Volume 39

Author: Francis R. Gouin

PP: 489

Nutrient rich compost is becoming more available as an increasing number of municipalities adopt environmentally sound methods of composting to recycle sewage sludge, yard waste, and garbage. The use of quality compost in plant propagation can provide many benefits, although the quality of compost will vary according to: raw materials used, age of compost, and management of the composting facilities.

Author: Poul Erik Brander

PP: 494

Research on trees and shrubs for use as ornamentals and for landscaping has been carried out since 1965 at the Research Center for Horticulture, Institute of Landscape Plants, Hornum, Denmark. On the base of the research it can be concluded that there are often cultivated, genetically very different clones under the same cultivar or species name. Research has proved that through a systematic scheme of collecting plant material, followed by a trial and clone test, it is possible to select the best clones, and in that way improve the general standard of the cultivated plant material.

Author: Calvin Chong, Wayne Brown

PP: 507

This study examined the effect of four cylindrical-shaped (Multipot series) and two rectangular-shaped (Rootrainer series) plug trays filled with four different rooting media on rooting and subsequent growth of privet (Ligustrum vulgare). Cuttings inserted in Multipot #4 (largest capacity) yielded the poorest rooting but subsequently the largest plants. There was a reversed tendency for cuttings inserted in Ferdinand Rootrainer (smallest capacity). Peat/perlite and peat/polystyrene media (1:1 v/v) were better for rooting than sand/peat and sand/polystyrene media. There was no apparent residual effect of medium on later growth.

Author: Thomas S. Pinney Jr.

PP: 527

INTRODUCTION

The mission of this paper is to present some thoughts on the place of sexual propagation in the nursery industry. There needs to be an intentional balance of sexual and asexual propagation used by our industry to fulfill world-wide environmental plant needs, i.e. "Global Releaf". This discussion assumes careful screening and selection of seed sources. I have purposely not referred to specific plants since I feel it is important for the reader to "dream" and think of his or her applicable plants.

Author: Wayne Lovelace

PP: 529

A number of years ago the National Landscape Association began periodically tallying the species of trees its members were satisfactorily using on their projects. Their most recent survey of the top 15 species of shade trees and the top 15 species of flowering trees indicates the basic list has not changed much in the past 20 to 25 years. The dramatic change, however, has occurred in the use of named cultivars of the species most commonly used. To properly discuss this change one should look at the changes occurring in the nursery business.

Author: Robert L. Mazalewski

PP: 101

It is the opinion of the author that one should decide how the fog system is to be used, whether for cooling or for the production of high humidity required for plant propagation. Furthermore, the greenhouse manager must realize that the system will require extensive maintenance, as well as having periods of downtime.

Author: J. Michael Evans

PP: 141

INTRODUCTION

Certain plant species that are now or may become threatened with extinction are protected under one or several, international, federal, state, or local laws. These laws place restrictions on certain activities such as import, export, foreign or interstate commerce, and removal from areas under agency or governmental jurisdiction. The purpose of this paper is to outline the legal protection, explain the terminology, and mention certain programs regarding endangered plant species. A list of ten principles for propagation of endangered species is offered as a guide for restorationists and nursery professionals.

Author: Gene Blythe

PP: 154

The rooting of selected cultivars of Cupressus and × Cupressocyparis leylandii was evaluated utilizing various cutting treatments. Cuttings of Cupressus glabra rooted best with the use of an 8,000 ppm IBA dip and a 6,000 ppm IBA + 6,000 ppm NAA dip; 6,000 ppm IBA was the optimal treatment for Cupressus macrocarpa ‘Donard Gold’. Cupressus sempervirens ‘Glauca’ produced the highest rooting percentages when cuttings were treated with 8,000 ppm IBA; 6,000 ppm IBA was optimal for rooting cuttings of × Cupressocyparis leylandii. Clone 121 tended to root the most readily of the three clones tested.

Author: Gabor Schmidt

PP: 250

In experiments between 1978 and 1989, ornamental members of the Cupressaceae family and Tilia tomentosa displayed more or less clearly distinguishable histological and morphological marks in their juvenile and adult (sometimes also in transitional) stages of development, the juvenile always being the better rooters. Adult specimens of the above mentioned plants could be reverted to the very juvenile stage by vegetative propagation, shading, etiolation, changing the position of shoot, or other treatments. The first new leaves, however, retained their adult shape and only the further, entirely newly initiated ones began to display transitional or juvenile characters.

Author: Sandra Hetherington, R. Keith Orme

PP: 56

Cuttings of Eucalyptus globulus seedlings from a number of Tasmanian provenance were examined to assess inter and intra provenance differences in root production. When grown under glasshouse conditions with bottom heat there were no significant differences in the rooting ability of cuttings between provenances. However, within provenances there was a large amount of variation among individual seedlings. Also, there were large differences in the number of roots produced on rooted cuttings. For clonal plantations of E. globulus intensive selection for easy propagation of cuttings is mandatory.

Author: Ian R. Hall

PP: 281

The very highly-prized Périgold black truffle and Piedmont white truffle only occur naturally in Europe in close association with the roots of particular host plants. The Périgold black truffle has been introduced into New Zealand and techniques have been developed for raising oak and hazelnut trees infected with it. The life cycle of this fungus, its climatic and soil requirements, and the potential for growing it commercially in New Zealand are outlined.

Author: Bob Austin

PP: 310

Chlorination has long been the accepted and proven method of controlling pathogens in irrigation water in nursery situations. In 1987 I was approached with a relatively new and possibly broader-spectrum method of control, bromination. I had heard it had been used in jacuzzis and swimming pools as a germicide in the water to stop "Legionnaires Disease." This peaked my curiosity as to what it could do for my plant material. The purpose of this paper is to compare bromine in solid form with chlorine gas for use in irrigation water to control pathogens.

Author: Homer L. Collins

PP: 328

Fire ants are a unique pest, causing a variety of problems depending upon the ecosystem involved. Before we consider specifically about how to control fire ants in nursery stock, I would like to review briefly the history of fire ants in the United States.

Author: W.L. Corley

PP: 332

From the world collection of 350 ornamental grasses, 17 were rated as superior, low-maintenance performers in climatic zone 8A. Their propagation modes were studied simultaneously with evaluation as landscape plants. All annual grasses propagated readily from seeds with the exception of crimson fountain grass, which is sterile. Many of the perennial grasses are sterile, making division the usual form of vegetative propagation, but four grasses root readily from stem cuttings; blue lyme, crimson fountain, ribbon, and sea oats. Tissue-culture techniques have been developed for Miscanthus and pampas grass cultivars.

Author: G. Shannon Smith

PP: 380

An exciting and potentially profitable research area for a wholesale nursery is the collection, evaluation, production, and release of new plant materials. ‘New’ does not necessarily mean unknown but may include any wild or cultivated plant of merit that can be collected and commercialized. Thus, a primary goal of our research program is the introduction of new ornamentals, including native and exotic plants.

Author: Sven E. Svenson, Fred T. Davies Jr

PP: 385

Net photosynthesis of apical stem cuttings of poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Klotzsch) was studied during the development of adventitious roots. Photosynthesis in cuttings was low before root primordia formation, increased slightly upon root initiation and increased rapidly upon root emergence. Dedifferentiation and root initiation was apparently independent of photosynthetic rate while photosynthetic rate increased with the development of adventitious roots. There appears to be no benefit from using higher light intensities under mist propagation until after poinsettia cuttings have initiated roots.

Author: John B. Wight Jr.

PP: 396

Good, happy, properly-trained and motivated people in the right positions are the key to company growth and success. Measuring and reporting work results is important both to the company and to individuals working singly and in teams. Considerate personnel management practices should allow employers and employees to have excellent satisfying careers in the best business in America.

Following is an outline of what we consider the key elements in a management program that will give these results.

Author: T.H. Yeager, G.W. Knox, G.W. Simone, H.M. Gramling, R.D. Newton

PP: 399

Five months of irrigation with 0.2 ppm free chlorine did not result in reduced root isolations of Pythium,Phytophthora, or Rhizoctonia, or number of propagules in the growth medium of Juniperus conferta ‘Blue Pacific’. Number of propagules in the growth medium of Elaeagnus pungens (silver thorn) was generally less for chlorinated than nonchlorinated plants.

Author: Neville J. Mendham

PP: 38

INTRODUCTION

Plant breeding is one of the oldest arts and is basic to our civilization. Hunter/gatherers in different parts of the world became so familiar with the wild plants which they gathered each year that they began planting them and selecting seed to be saved each year for the following season. This occurred around 10,000 years ago in the Middle East (based on wheat, barley, peas, lucerne and other crops), and somewhat more recently in Central America (maize, beans, tomatoes, sunflower) and Asia (rice, soybeans). The main domestication process in these crops was completed at an early stage, whereas many other food and fibre crops and ornamental plants have been taken into cultivation since, with the process still underway for crops such as fennel and boronia.

As a science, plant breeding dates to the 19th century, in either established crops like cereals, where the Australian, William Farrer, was a pioneer, or in new crops such as sugar beet and rubber. An understanding of

Author: Robert Van Der Staay

PP: 77

As many of you are aware, Zantedeschia is a flowering plant that has been talked about extensively over the last three to five years. Coloured hybrids have been selected by talented growers, resulting in a variety of new colours now being available. New Zealand growers have been at the forefront, but these plants are a relatively new crop in Australia.

Zantedeschias have been a very small part of the flower industry for many years. The traditional colours grown were white (arum lily) and yellow. In one state in Australia the arum lily has been declared a noxious weed, as it has escaped into native marshland.

Zantedeschias can be considered in two main groups: (1) "Zantz," the summer-flowering group that has the greatest marketability, and (2) the cool-temperature, late autumn to early spring flowering group, the "Kiwi Calla."

Both these groups have very distinctive behaviour. The summer-flowering group does not do well
under wet conditions, and is deciduous in winter. The winter-

Author: Rick Wells

PP: 475

During the early seventies, Monrovia Nursery Company, seeing the writing on the wall, began investigating the possibilities of controlling water runoff to conserve water, protect the environment, reduce regulatory constraints, and save money.

In 1969, the California legislature, upon recommendation from the State Water Resources Control Board, passed the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Act, and in 1972 Congress amended the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (which was originally drafted in 1956). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had delegated to the regional Boards the responsibility of setting water standards for their areas. The Los Angeles Water Quality Control Board set certain parameters for discharge water (Table 1), and in 1975 we were asked to monitor our discharges.

