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NPN Protocol Details Image

Andropogon (gerardii)

Morris J. Houck, Jr.
USDA NRCS - James E. "Bud" Smith Plant Materials Center
3776 Farm Road 1292
Knox City, Texas 79529-2514
(940) 658-3922
(940) 658-3047 (fax)
mhouck@tx.nrcs.usda.gov
http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/txpmc
Family Scientific Name: Poaceae
Family Common Name: Grass Family
Scientific Name: Andropogon gerardii Vitman
Common Name: Big bluestem
Species Code: ANGE
Ecotype: Guy Sandy Area and Upper Guy Sandy Area.
General Distribution: Dry soil, prairies and open woods, Quebec and Maine to Saskatchewan and Montana, south to Florida, Wyoming, Utah, and Arizona; Mexico. An important forage grass in the prairie States of the Mississippi Valley, and a constituent of prairie hay.
Propagation Goal: plants
Propagation Method: seed
ProductType: Propagules (seeds, cuttings, poles, etc.)
Time To Grow: 0
Target Specifications: Stock Type: Height: 7 ft. Caliper: N/A. Root System: Short rhizomes.
Propagule Collection: Collected in NRCS James E. `Bud' Smith Plant Materials Center, Knox City, Texas by Morris Houck on 11/20/1990.
Propagule Processing: Seed Processing: Seeds harvested with direct combine. Seeds cleaned with shaker air-screen separation, at the NRCS PMC.
Seeds/Kg: 86,818.
Germination: 43%.
Purity: 55%.
Growing Area Preparation/
Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:		 Propagation Environment: Field production planting.

Seed Propagation Method: Direct seeding on listed beds, irrigation, cultivation and fertilization.
Establishment Phase: Sowing Date: Late winter and early spring.

Emergence and Date: 90% emergence within four weeks with several irrigations.

Sowing/Planting Technique:<.b> Direct seeding with grass drill.

Establishment Phase: N/A.
Active Growth Phase: Rapid Growth Phase: N/A.
Hardening Phase: Hardening Phase: N/A.
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping: Harvest Date: Mid-summer to late fall.

Total Time To Harvest: June-November.

Storage Conditions: Temperature regulated seed storage at 50ยง Fahrenheit/50% Humidity.
Length of Storage: <b>Storage Duration: </b> Up to 7 months.
References: Manual of the Grasses of the United States, 757-758; NRCS James E. `Bud' Smith Plant Materials Center, Knox City, Texas, Plant Collection Information, ECS-580.

Citation:

Esquivel, Rudy G.. 2002. Propagation protocol for production of Propagules (seeds, cuttings, poles, etc.) Andropogon gerardii Vitman plants USDA NRCS - James E. "Bud" Smith Plant Materials Center Knox City, Texas. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/04/03). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.