Native Plant Germination and Growth in a Subirrigation System

Native plant and forest nurseries consume high amounts of water when irrigating crops with overhead and hand-watering systems. As water conservation continues to be an issue, subirrigation is being considered as an alternative watering method by growers and nursery owners. We tested the germination and growth of redosier dogwood (Cornus sericea) in a subirrigation system. During germination, we compared treatments with and without overhead misting and germination cloth in addition to subirrigation. We also tested two fertilizers—Osmocote® Pro 17-5-11 and Nutri-Rich 8-2-4—applied in two ways—incorporated or top dressed. Results showed that germination was successful using subirrigation only, but germination was highest in treatments that also had germination cloth and received overhead misting twice a day. The treatments with incorporated Osmocote® grew more in the nursery, but the treatments with top-dressed Osmocote® grew taller after outplanting. The Nutri-Rich fertilizer did not work in this experiment because of a pest infestation. The experiment showed that subirrigation can be used to successfully germinate seed and that nursery cultural practices can be manipulated to improve germination rates, to reduce overall water and fertilizer use, and to adjust growth rates in the nursery and the field. This paper was presented at the annual meeting of the Western Forest and Conservation Nursery Association (Eugene, OR, October 26–27, 2015).

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Author(s): Rebecca A. Sheridan, Becca Lieberg, Anthony S. Davis

Publication: Tree Planters' Notes - Volume 59, Number 2 (2016)

Event: Western Forest and Conservation Nursery Association Meeting
2015 - Eugene, OR

Volume: 59

Number: 2