Arctostaphylos (catalinae)
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Michael Herrera Nursery Manager Catalina Island Conservancy PO Box 2739 Avalon, California 90704 (310) 510-2904 (310) 510-3157 (fax) mherrera@catalinaconservancy.org www.catalinaconservancy.org |
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| Family Scientific Name: | Ericaceae | ||
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| Family Common Name: | Heath Family | ||
| Scientific Name: | Arctostaphylos catalinae P.V. Wells | ||
| Common Name: | Catalina manzanita | ||
| Species Code: | ARCCAT | ||
| Ecotype: | Catalina Island, California | ||
| General Distribution: | Catalina manzanita is an infrequent endemic species to the island. It is considered rare and endangered in parts of its range. It is found growing in chaparral habitat, usually on north and east facing slopes draining toward the channel. | ||
| Propagation Goal: | plants | ||
| Propagation Method: | seed | ||
| ProductType: | Container (plug) | ||
| Time To Grow: | 0 | ||
| Target Specifications: | Height: N/A<br> Caliper: N/A<br> Root System: Firm root plug in container. | ||
| Propagule Collection: | Seeds are hand collected when fruits have fully matured. We have collected fruits from late July to mid November. August and September are optimum for collection. | ||
| Propagule Processing: |
Fruits are allowed to dry in paper bags in a warm, dry room. We clean the seeds by running dry fruits through a modified blender to remove pulp from the seeds. We sift blended material through Graimans brand C or X pan to remove fine debris. We use a blower to clean material at 20, 60 and finally at 80 setting to remove debris. After seeds have been cleaned, they are stored under refrigeration in air tight glass containers at 40 F and 40% RH. Fruits can also be soaked in water for 24 hours prior to cleaning to facilitate cleaning. With 5 collections, seeds weigh an average of 41.8 grams per 100 seeds. |
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| Pre-Planting Treatments: |
Inferred seed dormancy for Arctostaphylos is physical-physiological dormancy. We have used several pretreatments to break seed dormancy. Seeds are scarified using a modified blender and are soaked in water for 24 hours.We have also pretreated seeds found in fox scat that were presumably scarified. We place seeds in a flat filled with medium and cover the top with 1/2 inch deep layer of chamise and pine needles. Duff is set on fire and allowed to burn down. We cold moist stratify seeds at 40 F for several months. In some cases, seeds fail to emerge the first year and go through a natural warm, moist stratification during summer months, followed by a second cold, moist stratification during winter months. Germination percentages are highly variable, but are typically low (6 to 7%). |
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| Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops: |
The James H. Ackerman Native Plant Nursery is located on Catalina Island off the coastof southern California. From 1993 to 2004, the average maximum and minimum temperatures have been 75.4 F and 46 F, with an average of 361 frost free days per year and annual rainfall of 14 inches. The facility is comprised of shade houses, mist propagation house, and an outdoor growing compound. All propagation environments are utilized at different stages of seedling growth to provide for the variance in temperature and shading requirements needed during the growing season. We irrigate all containers with an overhead emitter system in the shadehouses and use a drip system or by hand watering in the outdoor nursery. |
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| Establishment Phase: |
Seeds are germinated during winter months in a shadehouse were they remain for several weeks. Flats are filled with a 1 inch layer of special seed germination mix of 1:1 (v:v) Sunshine Professional Growing Mix and sand on top of 4:1:1 (v:v:v) peat, perlite, and organic compost. We incorporate Osmocote time release fertilizer (9 month release rate) (14 N:14P2O5:14K2O) at the rate of « cup per 0.75 cubic yard of medium. Seeded flats are watered with an overhead emitter system as needed. Seedlings can germinate over a several month period. |
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| Active Growth Phase: |
After seedlings are well established and have at least 2 true leaves, they are transplanted into containers filled with a growing medium of 4:1:1 (v:v:v) peat, perlite, and organic compost. Osmocote time release fertilizer (9 mo release rate) (14 N:14P2O5:14K2O) is incorporated into the medium at a rate of of 1/2 cup per .75 cubic yards of medium. Beginning in 2005, we began using organic fertilizers incorporated onto our growing media mixes. When using our 4:1:1 medium, our organic fertilizer blend consists of NatureTech fertilizer (3lbs), blood meal (1lb), Calpril (0.5 lbs), and Dolopril (O.5 lbs) per 2 cubic yards of medium. |
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| Hardening Phase: | All nursery stock grown under shadehouse conditions is hardened by placing them in full sun exposure for a minimum of 2 weeks prior to outplanting. | ||
| Length of Hardening Phase: | 2 to 4 weeks | ||
| Harvesting, Storage and Shipping: |
Containerized seedlings are over wintered directly in the open growing compound. Our ideal outplanting season runs from November to mid-March when moisture is available. We water nursery stock once after planting. |
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| Length of Storage: | Variable; depends on outplanting date. | ||
Citation:
Herrera, Mike; Takara, Janet. 2006. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Arctostaphylos catalinae P.V. Wells plants Catalina Island Conservancy Avalon, California. 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.