Author: Carol S. Glenister

PP: 483

INTRODUCTION

Biological control is the use of beneficial organisms to keep pest organisms under control. In the context of the greenhouse and nursery, such beneficial organisms include beneficial bacteria, beneficial fungi, beneficial nematodes, beneficial insects, and beneficial mites (1, 2). Beneficial insects and mites are used extensively throughout European glasshouse vegetables for control of greenhouse whiteflies and spider mites (4, 6) and are seeing increased use in interior landscapes (5).

This paper describes a demonstration project using beneficial insects and mites for control of greenhouse pests in Arthur H. Steffen’s clematis in Rochester, New York. Steffen’s, the largest propagator of clematis worldwide, first experimented with biological controls in 1977 (3). They see innovation toward biological controls as one of the answers to public and worker concerns with chemical pesticides.

The project was originally intended to be a demonstration of biological control of

Author: Dale G. Deppe

PP: 498

First of all, we need to define what a stock block is. A stock block is a group of plants set aside for the propagation department’s use. Generally these are plants from which cutting wood or scion wood is gathered, but also stock blocks can be used as a seed orchard. This discussion will deal primarily with stock blocks used for the production of cutting wood.

"To supply the propagation department with cutting wood", that’s an easy statement to make, but not so easy to do. How many of you have been able to collect the cutting wood you needed this year? How many of you attained a high percentage of rooting and rooted those big cuttings that transplant so well? Did you take only the wood that was the proper size or did you take some cuttings that were thin or short? How many times did you go back to the same plants and try to get a few more cuttings? Did you find out later that the sales department was blaming propagation for reducing the size of salable plant material. Did the

Author: Mark L. Richey

PP: 502

Probably one of the most difficult areas in nursery work is the area of accounting. We would rather be out in the nursery or greenhouse doing something productive than sitting at a desk making notes or filling out records forms. Of course, all of us have perfect memories and remember the context in which a decision was made several years after the fact. It is with this sarcasm in mind that I approach the subject of record keeping and costing variables.

I look back over the years at Zelenka Nursery and see how propagation has evolved. Think for a moment about your experiences. Some are pleasurable moments that give you great satisfaction, while others still give you a twinge in the pit of your stomach over how a project turned sour. What did you learn from those experiences? I was told when I first started propagating that I would learn propagation by killing cuttings. However, I also understood that when I did kill cuttings, I would not do it again the same way!

Setting up a

Author: Arthur J. Oslach

PP: 514

Root zone heating has for many years been used in various types of nursery production. We, at Oslach Nurseries produce a large selection of conifer liners. We have used conventional propagation which consists of benches with hot water heating under the bench. This system proved unreliable and undependable in rooting a large number of conifers.

We, therefore, experimented with a new type of propagating structure and designed and built it especially for conifer production. Our first venture into root zone heating several years ago consisted of an in-ground bed lined with ½ in. polystyrene, with steel ¾ in. hot water pipes spaced approximately 10 in. apart. These pipes were embedded in cement sand and then further covered up with a layer of polyester to prevent damage to the system by rooting out of the bottom of the flats into the pipes and heat pipe areas. This system works quite effectively and we found that our production increased and the quality of our cuttings improved. At the

Author: William Flemer III

PP: 516

Whenever new technologies in plant propagation are developed it is natural to take a critical look at old, long established methods to see whether they should be abandoned. Two of the very oldest methods of vegetative plant propagation are grafting and its later offshoot, bud grafting or budding. Twig or branch grafting is very old indeed, being mentioned in the old testament of the Bible and having been quite clearly portrayed in several ancient Egyptian tomb paintings. Cutting propagation is even older and found wide use in the ancient world, particularly in the propagation of grapevines and olive trees. Early propagators obviously experimented with cutting propagation of many fruit and nut plants and found that some important genera such as apples, pears, and stone fruits could not be rooted at all from cuttings. At some point, some genius learned how to graft woody plants either in the Orient or the Near East or, perhaps, independently in both regions.

Plant propagation by

Author: Robert T. Schilpzand

PP: 523

Since 1985 I have been the tissue-culture plant grower at A. McGill & Son Nursery in Fairview, Oregon. In the last few years I have seen quite an increase of interest in tissue-culture plants. Our only supplier of tissue-culture material is Microplant Nurseries which is a joint venture of A. McGill and Son and Knollview Nurseries. After a shaky start we have come a long way. Currently A. McGill and Son grow by tissue culture:

            15 red maple cultivars

            15 crab apple cultivars

            2 ornamental cherry cultivars

            4 birch cultivars

            2 linden cultivars

            1 sugar maple cultivar

            1 amelanchier cultivar

We have been very successful in producing a field-ready plant for our growing fields and also for outside sales. Motivated by our motto of "Quality from Vigilance" we have worked to ensure a live tree in every hole, the result has been producing material we can be proud of.

Author: Peter Lewis

PP: 80

In recent years, the Australian nursery industry has witnessed the introduction of the ICI-developed product, Bonzi® (a.i. = 4g/l paclobutrazol). This is a new plant growth regulator with very broad spectrum growth retardant properties. The horticultural benefits of Bonzi® to the nursery industry include:

• Reduction in vegetative growth leading to a more compact plant.
• Reduction in numbers of treatments required compared to other products.
• Longer duration of control.
• Increased and earlier flowering.
• Improved colouration, including darker green foliage and improved flower colour (Pers.comm.ICI).

The objective of this experiment was to observe the effect of five Bonzi® treatments on three Eucalyptus species and four Chamelaucium cultivars.

PP: 532

The Thirty-Ninth Annual Banquet was held in the Concert Hall/Salon A Rooms of the Royal York Hotel, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

On behalf of the International Plant Propagators’ Society-Eastern Region, a research grant of $1500 was presented to Knuttel Nursery for research, entitled “A Comparison of Rhododendron Juvenility in Seedlings, Microcuttings and Macrocuttings.” Laura K. Judd and Anna J. Knuttel received the award for Knuttel Nursery.

Kathleen Freeland made the following presentation

AWARD OF MERIT

Being asked to present the Award of Merit is truly a privilege. As you know, this award is the most prestigious that the Eastern Region, IPPS, gives to one of their own. However, as this is the one scenario where we as a group seek to find the most worthy among us but then do not immediately share the name of the recipient until the Annual Meeting Banquet, often the gradual awareness of the recipient among us is the most exciting event of all.

Tonight the award goes

Author: Thomas L. Green

PP: 534

I joined the staff of the Morton Arboretum in 1980 after completing my Ph. D. degree in Plant Pathology at Iowa State University in 1979. While at Iowa State I selected entomology as my major field, with emphasis on pest management as my minor. During the 1970’s, Integrated Pest Management(IPM) was a BUZZ word. I translated BUZZ word to mean something that the federal Government would fund for research. Some faculty positions were established at Iowa State University and elsewhere relating to IPM.

Congress translated IPM as the replacement of chemical pesticides with biological and other means of pest control. Yet, I learned that IPM was only one component of an economic management program for crop production, or forest management, or golf course management, or arboretum management, or whatever.

Ladybugs may be an excellent control for green bugs on a vegetable crop. But where do you get 10 million; how do you disperse them; how do you get them to eat the pest; and how do you prevent them from

Author: Steven M. Still, Tracy DiSabato-Aust, Tim Rhodus

PP: 539

There has been a substantial increase in the production of herbaceous perennials (here referred to as perennials) in the past several years. Much of this production increase has occurred in container production. In areas where winter temperatures approach or go below 0°F, perennials require some type of winter protection.

Research in overwintering container perennials has not kept pace with the needs of the industry. There has been limited published research on root and crown hardiness of perennials. Research is needed to determine the minimum soil temperature to which roots of different perennial species can be subjected.

Some research has been done in identifying successful overwintering methods for perennials; however, this area still needs much attention. Various overwintering methods are utilized by growers across the United States and Canada. Most of what is known is based on grower experience. Growers may be providing high priced overwintering measures that provide more protection

Author: Ralph Shugert, Bruce Briggs

PP: 548

The Question Box Session was convened at 8:40 a.m. with Ralph Shugert and Bruce Briggs serving as Moderators.

MODERATOR SHUGERT: Question for Dr. Waxman. What pregermination treatments do you apply to seeds of eastern larch?

SID WAXMAN: Stratify for 30 to 60 days and then plant.

MODERATOR SHUGERT: Question for Dale Deppe. How often do you replace stock block plants?

DALE DEPPE: We do not have a system of continuous stock block replacement. When we first plant we usually plant about ¼ of the number that we eventually will need. So we have had to replant additional blocks later as we increase production. By pruning back the stock blocks hard we have had good success rooting the cuttings with the stock blocks and have not had to replant.

RALPH SHUGERT: When I worked for the old Cole Nursery we used to keep blocks for 8 years. That timing was just the owners decision and may have been related to juvenility. We would start a new block after 6 years so it would be ready

Author: Jack Alexander

PP: 556

SIDNEY WAXMAN: Pinus densiflora ‘Sunburst’ is a dominant plant selected from many seedlings collected from a witches’-broom found on the grounds of the Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Illinois. This tree was selected from among 70 seedlings because of its bold branches and bright-yellow, extra-long needles that radiate about each terminal bud. Pinus densiflora ‘Sunburst’ would be a good choice as a specimen or as a contrasting tree among other conifers. ‘Sunburst‘ grown from seed has attained a height of 10 ft and a width of 12 ft in 10 years.

Pinus strobus ‘David’ was a seedling collected from a witches’-broom in Granby, Connecticut. It is faster growing than most of the other white pine dwarfs. After 25 years it has reached a height of 15 ft and width of 11.5 ft. This tree was selected because of its growth habit and form. While most other dwarf white pines are either equal in their height and width dimensions, or wider than high; this selection is taller than wide and should be a good

Author: Michael Garrett

PP: 83

A handful of fern species and cultivars is at present well entrenched in the trade as indoor ferns in Australia. Fewer however, are so widely known or used for culture out-of-doors. It seems only logical to look at Tasmania’s own "bush ferns" as possible candidates to help fill this niche. They already suit the climatic conditions but particular attention should be paid to their other requirements. Unless otherwise stated, the ferns listed in this paper require some protection from exposure to harsh sun and wind, and require good drainage with an ample moisture supply. However, all ferns listed are selected because of their relative tolerance to the above conditions.

The majority of Tasmanian native ferns can be successfully raised from spore when it is available. By following the correct technique, thousands of fern plants can be ready for potting on within 8 to 12 months.

Author: A. Tom Keane

PP: 88

Carnations are dichogamous, i.e. the male and female flower parts are present in the same flower, but they mature at different times, thus preventing self-pollination.

When the anthers ripen first it is known as protandry, and when the stigma is receptive first, it is known as protogyny. The carnation is protandrous as the pollen is mature when the flower opens.

