Aronia (arbutifolia)

John M. Englert USDA NRCS - Norman A. Berg National Plant Materials Center Bldg. 509, BARC - East, E. Beaver Dam Road Beltsville, Maryland 20705 (301) 504-8175 (301) 504-8741 (fax) john.englert@wdc.usda.gov http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov/mdpmc/

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Family Scientific Name:	Rosaceae
Family Common Name:	Rose
Scientific Name:	Aronia arbutifolia
Common Name:	Red chokeberry
Species Code:	AROARB
Ecotype:	National Capital Parks East - Washington, D.C., Oxon Run Parkway
General Distribution:	Newfoundland to Florida to Texas, extending to Kentucky and West Virginia. Found in bogs, swamps, and wet woods - less often in dry soil.
Propagation Goal:	plants
Propagation Method:	vegetative
ProductType:	Container (plug)
Stock Type:	1 gallon container
Time To Grow:	0
Target Specifications:	Stock Type: 1 to 2 gallon container plants. Height: 24-48 inches. Root System: roots fill container, form a firm rootball.
Propagule Collection:	Collected in National Capital Parks-East, Washington, D.C., Oxon Run Parkway by J. Kujawski on 9/24/97.
Propagule Processing:	Seeds arecleaned from flesh over a wire screen, air dried, and put in storage until stratified. Seeds/Kg: Approximately 700,000. Germination: 8%. Purity: 80%.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	Seed Processing: Seeds are stratified for 90 days in moist peat in NPMC cooler @ 40 F. Hand sow on open flat of germination mix.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	Container Type and Volume: Seeds are sown in open flats and then transplanted to quart containers and larger as needed. Growing Media: Germination mix is used in open flats. A woody plant mix of 2:1 Sunshine #1 and fine shredded pine bark plus 180 day Nutricote 18-8-6 is used for larger containers.
Establishment Phase:	Sowing Date: January-February. Sowing/Planting Technique: Seeds are hand sown in open flats, covered with a small amount of germination mix, and watered. The flats are set on a bench in the greenhouse and kept at ambient temperatures. Flats are kept moist by hand-watering.
Hardening Phase:	Hardening Phase: Plants started in the greenhouse are transplanted into quarts and moved outside to a shade house in May. Container plants remain in the shade house until they are taken for planting at the park.
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	Two growing seasons to get a 1-2 gallon container plant. Seed storage: Seeds are stored dry, in plastic containers in NPMC cooler @ 40 F, 35% relative humidity. Storage Conditions: Container plants smaller than 1 gallon are stored in a cold house @ 40 F for the winter; containers are periodically watered to prevent dehydration. Gallon size and larger containers are stored outside. Containers are laid on their side in a block on weed barrier fabric, and covered with 2 layers of a microfoam insulating blanket. The blanket is secured over plants by threading a rope over the blanket between rebar anchors on either side of the block of plants.
Length of Storage:	<b>Storage Duration:</b> December to mid-March.
Other Comments:	Vegetation Propagation Method: Aronia can be propagated by softwood cuttings taken in late June-early July. Cuttings are trimmed to 6 inches, bottom ends are dipped in a 1:10 solution of Dip `N Grow and water, and cuttings are stuck in flats of perlite under mist in the greenhouse.
References:	USDA Forest Service. 1974. Agriculture Handbook No. 450: Seeds of Woody Plants in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. Kujawski, J. 1997 Annual Report to the National Park Service for National Capital Parks-East Oxon Run Parkway. USDA NRCS National Plant Materials Center, Beltsville, MD. Kujawski, J. 1998 Annual Report to the National Park Service for National Capital Parks-East Oxon Run Parkway. USDA NRCS National Plant Materials Center, Beltsville, MD. Gleason and Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada, 2nd edition. New York Botanical Garden.

Citation:

Kujawski, Jennifer L.; Davis, Kathy M.. 2001. Propagation protocol for production of Container (plug) Aronia arbutifolia plants 1 gallon container; USDA NRCS - Norman A. Berg National Plant Materials Center Beltsville, Maryland. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2024/04/26). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.