Ribes (erythrocarpum)

jtrindle USDA NRCS - Corvallis Plant Materials Center 3415 NE Granger Ave Corvallis, Oregon 58413 (541)757-4812 http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/orpmc

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Family Scientific Name:	Grossulariaceae
Family Common Name:	Currant and Gooseberry
Scientific Name:	Ribes erythrocarpum Coville & Leib.
Common Name:	Crater Lake currant
Species Code:	RIER
Ecotype:	Crater Lake National Park - in understory of firs and white-bark pine; around caldera rim at Sun Notch, and Vidae Falls, 6,500 ft.
General Distribution:	In Southern Oregon; Douglas, Klamath and Jackson Counties; localized species of Cascade Mountains in Southern Oregon
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	1 gallon containers
Time To Grow:	2 Years
Target Specifications:	well-branched shoots with mature wood
Propagule Collection:	Red-ripe berries collected in August and kept in plastic bags in cooler for transport. Further increase made by taking softwood cuttings off of established seedlings at greenhouse in Corvallis (semi-hardwood cuttings collected from native stands in August did not root well) See comments, below.
Propagule Processing:	Berries depulped in a blender with filed down / dulled blender blades in water; pulp poured off; seeds rinsed, drained and dried on paper toweling.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Seeds cold-moist stratified for 12 to 16 weeks; seed sown into standard "1040" flats, watered in and placed in polyethylene bags in walk-in cooler at 34 to 38 F. Germination spotty but established seedlings survived well.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Established seedlings transplanted into 1-gallon pots with a rich, organic compost-based potting mix with added peat and perlite. Held in poly greenhouse until mid may to establish; then moved outdoors to shadehouse (47% shadecloth) and held on raised benches, with drip irrigation, to allow for root pruning and good drainage. Established plants fertilized every 2 weeks with half-strength Peters' Triple 20 in May and June.
Establishment Phase:	quick-growing from seed; 2 to 3 fertilizations at 2-week intervals with Peters' 9-45-15 starter fertilizer.
Length of Establishment Phase:	2 months
Active Growth Phase:	Plants developed quickly from seed; canes long enough by mid-summer to be pruned back to encourage branching; these prunings were successfully used as softwood cuttings under mist for further increase.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	May to July
Hardening Phase:	Fertilizer ceased in July and watering intervals gradually lengthened; Shadecloth removed at end of August for full sun acclimation.
Length of Hardening Phase:	August - September
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Established plants held over winter outdoors in Corvallis in lathhouse. Plants were shipped via refrigerated van in August to ah holding facility at park for outplanting in September. First year survival in outplanting was very good.
Length of Storage:	Not known; but older seed lots did require longer seed stratification.
Other Comments:	Additional softwood cuttings collected in spring from plants held over winter rooted well under mist; cuttings placed directly into 10" cone-tainers in May resulted in well-established plants by August: these would have been suitable for direct outplanting rather than repotting into 1-gallon pots for delivery as 2 -year old plants.
References:	Corvallis Plant Materials Center Technical Report: Plants for Woodland and Rangeland Reclamation and Erosion Control 1980 - 1997 (includes Annual Reports to Mount Rainier National Park from 1990 - 1996 Link, Ellen, ed. 1993 Native Plant Propagation Techniques for National Parks Interim Guide; Compiled by Rose Lake Plant Materials Center 7472 Stoll Road East Lansing, MI 48823 Hitchcock , C.L. and A. Cronquist 1973 Flora of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, Seattle Wa. Rose, Robin, C.E.C. Chachulski and D. Haase. Propagation of Pacific Northwest Native Plants 1998 Or. State U. Press, Corvallis, Oregon USDA, NRCS. 2001. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.1 (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA. Young, James A. and Cheryl G. Young. 1986. Collecting, Processing, and Germinating Seeds of Wildland Plants. Timber Press, Portland, OR Young, James A. and Cheryl G. Young. 1992 Seeds of Woody Plants in North America. Dioscorides Press, Portland, OR

Citation:

Flessner, Theresa R; Trindle, Joan D.C.. 2003. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Ribes erythrocarpum Coville & Leib. plants 1 gallon containers; USDA NRCS - Corvallis Plant Materials Center Corvallis, Oregon. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/04/20). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.