When breeding anything, whether it is plant or animal it is generally accepted that the final result will be as in nature, that is the strongest will be more dominant and eventually the most successful. So the first lesson comes from nature.

Selection for breeding. When selecting carnations for breeding, pick strong and vigorous plants. Usually the pollen-bearing male plants contribute more to the physical make up than the female plants, but they both contribute to the progeny.

The things to look at in carnation parent stock are:

1. resistance to disease, particularly rust.
2. a strong and lengthy stem.
3. a flower to look you in the

Author: Hildegard C. Jackson

PP: 91

There are different ways of propagating ferns. Some are multiplied by division or by "pups," others by tissue culture or by spores.

We propagate using spores, not by seeds, but by spores. Here lies one of the most fascinating differences between flowering plants and ferns. A single seed is a composite of more cells, a momentarily dormant embryo, in many cases already a tiny, tiny plant, visible only under the microscope.

A spore is a single cell, not an embryo, just a single cell, which by itself is not able to develop into a plant, not even into an embryo. A group of many spores, with the help of one another, will go through a pro-embryo stage—the so-called prothallium. If collected successfully, spores are put down on a medium. We use straight peat moss. In a few days or weeks the whole surface will turn into a wondrous, beautiful, green moss-like carpet. This is the prothallia, which is the gametophyte stage in the alternation of generations.

Author: Edward S. Carman

PP: 93

Our nursery was started by my father in 1937 as I entered high school. We grew bedding plants in wood flats using a sandy loam, leaf mold, and manure as a soil mix. After World War II, I became a partner with my father and a small general nursery evolved. In addition to annuals and perennials we grew ground covers and many of the common shrubs. Clay pots were still in general use for 6 in. and smaller material. Many trees were still field-grown and dug balled and burlapped (B & B) for sales to nurseries. This was about the time that nurseries began using discarded gallon cans from the canneries in the area as containers for nursery plants. Also about this time redwood sawdust came into general use for soil mixes. We were one of the first in the area to grow an assortment of perennial herbs in 3 in. clay pots which were sold with 5 or 6 cultivars to a flat.

In the late 1960’s I became sole owner and in 1970 we moved our house and nursery 1½ miles to our present location on one acre. Here

Author: Michael A. Gatzman

PP: 96

Nine out of ten greenhouse construction projects that I have seen in the last 5 years in California have serious problems, and it is from a lack of proper planning. To give you an instance that happened about 2 years ago, a very well-respected foliage grower decided he wanted to build a 200 × 600 ft. addition to his greenhouse, so he called up three greenhouse manufacturers, saying he wanted a 200 × 600 greenhouse addition, with a glass covering, with 50% shade, (which he had used in his original house), what is your bid, and how soon can you build it? A week later he let the contract out, the following day he is all over the contractor to get it completed in a hurry. This sounds like a familiar scenario. After completion he puts his foliage plants in it. Three weeks later they all burn up. Obviously it seems to be fault of the greenhouse construction company. The glass was wrong. The shade wasn’t right. What happened was his old 18 year old house had an acrylic covering, which had

Author: Steve McCulloch

PP: 105

Lilacs have been propagated and grown by nurserymen in the United States and other countries for several centuries. They are truly an old fashioned shrub noted in particular for their spring blossom color and fragrance. Many lilacs in the nursery trade have been labeled as "French hybrids." This is somewhat a misnomer. Although several hundred excellent lilacs were hybridized and introduced by the Lemoine Nursery of Nancy, France, other fine lilacs have been developed by several Frenchmen, other Europeans, and other sources—including individuals in the United States.

Lilacs may be propagated several different ways. The methods used include: 1. seed (2); 2. layering (simple, stool) (2); 3. root suckers (2, 11); 4. softwood cuttings (2, 3, 4, 11); 5. Grafting and budding (2, 11); and 6. tissue culture.

There are several reports on tissue culture of lilacs (1,2,5,6,8,10). At Briggs Nursery, we have been micropropagating Syringa since 1982. We have propagated many hundreds of

Author: Dan E. Parfitt

PP: 109

Conventional ex-situ germplasm storage is approached in two ways, via cold storage of seed or vegetative maintenance of plants in the field. Seed storage is used for most agronomic crops and annually propagated plants. However, a large class of plants with "recalcitrant," or difficult to store, seeds must be maintained vegetatively. Recalcitrant seeds, by definition, cannot be stored for long periods of time and are usually damaged by cold storage below 0°C. Many tropical and temperate tree fruit and nut crop species have recalcitrant seed. These species are usually maintained through vegetative propagation, usually in the field. The U.S. National Plant Germplasm System has established clonal germplasm repositories to maintain germplasm of many of these crops (19, 20).

In-vitro germplasm maintenance is an alternative to field maintenance of clones (7,21). Germplasm can be maintained in-vitro as shoot tips or meristems, as callus, or as somatic embryos. Shoot tips or meristems are the

Author: Darby Munro

PP: 43

Introduction

The presence of plant viruses can often be difficult to detect and, even if detected, the casual virus can be difficult to identify. This is in contrast to the obvious presence of most fungal disease and the ready identification of fungi. This difficulty creates a problem in perennials as the systemic nature of viruses in plant tissue and their persistence in plants means that all progeny obtained by vegetative propagation from infected perennial stock will also be infected.

The detection and identification of plant viruses is carried out by several means. Many virus diseases are self–indicating by their symptoms on leaves, flowers, or fruit. In cultivars that do not show clear symptoms infection can often be demonstrated by budding or grafting tissue into known sensitive "indicator" cultivars. Similarly herbaceous plants can be used as indicators if they show diagnostic symptoms when viruses are transmitted to them by insects or sap inoculation.

Other approaches to

Author: R.L. Ticknor

PP: 115

Developing a program for the production of forsythia as a pot plant started at North Willamette Research and Extension Center in 1980. Forsythia branches have been cut and forced for indoor use in early January for decades but many people prefer pot plants. An ideal forsythia pot plant would have many heavily flower-budded branches starting near the soil line. Stinson (7) also had this idea but his report was not brought to our attention until 1987.

Normally hardwood cuttings are used for propagation of forsythia and these were used in 1980 by graduate student, Robert Staton, to produced plants for evaluation of Dikegulac sodium (Atramec, Atrinal) to induce branching. Atrinal was used at 1000, 2000 and 3000 ppm, with 1000 ppm applied twice—April 15 and June 26—producing the best branching and flower bud formation. In later trials, softwood cuttings (2 to 3 nodes in length), obtained from forced stock plants during January and March, produced better plants.

’Lynwood’ and ‘Spring Glory’

Author: Michael Nevin Smith

PP: 119

Wintergreen Nursery is a small wholesale nursery devoted to the new and unusual, particularly among blooming perennials of Mediterranean climate areas. One of my special interests within this diverse group has been the plants commonly lumped together as "bulbs"; these include some of the showiest and, for the gardener, most rewarding of all perennials. I have been pleased to find that many personal favorites, especially South African and Pacific Coast natives can be economically propagated and presented for sale in ordinary nursery containers, from 4 in. pots to 2-gal. cans, during growth and bloom. Unlike florist crops, these are specifically grown and presented for outdoor garden use.

A variety of "low-tech" strategies have been followed, reflecting both our own goals and the reproductive features of particular plants. I would like to briefly share some of our experiences here.

Author: Dale E. Kester

PP: 123

The clone is a primary concept in horticulture, with vegetative propagation (cloning) being one of our most important procedures (4,6). Most cultivars propagated by nurseries today are clones. Success in propagation depends upon maintaining trueness-to-cultivar and trueness-to-type. Research in this area, however, has emphasized the detection and elimination of viruses in clonal materials (2,10,11).

The purpose of this paper is to discuss some basic concepts of source selection from a genetic standpoint and to describe some unique problems with clonal variability. Emphasis will be given to the propagation of fruit and nut crops, particularly California almonds.

Most clones originate as selections of superior individuals from seedling populations. Selections are vegetatively propagated for test plantings. Figure 8–17 in Hartmann, et al. (4) outlines the basic steps in the development and subsequent propagation sequences. An alternative approach is selection of bud-sports (bud-mutations)

Author: A. Bruce Macdonald

PP: 131

Picea pungens (Colorado blue spruce) cultivars are one of the most important bench-grafted crops in both North America and Europe. A number of superior, glaucous, blue forms have been selected and named during the last few decades, including P. pungens ‘Hoopsii’, ‘Thomsen’, and ‘Baby Blue Eyes’. There have also been selections based on their varied growth habit, e.g., the weeping ‘Glauca Pendula’, and the compact ‘Glauca Compacta’. The aim of this paper is to summarize a number of the important criteria necessary for successful bench grafting of this crop.

Rootstock Production. A quality rootstock should have a pencil-thickness caliper (6mm;¼in.), a straight stem, and a well-developed rootball. These are major criteria for success. The production or purchase of under-sized rootstocks with a poor root system results not only in low grafting success but also in poor subsequent scion growth. Quality rootstocks can be produced by using 2-year, graded, transplanted, or undercut open-ground

Author: F. Allan Elliott

PP: 135

There are many factors that go into the making of a good propagator: education, training, personal interest, a keen eye, and the ability to learn from success and failure—to name a few. Another element that can aid the propagator to hone skills and reduce failures is that of good record keeping.

The average propagator is dealing with several hundred plant cultivars. When items such as: propagation medium, hormone concentration, size and maturity of cuttings, flat density, and timing are all considered, this produces thousands of bits of information to remember. As years go by and crops are repeated, it becomes more difficult to remember the details of producing a particular crop.

Personal experience with these problems led me to develop a record keeping system and subsequent forms which can be used by the beginning and experienced propagator alike.

Author: Ann E. Fisher

PP: 150

There are a vast array of plant communities within the western states. Plant communities within this region are diverse, ranging from the great basin plateaus, to the mountain coniferous forests, to foothill woodlands with their oak parklands and spring wildflowers, and to the riperian wetlands. Each plant community within these areas have specific requirements for soil type, nutrition, moisture, and reproduction. Discovering the specific requirements for each native species can challenge the propagator. It is particularly valuable for the propagator to visit these native plant communities and become an open observer of all the interacting forces of nature in order to better understand the requirements of each plant.

Propagation of natives can be valuable for several reasons. One is to restore disrupted sites, caused by natural disasters or by human development, to its natural condition so that wildlife can continue to be supported in that area. Another is the value of ornamental native

Author: F. David Hockings

PP: 161

Australia boasts well over 20,000 species of plants, thousands of which have exciting horticultural potential because of their unusual and colourful flowers and/or peculiar vegetative form. Comparatively few are in cultivation and, in fact, some beautiful plants are known to only a handful of enthusiasts.

