversity of the ecotype. Our use of summer cuttings reflects limited access to plants in the winter months in Yellowstone National Park. Cuttings collected at other times of the year may propagate as well or better.
Propagule Processing:	See below.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Trim all cuttings to a 5- to 6-inch length. Remove all buds, leaves, and branches from the basal 2 to 3 in. of each cutting. Remove all flowers and fruit, when present, as well. Store the cuttings in moistened paper towels during processing. Recut the base of each cutting at an angle with a sharp knife and wound the basal end of the stem. This is accomplished by holding a knife perpendicular to the stem, flat side of the knife against the round surface of the stem, and then making a slicing cut downward to produce a 1- to 1.5-inch wound just below the cambium. Lightly spray the wound with water from a mist bottle, shake off excess water, and then insert the base into rooting compound. Remove excess hormone by lightly tapping the end of the cutting on the side of a hard surface. Our trial treatments included semihardwood (current season) treated with 2,000 ppm NAA + 40,400 ppm ThiramT (fungicide), as well as, summer hardwood (back to 2-y and 3-y wood) treated with 16,000 ppm IBA. The number of cuttings per treatment was28 and 24 for the semihardwood and summer hardwood, respectively. Percentage rooting was 79 and 87% for the semihardwood and summer hardwood, respectively.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	A 100% coarse perlite propagation media was used in our trial, although any sterile, highly drained media, such as sand or vermiculite, should work equally well. Moisten the media and make holes to receive each cutting. Use hot water heat to maintain the propagation media at 70øF for the first 8 to 12 weeks in the bed (root initiation phase) and then turn it off. We use overhead intermittent mist activated by a Mist-o-maticT controller. Firm the media around each cutting after sticking to assure good cutting:media contact. Maintain the greenhouse at 70 to 75øF days and 60 to 65øF nights on 14- to 16-hour photoperiods.
Establishment Phase:	Cuttings initiate roots at 8 weeks, are well rooted at 12 weeks, and heavily rooted after 16 weeks. This species produces medium fine roots. Fertigate the cuttings once or twice each week with 150 to 250 ppm 9-45-15 as soon as budbreak occurs. Because we let these plants remain active in the greenhouse over the winter, we waited until late January to transplant them into pots in a commercial peat-lite mix. The plants were moved to a shade house in May for hardening off and finishing.
Length of Establishment Phase:	Allow 4 to 5 months from time of sticking before potting up.
Active Growth Phase:	: Stem cuttings are usually well rooted in 16 weeks and are then transplanted into 40-cubic-inch, 4.5-in azalea, or 1-gal pots (depending on the size of the rooted cutting) in a commercial peat-lite mix. The plants are grown in the greenhouse for an additional 1 to 2 months prior to moving to a shade house for hardening off.
Hardening Phase:	We overwinter cuttings taken in midsummer in the greenhouse and move 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. Cuttings can be taken in early summer or as winter hardwood cuttings in order to avoid maintaining them in active growth in the greenhouse during the winter months. 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:	Rooted cuttings overwinter well in a hoophouse in various size containers. The hoophouse is ventilated when temperatures reach 35 to 40øF and heated to maintain a temperature of 5 to 10øF. 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).
Length of Storage:	Fully dormant plants store well for several weeks at 34 to 37øF and 80+% relative humidity.
Other Comments:	Easy to propagate by stem cuttings.

Citation:

Scianna, Joe. 2003. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Symphoricarpos oreophilus plants Forty-cubic-inch, 4.5-inch azalea, or 1-gal pots, depending on plant size.; USDA NRCS - Bridger Plant Materials Center Bridger, Montana. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/05/05). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.