Juncus (effusus)

Lee Riley Horticulturist USDA FS - Dorena Genetic Resource Center 34963 Shoreview Road Cottage Grove, Oregon 97424 541-915-7324 541-767-5709 (fax) lee.riley@usda.gov

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Family Scientific Name:	Juncaceae
Family Common Name:	Rush
Scientific Name:	Juncus effusus
Common Name:	Common rush
Species Code:	JUEF
Ecotype:	Mt Hood National Forest, Oregon; Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington
General Distribution:	Most of United States. Soft rush is naturally found throughout the temperate and sub-tropical areas of North America, Europe, and Asia, with the exception of the arid and high altitude regions. It inhabits fresh to brackish marshes, swamps, ditches, and moist seasonal wetlands and meadows. Soft rush is tolerant of diverse site conditions, but thrives in direct sun, finely textured soils, salinity less than 14ppt., pH from 4.0 to 6.0, and shallow water (less than 6 inches).
Propagation Goal:	Plants
Propagation Method:	Seed
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	107 ml (6.5 in3) container
Time To Grow:	10 weeks
Target Specifications:	Stock Type: Container seedling. Well-developed crown and firm plug in container.
Propagule Collection:	The flowering period is late May to August, occasionally to September. Seed ripens in early August. Phenology will change by area, aspect, elevation, and specific site conditions. Seed may be collected by hand, using a pair of hand shears, or with a gas-powered handheld seed harvester. The tiny, black seeds are easily lost from the capsules when collecting by hand. Be careful to keep capsules upright before putting in collection bag. Use paper sacks when collecting seeds for this species.
Propagule Processing:	To clean the seed, run the collection through a hammermill to break up debris and knock the seeds loose. Use a 1/20 inch screen on the top and a solid sheet on the bottom of the seed cleaner. Adjust the air flow to blow off the chaff. The cleaning process can be speeded up by shaking the hammermilled collection to settle seed to the bottom of the pan. The top portion of the chaff can then be discarded and the seed-rich mixture that is left in the bottom can be run through the seed cleaner.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Due to small seed size and short growing season, seeds are mixed with sand and sown directly into target containers. Growing medium used in these cells consists of 40:20:20:20 peat:composted fir bark:perlite:pumice with Nutricote controlled release fertilizer (18N:6P2O5:8K2O with minors; 140-d release rate at 21C) at the rate of 0.5 gram Nutricote per 107 ml container. Entire racks are sealed inside plastic bags and placed into refrigeration at 1 to 3 °C for 60 days. Cells are checked weekly and kept moist throughout the stratification period.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Greenhouse growing facility. Racks are removed from stratification facilities and placed directly into greenhouses in mid-July. No additional time-release fertilizer is added to medium. Cells are irrigated lightly several times per day to ensure seeds are kept quite moist throughout the germination period.
Establishment Phase:	Germination is uniform and is usually complete in 1 to 2 weeks. Following germination, plants are fertilized with soluble 12-2-14-6Ca-3Mg at 100 ppm for 1 week.
Length of Establishment Phase:	2 weeks
Active Growth Phase:	Plants grow quickly during the active growth phase Soluble fertilizer 20-9-20 NPK at 150 ppm is applied weekly for 8 weeks.
Length of Active Growth Phase:	8 weeks
Hardening Phase:	No dry-down is done to induce dormancy. Seedlings are moved to an outdoor growing area in mid-September.
Length of Hardening Phase:	2 weeks
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Harvest Date: Mid-October Storage Conditions: Seedlings are usually outplanted in fall. No storage except in outdoor growing area. Plants are well irrigated prior to shipping and shipped in containers.
Other Comments:	Wetland classification: FACW The dense stands that soft rush form have deep fibrous root systems, which provide very good shoreline protection, filter suspended solids, up-take nutrients, and facilitate substrate oxidation. With its low pH and metal tolerances, soft rush often survives polluted conditions
References:	Dorena Genetic Resource Center Propagation Records, unpublished. [NRCS] USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Juncus effusus L. common rush. URL: https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=JUEF (accessed 7 Oct 2018). Stevens M. 2003. Plant guide for soft rush (Juncus effusus L.). Aberdeen (ID): USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Aberdeen Plant Materials Center. URL: https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_juef.pdf (accessed 7 Oct 2018). USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center. 2002. Common rush Juncus effusus L. URL: https://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_juef.pdf (accessed 7 Oct 2018).

Citation:

Riley, Lee E.; Klocke, Allison. 2018. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Juncus effusus Plants 107 ml (6.5 in3) container; USDA FS - Dorena Genetic Resource Center Cottage Grove, Oregon. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/04/21). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.