The seed of some of these species often proves difficult to germinate, either failing completely or yielding a very poor and irregular percentage. In nature, such species may germinate only under very specific weather conditions or a sequence of weather conditions that may occur very infrequently, perhaps years apart. These specialised germination requirements have developed to enable those plants to survive in our extremes of climate.

Australia has an area of nearly three million square miles, almost equal in area to the U.S.A., and lays claim to being the driest continent. Only one-third of the continent receives 20 in. or more of rain per year, one-third 10 to 20 in., and

Author: Stephen Garton, Galen Peiser

PP: 166

Alstroemerias are familiar to many as cut flowers or landscape plants. They have been domesticated and hybridized to produced a group of generally tall, herbaceous perennials often regarded as half-hardy or tender. The genus Alstroemeria is classified in the family Alstroemeriaceae. Uphof (4) described 62 species in the genus which consists entirely of plants native to the South American continent, specifically the countries of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Peru. Alstroemerias successfully exploit a wide variety of environmental conditions. Indigenous species are locally used for decoration as well as harvested for food, since dry, fleshy roots can be milled to produce flour.

Modern commercial cultivars of Alstroemeria are interspecific hybrids, containing genes from at least two species (1). Cultivars are usually propagated by rhizome division (2). The subterranean rhizome bears numerous buds which gives rise to both vegetative and reproductive shoots

Author: Henry Hilton

PP: 48

Throughout the major apple producing areas in the world propagation of cultivars was carried out on seedling stocks for many years. An example of this is the use of French crabapple seedlings (Malus sylvestris) that were used widely in Europe and North America until the early 1930’s. Since then, numerous clonal asexually propagated apple rootstocks have been developed. Popularity of the more dwarfing rootstocks has increased dramatically in the last 25 years. Financial constraints on the modern apple producer has necessitated earlier, higher yields per acre. One of the ways to achieve this has been to plant trees at higher densities on dwarfing rootstocks. Clonal rootstocks selection now enables a grower to select a rootstock suitable for his soil, climate and cultivar.

Author: Carl E. Whitcomb

PP: 170

We root cuttings routinely. We plant seeds, they germinate and develop roots. Everyone knows that roots are important, so why all the fuss about roots? It appears there are efficient and inefficient roots. There are aggressive roots that secure and establish the plant quickly and there are the "welfare" roots that wander aimlessly doing just enough to get by.

Conducting research is a bit like being a sleuth, in that you are always probing a looking for clues. There had been clues suggesting a variation in root efficiency, but they could not be confirmed. In the fall of 1985, a total of 720 trees were excavated to try to determine why some had grown well while others grew poorly. All of the trees (180 of each of four species) were the same age, had been grown the same way and on the same soil for two years. The procedure used was to sharpen the teeth and sides of a 24-inch backhoe bucket and dig every tree. Before all the trees were dug it was clear that a wide variation in root systems

Author: Warren G. Roberts

PP: 174

Dry, very dry, and getting drier describes most of California. Our climate and geography, expanding population and diminishing resources, regulations, and politics are telling us to use less water just when we would like to use more. We want all-year-green landscapes, but there is not much to water them with. Can we "have our cake and eat it too" in California?
Maybe, but only if we choose our landscapes plants carefully and propagate, establish, and maintain them properly. For more than fifty-three years we have been working on this at The University Arboretum at the University of California at Davis, and we have had some successes.

Careful observation is the first step in choosing which plants look good with little or no irrigation. We must observe them in all seasons. The best place to look for appropriate plants is in the dry landscapes within our own area, or in places with very similar conditions. The best candidates for the green-but-dry landscapes that we want are plants that

Author: Bruce Briggs

PP: 178

STEVE MCCULLOCH: Magnolia acuminata var. cordata ‘Miss Honeybee’ was introduced to the trade by Jim Merrill of Painesville, Ohio. It originated as a chance seedling of Magnolia acuminata var. cordata. The bloom size is approximately 10 cm in diameter and is a light to medium yellow color. The plant blooms and leafs out at the same time. Plant size is approximately 25–30 feet tall. This plant is rather difficult to propagate. Plants can be grafted with some success, whereas cuttings are virtually impossible to root. ‘Miss Honeybee’ is now successfully being micropropagated.

Vaccinium crassifolium ‘Wells Delight’ is an ornamental form of creeping blueberry (Vaccinium crassifolium) selected from native stands in North Carolina. This selection was named and introduced to the trade by the North Carolina State University Breeders Release Board and Agriculture Research Service to honor the late Dr. Bertram W. Wells, former head of the N.C. State Department of Botany and renowned plant

Author: Philip McMillan Browse

PP: 182

INTRODUCTION

Seedling production in the hardy ornamental stock industry in the U.K. has made dramatic steps forward in the last 15 years or so; previously it had been almost the exclusive prerogative of the European Continental nurseryman.

Seedling production, as a component of hardy ornamental plant production, however, is still a relatively minor sector. The vast majority of such plants, both in numbers and value, is still being produced by vegetative means. Nevertheless, the propagation of plants from seed in the U.K. has very rapidly developed a sophistication in terms of logistics, science, and economics which is comparable with the best conventional operations of vegetative propagation.

The production of seedlings falls into a series of categories, classified by the end product—none of these are mutually exclusive—but can be designated largely on the sophistication of production technique; for example: hedging plants, urban/amenity forestry, rootstocks, landscape uses, and

Author: A.T. Wood

PP: 185

The achievement of producing a consistent objective density is the single most important factor in the production of field-grown seedlings. I propose to deal with this subject under three headings:

1. Production objectives—what are you trying to do?
2. Minimising the variables—seed testing, organisation, and field factor.
3. Securing the crop—Good husbandry.

There are cultural operations that can minimise errors but in both objective and economic terms if the correct number of seedlings are not in the right place at the right time that the seeds germinate there is little that can be done to achieve the target or objective.

There is one exception: the potted seedling liner crop. These are often sown densely, pricked or potted off on germination and can be roomed out in a way similar to normal potted or container production so as to achieve the size and type of plant that is required.

Author: A.G. Gordon

PP: 189

WHY

There are some advantages as well as some disadvantages in collecting one’s own seeds. Among the advantages are:

Origin. With care, truly native sources of seed, better adapted to local conditions can be obtained.

Freshness. Seed can be collected at time of maximum quality giving better yields than can be obtained from bought-in seed.

Earliness. Early collections can sometimes shorten the period required for seed treatment and so save on time required to produce plants from seed.

Low Cost. On occasions—where distance is small, seed set is good, and conditions are perfect, collecting one’s own seed can be very economical.

The major disadvantages are:

High cost. Unless properly organised, collecting one’s own seed can be quite significantly more expensive than bought-in seed. This is particularly true where large distances are involved and where expensive collecting equipment is needed.

Conflict of interest. Because of other pressures in the nursery, seed may not always be collected at

Author: Alastair G.R. Luke

PP: 193

INTRODUCTION

As Government policy in Britain shifts towards encouraging the planting of more broadleaved trees many nurserymen are increasing production with an emphasis on native species. For those nurseries which have produced such stock over a number of years this task is relatively straightforward, but those expanding into production of seedling stock for the first time are not as successful as they could be because of a lack of knowledge of the seed that they handle.

As one of the British companies supplying the home market it is of concern that seed improperly handled will generate poor results, cause significant lost production, waste valuable seed, and reduce future trading prospects. This paper therefore addresses the problems contributing to loss of seed viability from the parent tree to the new seedbed or container unit. Special reference is made to the storage of Quercus robur acorns.

Author: Dennis Fordham

PP: 200

What is Dormancy? When seed is given satisfactory environmental conditions, germination will normally take place. If, however, despite these favourable conditions, germination does not occur and is incapable of doing so until the seed is subjected to different treatment or treatments, the seed is said to be dormant.

Dormancy is a condition of nature which has evolved to ensure the seed’s survival, that is to say it will only germinate when the correct environmental conditions occur.

Treatment to remove or prevent dormancy is easier if you consider where the species grows naturally and what type of climatic conditions it is subjected to. This gives you an indication of the possible treatment and handling of the seed to achieve satisfactory germination:

1. Hot dry conditions tend to produce seeds with very dry and hard seed coats, e.g. Gleditsia triacanthos.
2. Seed from areas that are subjected to long periods of low temperatures tend to need long-term chilling, e.g. Sorbus aucuparia

Author: J.C. King

PP: 205

Many growers experience problems germinating seed of tree and shrub species with hard or impermeable seed coats. For hard seedcoated species the usual method of overcoming these problems is by a long period of warm stratification to allow natural breakdown of the seedcoat. Species with an impermeable seedcoat can be scarified mechanically by abrasion of the testa to allow water absorption. A quicker, more reliable method that has been advocated for many years is the immersion of seed batches into concentrated sulphuric acid (H₂SO₄) to break down the seedcoat. Sulphuric acid has different effects, depending upon whether the seedcoats are impermeable or hard.

Impermeable Seedcoats. The effect on impermeable seedcoats, such as can be found in legumes, was illustrated by Liu et al (6) by using a scanning electron microscope on seeds following acid treatment. The surface of these seeds consists of an impermeable, waxy cuticle layer on the exterior, beneath which is found a palisade layer of

Author: David West

PP: 209

Davidia involucrata, the pocket handkerchief tree or dove tree, was considered by Ernest Wilson to be "the most interesting and beautiful of all trees of the north temperate flora." He likened the white bracts to "huge butterflies hovering among the trees."

In the 85 or so years since its first introduction from China to Britain, the dove tree has become one of the best known of all hardy exotic trees. Despite this, plants are still surprisingly difficult to obtain in the trade, perhaps due to the inability of propagators to find a reliable method of rooting cuttings. Seed production still remains the only simple means by which this tree can be produced in quantity.

In this paper, I hope to be able to briefly outline, how I have been successful with seed germination over the past few years.

Seed source is the first consideration for successful germination. Davidia seed is available commercially from various seed houses but by far the best source is one’s own collection.

The walnut-

Author: E.F.K. Denny

PP: 52

In my particular field there are two kinds of experts dealing with the volatile oils. First we have the specialist, who has narrowed and deepened his field of study to the point where he knows nearly everything about almost nothing. Conversely, there is the general consultant, who covers such a wide field that, in effect, he knows nothing about everything. Now, here am I, a better specialist than a consultant and a better consultant than a specialist, uncertain whether I know anything at all; least of all something that might be relevant to the objectives of your Society.

On the other hand, the propagation of plants, and the selection of those plants that are worth propagating, is fundamental to all those industries and individuals that depend ultimately on things that grow in the soil. One way or another that includes us all. But to speak in general terms on this subject, would be like Mark Anthony, to "tell you only that which you do know." However, it may interest you to hear

Author: Stephen Ashworth

PP: 211

Soil sterilisation is needed primarily to control annual weeds in the seedbed. The average nursery propagates many cultivars and although weed-control using pre-emergence herbicides is suitable for a few cultivars it is risky or damaging to many seedlings. Mechanical weed-control is not very effective in a typical damp season.

Soil sterilisation gives further benefits because it can control soil-borne diseases and stimulates crop growth.

In a survey of 15 British seedling nurseries the typical sterilisation operation involves the following:

Timed in September, Basamid (dazomet) Granular is applied at standard rate (380kg per ha) to a moist soil using a Sisis Lo-spread applicator. Incorporation to a depth of 15cm (6 in.) is made using a rotavator. To seal the soil surface 80% of nurseries lay polythene, the remainder roll and irrigate.

Using standard rate Basamid and polythene covering, materials cost is some £1300 per ha at 1989 prices. Including the labour cost of application,

Author: Mark Walker

PP: 213

Growing a crop from seed relies on the basic principles of providing the right conditions for the seed to germinate and grow on.

At The Nurseries we have found that using vermiculite as a covering has helped us to provide the right conditions for growing alpines from seed, but the technique would be equally suitable for nursery stock.

We sow our seeds in seed trays using a compost of 50:50 peat and sand. Once sown, the seeds are covered with a thin layer of vermiculite and placed on a heated bed to germinate.

The advantages of using vermiculite are:

Prevents capping. This allows air and water to reach the seed. It also makes it easier to remove the seedlings at pricking out.

Retains moisture. It is critical that the seed does not dry out; the vermiculite provides a film of water to protect it.

Permeable to light. Where needed, enough light reaches the seed to prevent germination being inhibited.

Reflects heat. Useful where high temperatures inhibit germination.

However, there are

Author: Elton M. Smith, Sharon A. Treaster

PP: 214

INTRODUCTION

The use of slow-release herbicide tablets have several advantages in the production of container-grown nursery stock. Included are the greater accuracy of herbicide application, greater safety to humans and plants, and reduction of possible environmental pollution. To be commercially acceptable, however, the tablets must also provide long lasting wide spectrum weed control without phytotoxicity to the plants.

Tablets have been formulated with water-soluble herbicides such as alachlor and metolachlor and, although they are effective, they do not control a broad range of weed species. Most pre-emergence herbicides currently in nursery use have a low water solubility and have not been successfully utilized in a slow-release technology.

In recent work by Horowitz et al. (1), the area of weed control surrounding a slow-release herbicide tablet was markedly increased by adding a surfactant to the tablet. As a follow-up to this work we conducted studies to; screen a number of

Author: P.J. Carson

PP: 218

Duncan & Davies Nurseries are situated at Waitara, a few kilometres north of New Plymouth, on the west coast of the North Island. We have a temperate climate with an average temperature range of 10°C in mid-winter to 18°C in mid-summer. In mid-winter we would normally experience several ground frosts, of about -3°C, and in summer the highest temperature would reach 28°C. We have a total of 2,150 sunshine hours annually and a 60 in. annual rainfall, which is spread throughout the year. Soil type is a very fertile free-draining volcanic loam. We have a prevailing westerly wind which places importance on effective shelter in the nursery. The combination of favourable climate and soil type enables field production of hardy trees and shrubs to be a major part of our total nursery production. One of our specialised lines is the field propagation of budded trees and shrubs, of which we bud up to 250,000 plants annually, using approximately 200 cultivars over a range of 20 genera.

The plant

Author: D.N. Clark

PP: 221

Many major leaps forward in plant development have resulted from natural sports. Ballerina apple trees are no exception and it was an observant Polish-Canadian fruit grower called Wijick who, in the early 1960’s, spotted a sport growing on a ‘Macintosh’ apple tree. The particular sport was instantly recognisable. Instead of the normal well branched shoot, it had short internodes and lateral buds developing in short spurs, rather than extension shoots. Fortunately, part of the shoot he passed to the local experiment station multiplied and ultimately pollen was sent to East Malling Research Station in England where a breeding programme was started in the early 1970s by Kenneth Tobutt. In 1976 Ken Tobutt raised about 10,000 seedlings and, to date, about ¼ million seedlings have been raised. In 1977 they were screened for field resistance to scab and mildew and for the columnar habit. About 500 of the best were selected. Between 1980 and 1984 these were grown on and assessed for quality,

Author: S. Marczynski, M.K. Joustra

PP: 224

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Betula, Corylus, and Pinus are genera to which belong many valuable species of ornamental plants. They are usually propagated by grafting in the greenhouse, but Corylus cultivars also by layering (1). They are not generally recommended for propagation by cuttings (8). Ondruska and Schmidt (16) propagated cultivars of Betula pendula by cuttings, Pellett and Alpert (17) propagated those of Betula papyrifera and they obtained about 80% rooting but over half the cuttings died after potting. It is known that rooting can be influenced by etiolation (9, 13) and daylength; the level of irradiance of the stock plants can also influence rooting (15, 20), but the results depend mostly on the species. Levels of irradiance provided to the cuttings can also influence rooting (4, 20).

Author: Robin F. Sym

PP: 230

Tilhill is a private forestry management company with it’s activities split into the following divisions: Forestry management, nurseries, and landscaping.

The Company began operations in 1948 with it’s principal work being advising landowners on the best methods for replanting the areas of woodland felled during the Second World War. It was soon realised that plant supply was an important aspect of reafforestation so the Nursery was developed and the choice of a heathland site was very fortunate.

The Nursery is situated at Tilford near Farnham, Surrey, on 100 hectares of sandy heathland soil with a natural pH of 3.5 which is raised to between 4.5 and 6.0 by the application of ground magnesium limestone.

Advantages of the site:

100 ha on one site of relatively flat ground approximately 60 metre above sea level.

A very light sandy soil, free draining and workable all year round and which warms up rapidly promoting growth.

Geographically situated in southern England having a very long

Author: W.L. Mason, H. McKay

PP: 234

Replanting second rotation conifer forests in Great Britain will require better quality planting stock because of more difficult site conditions compared with the first rotation. Case histories revealed that poor cold storage practice was a major cause of planting failure. Data from three studies with Sitka spruce are presented to explore the relationship among storage, plant type, physiological quality and forest performance. Plants lifted to cold store from early December to March and outplanted in April showed generally high survival with no difference between undercuts and transplants. The onset of this lifting window coincided with a rise in prestorage root growth potential (RGP) and around 300 accumulated chilling hours below 5°C. However, undercut plants could be lifted up to two weeks earlier than December 1 without apparent loss in quality. Alternative tests of physiological status such as mitotic index and membrane leakage gave as good indication of planting stock quality as RGP and were quicker to use.

Author: Bruce Macdonald

PP: 243

British Columbia has a resource of native plants whose potential is not always appreciated. The range of plants is extremely variable and very dependent upon the Province’s diverse climate—from the alpine areas of the coast and Rocky Mountains to the dry, arid areas of the south east. Also there is the high rainfall area of the Queen Charlotte Islands, containing many unique species, to the drier Vancouver Island and numerous adjacent islands.

This paper is to discuss some of the species that the University of British Columbia considers as a basis for further selection and introduction into nursery production for sale as ornamental plants for the urban landscape.

Besides the many economically important forestry species such as Abies grandis, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Thuja plicata, and Tsuga heterophylla, perhaps the best known native tree is the Pacific or western flowering dogwood, Cornus nuttallii.

Cornus nuttallii. This is distributed naturally throughout southern British Columbia

Author: N.D. Dunn

PP: 253

The production of scionwood for all purposes of budding and grafting on our specialist tree nursery has made specific stock tree management necessary to service not only our own nursery but to provide sales of scionwood to others. We are at present producing 250,000 trees per year and a similar number of buds for sale. Graftwood production, although not in such large numbers, also supports a wide range of grafting techniques.

The main reasons for taking on this large production approach to budwood and graftwood came about for the following reasons:

EMLA virus-free programme in fruit trees. The first introductions of virus-free fruit material were made in 1969 by East Malling and Long Ashton Research Stations. This required the establishment of isolated scion blocks under the scrutiny of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Plant Health Propagation Scheme.

Increase in demand. It was soon recognized that managed stock trees were very productive and increased the availability of quality

Author: John L. Machen Sr

PP: 258

The holly cultivars we produce at Mobjack Nurseries have been selected for:

1. Popularity in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic States.
   
2. Cold hardiness in our market area.
   
3. Cultural requirements that our production system can fulfill.

Though we are constantly searching for hollies to meet these criteria, the following are currently in production:

1. Ilex. ‘Nellie R. Stevens’, a putative hybrid between I. aquifolium and I. cornuta, is a large evergreen shrub or small pyramidal tree. It is hardy in Zones 6 to 9 (U.S. Dept. of Agriculture hardiness map). This plant was released by G. A. Van Lennep, Jr. of St. Michael, Maryland, USA, in 1954. (1)
   
2. Ilex attenuata ‘Foster No. 2’ is one of a group of five interspecific hybrids of I. cassine and I. opaca. It has a compact, narrow growth habit to 30 ft. at maturity and is heavily fruited with small red berries. Also hardy in Zones 6 to 9, this plant was selected by. E. E. Foster of Bessemer, Alabama, USA. (2)
   
3. Ilex x attenuata

Author: David N. Whalley

PP: 261

In horticulture, awareness of plant conservation has been evident for many years by many individuals and organizations. The National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens (NCCPG) has been in the vanguard of this movement and is the only organization that embraces the professional and amateur sectors with equal confidence. Increased collaboration between it and nurserymen could be mutually beneficial.

A conference, convened by the Royal Horticultural Society in October, 1978, proposed the formation of a National Gardens and Plants Council and put forward the idea of national reference collections (now known as National Collections), (1). Interested parties identified at that time included botanic gardens, arboreta and other similar gardens, National Trust gardens, parks and other gardens of local authorities, nurseries, specialist societies, state research and other establishments, educational establishments, private gardens and small groups within horticultural societies.

Author: Willem A. Sanders

PP: 265

Since the early 1970s our nurseries at Boskoop specialized in the production of rooted cuttings, partly for the local market, but mainly for export.

Our propagation methods are similar to those in most Boskoop nurseries, using polythene and bottom heat from hot water pipes lying about 6 in. deep below the surface.

About five years ago we were in a position to expand our greenhouses by about 2.5 acres on a plot situated about 10 miles from Boskoop. We started propagation there in the way we were accustomed to, but found that three or four weeks after sticking the cuttings, the compost (peat and sand) had turned extremely wet.

Then we realized that our new department was situated in a deep polder 16 ft. below sea level. The heated pipes together with the excessive natural capillary action not only sent heat but also humidity upwards.

That experience made us change the complete propagation system. A complete new drainage system meant covering the soil with 2 in. polystyrene sheets to

Author: Barbara A. Horrell, Paula E. Jameson, Peter Bannister

PP: 268

Various heteroblastic species endemic to New Zealand were investigated. Seeds of most species germinated in four to five months when they had been overwintered outside, although some required scarification and others failed to germinate even after two periods of overwintering. The best rooting of cuttings was obtained from material collected in summer and placed under intermittent mist. Juvenile cuttings rooted much better than cuttings from adult plants.

When gibberellic acid (0.4 mg per plant) was applied to rooted cuttings of adult plants it produced a transient elongation of stems of all species investigated and induced a juvenile-like habit and leaf form in Carpodetus serratus and Pennantia corymbosa, a juvenile growth form with transitional leaf-form in Parsonsia heterophylla, but no such changes in Elaeocarpus hookerianus, whereas treated adult rooted cuttings of Pseudopanax crassifolius died. Attempts to manipulate the internal gibberellin levels of juvenile rooted cuttings by the application of gibberellin acid (GA₃) and paclobutrazol (PP333) failed to induce any adult characteristics.

Author: John Stanley

PP: 275

The nursery industry has passed through many phases during the last thirty years. Firstly, we had the container revolution when many companies shifted from field-grown stock to container production. This led to numerous technological changes, especially in growing grounds, media, and nutrients. The next phase of development was the propagation revolution with the onset of mist-controlled systems, fogging units, and tissue culture. We are now experiencing a third revolution, the marketing revolution, which is taking the form of technological advancements such as bar coding, packaging and presentation, and higher quality standards. On top of this we have to overlay the fact that society is going "green" and whatever we do must be environmentally friendly.

You may ask how the marketing revolution affects the propagator, especially as we are told we have to be market-driven rather than production-driven if we are to survive as businesses until the next century, which happens to be only

Author: Rob B. Bayly

PP: 278

INTRODUCTION

Bayly’s Nurseries Ltd have been engaged in the propagation of hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) for the past 25 years, since founding the nursery in Gisborne. All hibiscus in the early days were propagated by cuttings only, including the "so called" Fijian type, which was found growing well in the New Zealand East coast climate. Occasional frosts were experienced in winter, but the summers were usually hot and dry.

Cultivars popular at that time were: ‘Agnes Gault’, ‘Suva Queen’, ‘Mrs Tonkins’, ‘Wrightii’, ‘Lambertii’, ‘Primrose’, and ‘Island Empress’. Eighteen years ago, we decided to grow more exotic types, mainly Hawaiian cultivars. Those on which we concentrated were: ‘Golden Belle’, ‘Nathan Charles’, ‘Betty Patterson’, ‘Haywood’, ‘Ben James’, ‘Christine Phillips’, ‘Double Rainbow’, ‘Golden Oriel’, ‘Hawaiian Sunset’, ‘J.F. Kennedy’, ‘Molly Cummings’, ‘Powder Puff’, ‘Surfrider’, and ‘Tango’.

These more exotic and tender cultivars need a strong, resistant rootstock

Author: J.W. Sturrock, J.D. Ferguson

PP: 285

Conventional propagation of Leyland cypress by stem cuttings is briefly reviewed; results are rarely consistent or reproducible. An alternative approach using micropropagation is outlined. Shoot tips (30 mm) from the lower branches of a 9-year-old hedge of ‘Leighton Green’ rejuvenated spontaneously after 3 months in Woody Plant Medium (WPM), or in WPM supplemented with 0.1 mg 1 ^-1 NAA, IBA, or TBA, or 2 mg 1^-1 BA or 2iP. The juvenile shoots were maintained on WPM for shoot elongation, or on WPM containing 2 mg 1^-1 BA plus 0.1 mg 1^-1 NAA, for bud proliferation. Roots were induced in 0.4% agar medium containing either 1 mg 1^-1 NAA or 1 mg 1^-1 IBA. Although results are encouraging, further work is required to perfect the technique.

Author: Michael R. Oates

PP: 291

There are few people today who are not aware of the major environmental problems facing the world. The greenhouse effect, loss of the ozone layer, and acid rain have become the major issues of the 1980s. Of particular concern to us as horticulturists, however, is the loss of genetic diversity in the plant kingdom due to the destruction of tropical rainforests and other natural habitats. To give you an idea of the magnitude of the problem a quote from a report written by Dr. Peter Raven Director of the Missouri Botanic Garden, St.Louis, Missouri, U.S.A. is given below:

      "…40,000 species, or about a quarter of those found in the

      tropics, will probably persist in the South American

      tropics and Zaire beyond the middle of the next century.

      An additional 130,000 species, however, occur in the

      tropics but not in these regions-only in areas where the

      vegetation will be demolished during the next few

      decades. Liberally assuming that half these species may

      be weedy or persist in small pockets

Author: Alan M. Lewis

PP: 61

The southwestern part of Western Australia is under severe threat from salt encroachment across vast areas of agricultural and marginal lands. Already some 300,000 ha are so badly affected by salt that the land is useless for cropping.

My interest in arresting salt encroachment goes back many years. However I have only become involved in a positive way over the past ten years. My hope is that by encouraging the planting of salt tolerant species of native vegetation the land can be reclaimed, stabilised, and in time returned to productive use. It is well known that some species of plants are naturally salt tolerant but these plants may not suit particular areas or even the end use of the land. By selecting salt tolerant species that have a definite end use, and have been indigenous to the area, we are well on the way to successful rehabilitation.

Some nurseries have grown salt–tolerant species for many years. The methods used to select salt tolerant plants are many and varied. Simply

Author: John Clemens

PP: 296

INTRODUCTION

At first sight our sense of smell appears to be overlooked when we choose plants as consumers. Garden centres can be visual delights and garish extravaganzas of green and red, but they may not be consciously designed for fragrance. Presumably, in our choice of plants to propagate and grow we tend to reflect the perceived demands of the marketplace. We place overwhelming emphasis on appearance or other selection criteria before fragrance, which may come as a bonus except in the most emphatically scented plants.

We are drawn as bees are by a pleasant fragrance, "home-in" on the supposed source by eye, and verify that we have made the right contact by sniffing at close quarters. I will briefly review our understanding of the subject and speculate on the implications for:

1. breeding and selection programmes in which fragrance may be an important evaluation criterion;
2. how consumers select plants; we "use" scented plants to sell themselves but perhaps we do not "design" with

Author: Pauline A. Cooper, Jan E. Grant, Tonya J. Frew

PP: 300

A method is described for the micropropagation of four selections of black currant (Ribes nigrum). The optimum multiplication medium contained Murashige and Skoog salts, Gamborg B5 vitamins, 20g l^-1 sucrose, 0.5g l^-1 casein hydrolysate, 0.5 mg l^-1 benzylaminopourine (BAP) and 7g l^-1 agar. Varying levels of inositol, BAP, and indolebutyric acid (IBA) were tested. For shoot elongation and rooting, the BAP concentration was reduced to 0.25 mg l^-1 and the effect of the addition of activated charcoal (Sigma No. C—4386) was investigate. For the selection P10, 100% rooting has been achieved, and plantlets transferred to soil. The other selections have been slower to respond and rooting percentages have not yet been assessed.

Author: Franz Ripphausen

PP: 305

INTRODUCTION

Due to an increasing demand for High Health (virus-free) stock plants of Daphne odora ‘Leucanthe’, the rapid bulking-up of cuttings using a small population of existing stock plants was investigated. Owing to a shaded growing environment, shoots of stock plants had become elongated and unbranched, unlike plants grown in the open.

The literature available on propagation of Daphne is limited compared with that for many other genera. Reports tend to stress that shoots of current season’s growth should be used (1), or tip cuttings only, preferably terminated (2). One report states that stem cuttings are not used because the leaves can yellow and defoliate even though they are sound at the time of making the cuttings (2). However, this can also happen with tip cuttings. The acceptability of plants raised from cuttings taken from different parts of the parent plant needed to be studied under our conditions.

It has been stated that Daphne plants must have acid soil conditions to

Author: Bruce Briggs, Steve McCulloch

PP: 312

We are pleased to relay some knowledge and experience gained from some 20 years of tissue culture work at Briggs Nursery. Our first experience with tissue culture was in the late 1960s with Dr. Wilbur Anderson of the Western Washington Research Station in Mt. Vernon. Dr. Anderson, an early student of Dr. Murashige of the University of California, Riverside, was very anxious to do tissue culture research with woody plants. He was hired to do research on field cole crops like cabbage and broccoli. We spent many hours with him and two other nurserymen to get breakthrough on growing woody plants using tissue culture. My oldest son, who at that time was in junior high school, was very interested in research so we put him to work making tissue culture media. Along with fellow nurserymen, Les Clay and Bob Hart, we worked first on trying to get plants established in culture.

Among the problems in those early days was a lack of materials such as the cytokinin, 2iP. Actually, it is amazing how

Author: Edward A. Brown

PP: 317

Dogwood anthracnose was first reported in the northeastern United States on flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) in the early 1970s; about that same time, it was detected on the U.S. west coast, infecting Pacific dogwoods (ICornus nuttallii). Though not confirmed, it is believed that the fungus may have been introduced into the United States at ports of call in these two areas. The disease was confirmed in northern Georgia, western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, western South Carolina, Alabama, Kentucky, and Virginia in 1987. The disease has now spread to 81 counties in these seven states. The disease occurs primarily in the mountains and foothills.

The fungus that causes dogwood anthracnose is a Discula sp. Dogwood anthracnose should not be confused with the very common disease, spot anthracnose (Elsinoe corni). Dogwood anthracnose causes foliage leaf spots, shoot mortality, stem cankers, and eventually significant decline or death of the tree. Initial symptoms include small purple-

Author: Stephen Burns

PP: 320

The American sweetgum is recognized in many parts of the world, as well areas of the United States into which it has been introduced, as a choice ornamental shade tree. Adaptable to a wide range of sites, this member of the Hamamelidaceae family is characterized by a pleasing pyramidal shape, attractive glossy foliage, and often spectacular fall color. Its landscape use, however, in its native range has been restricted as a result of a preoccupation with the negative aspect of its spiny fruit, which often obscures its many positive attributes. Suggestions are usually ignored that there are many non-pedestrian areas where the sweetgum would make an excellent choice (1).

Author: David Byers

PP: 325

Wonderful work to change the world of Lagerstroemia is being carried out at the U.S. National Arboretum, Washington D.C., by Dr. Donald Egolf. His effort, begun in the 1960’s is coming into fruition with the introduction of new and exciting choices featuring beautiful flowers, handsome exfoliating bark, many different habits of growth, and badly needed disease resistance.

Byers Nursery Company has been involved with this work since the 1950s, before the first four selections were distributed to the industry. The comments I make today are my own opinion and the result of 30 years of observations and conversations, not the result of carefully designed, scholarly experimentation.

The new selections I am discussing today are all Lagerstroemia indica × fauriei hybrids. These crosses were made possible when Dr. John Creech of the National Arboretum staff found wild specimens of Lagerstroemia fauriei in the mountains of Japan in 1957 and brought home the potential for many new and varied

Author: David W. Daly

PP: 64

The production of Fagus sylvatica (beech) trees is generally carried out by grafting, and it is unusual for grafted cultivars to set seed. In autumn, 1988, however, several of our grafted cultivars did set seed. I was interested to discover whether these seeds were viable and whether any would be true to type.

With the small quantities of beech seed produced in Australia, it is extremely difficult to obtain seed and, hence, to produce seedlings for rootstocks.

Beech seed has only a very short life and must be sown very soon after collection or it loses its viability. For this reason it is not possible to obtain large amounts of seed from overseas.

As I was looking to attempt the grafting of many different beech cultivars I wanted to explore the best method of seedling production for my rootstocks.

Author: Ben Davis II

PP: 338

H.J. Judkins and Son Nursery was established in 1940 as a retail, direct-selling firm. Gradually, it evolved into a bare-root, wholesale-only operation. Until 1985, the nursery grew only bare-root stock and marketed most of its stock packaged in poly bags or in "peat balls". The owners had been aware for some time that the trend in the firm’s markets was toward an ever-increasing market share for container plants. The company was perceived by the trade to be a producer of high quality bare-root stock, with strong emphasis on fruit trees. Management recognized that if the firm did not move into production of container plants, it would begin to lose market share.

Therefore, in September, 1985, the owners invited me to join the firm to help them establish a container-growing operation. Our basic strategy was to concentrate on production of deciduous trees in 5-gal. containers, for which we believed there was a large, unmet demand. The trees would be sold by the company’s well-

Author: Michael A. Dirr

PP: 343

Dr. Michael Dirr, University of Georgia, suggested the following plants for consideration in the U.S. southeastern states. He gave extensive information on each of these with suggestions on their propagation. For further details, contact Dr. Dirr:
   Acer rubrum ‘Edna Davis’

   Nyssa sylvatica

   Ulmus parvifolia ‘Emerald Isle’, ‘Emerald Vase’, ‘Burgundy’,
       ‘Milliken’
   Magnolia grandiflora ‘Spring Grove #16’, ‘Spring Grove #19’,
      ‘Spring Grove #43’
   Photinia × fraseri ‘Dudley Nursery Variegated’

   Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Alice’, ‘Alison’
   Cornus kousa ‘Select’
   Cornus mas ‘Spring Grove’

Author: Larry D. Edwards

PP: 344

Turtle Creek is a 16-year-old nursery growing a wide selection of shrubs and trees on about 25 acres. We employ mainly female labor to handle our container production of 3– to 20-gal. plants. We also grow about eight acres of field-grown hollies, crape myrtle, and selected trees.

Several years ago we started growing container trees, predominantly dogwoods, since that was the most popular tree we were selling. We were successful enough so that we decided to specialize in growing container dogwoods and other selected trees. Most of the comments made for dogwoods also apply to the other trees we grow.

The largest markets for our plant material are garden centers and landscapers in the Baltimore, Md., Washington, D. C., Richmond, VA, and Norfolk, VA areas. We also have a cash-and-carry trade of local landscapers and a retail outlet on our premises.

We grow white and pink seedling dogwoods; ‘Cherokee Chief’, red; ‘Cherokee Princess’, white; ‘Cloud 9’, white; ‘Cherokee Sunset’, red with

Author: Dewayne L. Ingram, Chris Martin, John Ruter

PP: 348

Reduced growth rate, leaf chlorosis and wilting, abnormal branching habit, root death or injury, and reduced flower number and quality in container-grown plants are symptoms of heat stress on roots. These symptoms occur even when fertilization, irrigation, and other production inputs are maintained at near optimum levels. Root injury or death decreases water and nutrient uptake, disrupts hormone synthesis and translocation patterns, and alters biochemical reactions. Physiological and biochemical processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, flower initiation and development, apical dominance, and shoot extension are influenced by high root-zone temperatures. Economic ramifications of heat stress to roots of nursery crops include increased production time, reduced plant quality, and ultimately, increased production costs.

Container medium temperatures substantially above air temperature are possible due to direct solar radiation on container walls. Container medium temperatures in

Author: Adolph J. Laiche Jr, Steven E. Newman

PP: 354

INTRODUCTION

The production of woody landscape plants in containers began to gain in popularity in the early 1950s. Production has primarily been limited to small containers ranging from 3.8 to 18.9 L. The demand for plants in containers greater than 18.9 L has increased in recent years (1). There is a great volume of literature concerning production practices on smaller container sizes, but little is available concerning production practices in larger containers.

Slow-release fertilizers are applied to container plants by incorporation during blending of growth medium components, top-dressed, or applied in a dibble hole directly beneath the transplanted liner. Rates are determined on a volume (cubic meter) basis (2, 7, 8 10). Methods of incorporation during blending and dibble application may only be used at planting. Subsequent slow release fertilization is accomplished by surface application. Regardless of the method of application, fertilization on a volume basis results in

Author: Chris A. Martin, Dewayne L. Ingram

PP: 361

Terminal stem cuttings from field-grown, non-irrigated stock plants of Magnolia grandiflora ‘Glen St. Mary’ were harvested and basally treated with 0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0% K-IBA (potassium salt of indole-3-butyric acid), or Dip’N-Grow (1.0% IBA plus 0.5% 1-naphthaleneacetic acid) on 5 cutting harvest dates during the summer of 1987, and 0, 0.5%, 1.0%, or 2.0% K-IBA on 8 cutting harvest dates during the summer and fall of 1988. During 1987 rooting percentages for all hormone treatments were higher from 10 August propagation than those in July. Across harvest date, rooting percentages ranged from 6 (1.0% K-IBA, 1 July) to 89 (1.0% K-IBA, 10 August). During 1988, rooting percentages exceeding 80% were observed for harvest dates of 15 June, 1 and 15 August, and 1 September. For all harvest dates in 1988 rooting percentages for treatments ranged from 0 (0 K-IBA, 15 August) to 92 (2.0% K-IBA, 1 September). Mean root number per cutting ranged from 1.0 (0 K-IBA, 1 October) to 12.7 (1.0% K-IBA, 15 June) and was greatest with 2.0% K-IBA treatments on 6 of 8 harvest dates. For field-grown, non-irrigated stock plants, rooting response as a function of applied hormone appeared to correlate with the physiological age of the cutting (time after growth flush).

Author: Sandra Martinez

PP: 368

In order to cover the basic requirements of this law in an organized way I will use the quick guide for employers that has been prepared by the Texas Department of Agriculture. This guide is presented below:

What’s it all about? In 1987 the Texas legislature passed the Agricultural Hazard Communication Act (Right to Know). The purpose of this law is to give farm workers access to information about pesticides used on Texas crops, their health effects, and ways to reduce pesticide risks to themselves and their families.

Who is covered by this law? You are a covered employer by this law if you meet both of the following criteria:

1. Use, store, purchase, or cause to be used, more than the threshold amount of any one covered chemical.
2. Hire agricultural laborers and pay them more than the "payroll thresholds."

The terms "pesticide threshold" and "payroll threshold" are defined below.

Who meets the pesticide threshold?

A. Persons who use, store, cause to be used, or purchase

Author: Hubert A. Nicholson

PP: 372

DEFINITIONS

Plant Patent: A plant patent is granted to provide the patent owner control over the propagation, use, and sale of a plant during the 17 year life of the patent. A patent is intended to cover a specific plant to protect the rights of the inventor to the plant patented and provides a specific basis for preventing the propagation, growing, and distribution of said plant.

Trademark: A federal trademark is "any word, name, symbol, or device or any combination thereof adopted and used by a manufacturer or merchant to identify his goods and distinguish them from those manufactured or sold by other." A trademark identifies the source or origin of a product. It lasts for 20 years and may be renewed without limit. A trademark is established to cover a class or broad selection of items or plants and to disclose the origin or source. Economic rewards to owner is a basic reason.

Author: Benny J. Simpson

PP: 377

Except for the east Texas forests and the basin and range land of the Trans-Pecos, Texas is a prairie state. In the timberlands to the east are pocket prairies of a few to several hundred acres. All but the highest areas of the west-Texas mountains were once a rich grasslands (1, 2, 4, 7, 12, 18). Texas is a state rich and diverse in its floral canopy. However, many more species of trees are found in eastern Texas, while coastal, central and western Texas abound in grasses, shrubs, and various herbaceous annual and perennial wild flowers.

In other words, Texas has a rather distinct "eastern" and "western" flora, and the boundaries of these two plant regions occur at an almost mystical line of demarcation—the 98th meridian. To the east of the 98th lie Dallas, Fort Worth, and Austin; to the west, Wichita Falls and San Antonio, while the city of Lampassas sits astride. Curtis Fletcher Marbut’s line (11) closely parallels this meridian and to the east of that line (to the Atlantic Ocean)

Author: Anthony J. Herve

PP: 66

INTRODUCTION

Hydroponics as a propagation tool has come of age due to the lack of good clean soil and the cost of soil sterilization. In Australia, the nursery industry has been using different forms of hydroponics for some time. Propagators generally use a natural or artificial solid medium or a mixture of the two, but some produce bare–rooted plants in either a deep flow system, aeroponics, or nutrient film technique (N.F.T.), as in our case.

There are really only two types of systems—open and closed. In an open system the nutrient solution is not recovered while in a closed system the nutrient solution is recycled. In an ideal closed system, pure water is used and it is only necessary to flush out the system every four months or so. In our nursery, where high salts are present in the main’s water, it is necessary to flush out the system every 10 to 14 days in summer and every 3 to 4 weeks in winter. In spring, our water showed a reading of 360 mg/l of chloride (Cl) and 170 mg/l of

Author: Doug Torn

PP: 390

In April, 1988 Buds & Blooms Nursery purchased a fogging machine. Our decision was based on the fact that we had begun producing our own tissue-cultured rhododendron and mountain laurel plants. We could not get satisfactory results using mist and tents in our climate.

At the nursery we have eleven double-poly propagation houses that are 14 × 96 ft. They are all vented using a W. W. Grainger 24-in. exhaust fan and a 37 × 63 in. Acme intake shutter. Both of these units are controlled by a thermostat set at 80 to 85°F. We use two layers of 40% white shade cloth over these houses when propagating. This is available from V-J Growers Supply. In the winter these houses are heated with Modine gas-fired heaters.

Two of the eleven propagation houses are used as a fog-houses for tissue-cultured plantlets. In these greenhouses we use ½ in. copper tubing suspended from the center purlin which is approximately 7 ft. from the floor. We used eight nozzles in the first house, spaced 10 ft. apart. The

Author: William C. Welch

PP: 392

Colorful landscapes are not just a local trend. They are blossoming on an international scale. The relatively immediate visual impact and low cost of annuals and perennials have fueled their popularity. Their use enables homeowners to update landscapes quickly and economically while making the home more appealing for personal enjoyment or for marketing it to buyers.

Annuals are plants that complete growing and flowering processes in one year or less. In the South’s hot and often humid climate, most annuals last for a season or three to four months at most. Perennials, however, are plants that return from the same root part each year. Consumers are fascinated by plants that provide color yet do not have to be purchased and replanted each year.

Once a mainstay of our gardens, perennials lost favor during the last 50 years. Their new prominence has resulted in numerous catalogs offering a broad range of plants. The problem is that few of these sources are in the southern United States,

Author: Ralph Shugert

PP: 407

As a member of the IPPS International Board—serving as International Historian—welcome to the 39th Annual Eastern Region Conference.

It is fitting that Program Chairman, Peter Orum, has asked me to say a few words as to the background of our beloved Society, since it was 21 years ago I had the honor of serving as Eastern Region President during our Conference held in this marvelous hotel. That 1968 meeting was our initial Canadian visit and was truly successful.

As we commence our Conference I would like to review, with you, the history of our Society since the inaugural meeting held at the Startler Hotel, Cleveland, Ohio, November, 1951. The Society, at that time named the Plant Propagators’ Society, was the dream of a few far-sighted individuals who felt such a society would be of great benefit to the professional nurseryman, the nursery community, and the academic facet of the nursery profession. The first officers elected in 1951, were President, Jim Wells; Vice-President, L.C.

Author: William J. Intven, Thomas J. Intven

PP: 409

WHY DO WE GRAFT ACER?

For brevity in this presentation we will use Acer for A. palmatum, or Japanese maple. Until 1980 we had been importing Acer from the North American West Coast and from Europe. These were well-grown plants but sometimes there was some difficulty in acclimatization to our harsher Ontario, Canadian winters. The root washing requirement for imports from Europe was also a negative factor. In addition, the great transport distances substantially increased the cost. Hence, the decision to propagate Acer at our nursery.

As to grafting versus growing from cuttings, we had observed that in some species, notably Viburnum and Cornus, plants from cuttings were more difficult to overwinter in the first years and also were slower growing that grafted types. Our conviction regarding Japanese maple was confirmed after hearing a report by William Flemer III of Princeton Nurseries at the IPPS Annual meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan, citing a recent experience with grafted and

Author: Edward L. Carpenter

PP: 413

At Midwest Groundcovers we custom graft Pinus, Picea, and Juniperus. This discussion revolves around the side veneer and the side graft used on these plants. However, these ideas can be used in other forms of grafting and budding. The object of record keeping is to repeat a successful crop of grafts, or to improve upon a poor crop of grafts by identifying any actual or potential problems.

This paper is divided into two parts. The first is record keeping on the grafter and the second is record keeping on the plant material. Before starting, an action plan is given to all those involved with the grafting process. The plan explains the grafting schedules, how to prepare understocks, how to take a scion, how to make a graft, the cultural care of the graft, spray program, and how the "takes" will be measured. This eliminates any confusion and problems that might arise.

Author: Harry Jan Swartz, Nabil El-Shirbini, Robert Bors, David Maas, S.

PP: 416

Paclobutrazol was effective in increasing the percentage rooting, or root numbers, for some species but not others. The effectiveness of paclobutrazol was greater in the spring and summer and less in the fall. Paclobutrazol-treated Euonymus kiautschovica cuttings grew only slightly less than control plants in early-and mid-summer; however, late summer paclobutrazol-treated Prunus serrulata ‘Kwanzan’ and Forsythia × intermedia propagules did not elongate. At least one hour of paclobutrazol immersion of leafy cuttings is necessary to observe plant growth regulator effects.

Author: Ralph Shugert

PP: 422

This topic has been reported in many of our Proceedings as well as The Plant Propagator. In addition, many published papers allude to cutting storage, relative humidity, temperature, and duration. I will discuss Zelenka Nursery’s experience regarding the storage of Juniperus, Taxus, and Thuja cutting wood. I will also comment on some of the published data that enabled our nursery to warrant R&D testing and eventually establish an accepted production practice.

The phrase "carbohydrate-reserves" was capably explained by Sid Waxman (12) at our 1962 meeting in Cincinnati. He was discussing the taking of Taxus wood prior to the rest (dormancy) in the buds being completely broken. At this same meeting, Ray Halward (6) advised us to store dormant scionwood at 2 to 5°C (35 to 40°F) with high humidity. He commented that without sufficient humidity this technique will not be successful. At our Newport, Rhode Island meeting in 1966, Jim Law read Darrell Holmes’ (7) paper discussing storing

Author: Natalie F. Peate

PP: 71

The range of media used in cutting propagation is almost as great as the number of propagators in existence. This might suggest to the casual observer that media type is not important to the striking of cuttings. However, nothing could be further from the truth, except in the case of some cultivars that will strike root regardless of their ill treatment.

In general, cutting media should satisfy certain physical, chemical, and biological criteria as well as those of availability, consistency of quality, and ease of use by the propagator. In addition, other factors such as climate, cultivar, and housing for cuttings will also have some influence on selection of suitable media ingredients. Cost of ingredients should be of secondary importance in structuring successful propagation media.

Author: Howard W. Barnes

PP: 427

INTRODUCTION

Liquid quick-dips have steadily gained popularity as a means of treating cuttings with auxin. Traditionally, alcohols have been the primary solvents for synthetic auxins (4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10). However, in some cases alcohols in combination with auxins have proven to be deleterious to cuttings. Alcohols have been implicated with basal necrosis, premature leaf drop, and abnormal root development (1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12). Alternatives to alcohols do exist and have been used on a limited scale, (5, 6). Barnes (2) and McCrachen (9) have both done research with propylene glycol reduces the oxidation rate of IBA in solution and that the activity of propylene glycol-IBA solutions remains stable after one year. His work also showed that dips of IBA in propylene glycol at concentrations of 1000, 3000, and 5000 ppm were slightly superior to equal concentrations in ethyl alcohol. In some cases the positive correlation was as much as a 10% improvement. Dirr (6) lists Berberis thungbergii

Author: Sidney Waxman

PP: 433

One very productive method of developing new forms of dwarf conifers is by the germination of seeds collected from witches’brooms. These mutations which occur on many conifer species are far more common than I thought they were when I first started looking for them 25 years ago. At that time I would drive hundreds of miles to see them. Now, after all this time I have come to realize that they are not so rare. On my property, consisting of ten acres, I have found two white pine witches’-brooms, one of them no further than two feet from my deck.

Grafts made from a witches’-broom will of course, result in a group of dwarf plants genetically identical. Propagation of seeds from a broom, however, will result in a group of diverse seedlings, each having its own genetic makeup. Witches’-broom progenies usually consist of seedlings in which half are dwarf and half are normal. The normal seedlings are either discarded or used for rootstocks. It is among the former group of seedlings that we

Author: Darrel Apps

PP: 437

Next year, 1990, marks the 100th anniversary of Hemerocallis (daylily) hybridizing. In circa 1890, George Yeld, an English school teacher, made crosses of Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus with Hemerocallis middendorffii(5). Two years later in 1892 he officially announced the first daylily cultivar, ‘Apricot’.

Today there are over 30,000 registered cultivars and nearly 200 active hybridizers. Last year alone 189 different breeders named 1116 new daylilies. Although marketing statistics are not available, daylilies are thought by many to be the number one perennial plant sold in the United States. One of the reasons for their recent popularity is the color diversity in new cultivars; this is especially surprising since the original 23 species were primarily yellow and orange. Today the only color missing is true blue. The fact that daylilies are not native to the North American continent makes their recent widespread acceptance even more intriguing!

Author: Richard E. Bir, T.E. Bilderback

PP: 442

INTRODUCTION

For the past decade a group has formed in the corners, halls, restaurants, and elsewhere at the Eastern Region IPPS meetings to discuss mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) propagation and production. Some of the finest nurserymen and researchers from North America and Europe have participated in these conversations. Therefore, when asked to assemble something coherent on the current state of knowledge concerning mountain laurel production for the 1989 meeting, we expected that all we would have to do was visit some of the better nurseries and we would know how to grow excellent mountain laurel. We were wrong.

During the past year we have visited nurseries growing mountain laurel in eight eastern states (hardiness Zones 5 to 8) and talked with growers throughout the country by phone. Only two nurseries were consistently producing excellent mountain laurel in containers. Nearly all of the nurserymen we visited were growing good, but less than excellent, mountain laurels in

Author: Michael A. Dirr, Orville M. Lindstrom Jr.

PP: 448

How many new plants pass muster in the marketplace over the long haul? Forty percent, you say. I venture to estimate less than 5% withstand the test of time. In the fourth edition of the Dirr Manual 50 new Malus cultivars, 15 new Spiraea cultivars, and 10 new Acer rubrum selections are included. The question has been asked many times relative to what is known about the new plant’s performance capabilities? In most instances, absolutely nothing. Let’s take one of Father Fiala’s 33 new Malus introductions and examine its attributes (2).

‘Ballerina’ is described as "small, upright rounded, heavily flowering tree to 15 ft high; leaves dark green, disease resistant; white buds opening to large, very cupped, white, single but showy blossoms; fruits, 2/5 to ½ in., bright yellow, persistent to hard frosts. Excellent tree for narrow places."

Does this information really tell one anything about geographical and cultural adaptability? Certainly not! In Athens, Georgia will this crabapple receive

Author: Richard H. Zimmerman

PP: 455

Variant or off-type plants resulting from tissue culture propagation are a concern of growers interested in using micropropagated plants (1, 2). This variation resulting from tissue culture has been reviewed comprehensively recently by several authors (4, 7). To determine how serious a problem such variant plants might be, it is useful to review the methods available for micropropagation and the sources of potential variation.

Propagation methods. Micropropagated plants can be produced from axillary or adventitious shoots or from somatic embryos. Production from axillary shoots is the most common method used and involves using plant growth regulators called cytokinins to prematurely stimulate the growth of buds in the axils of leaves on shoots growing in tissue-culture. Shoots produced from axillary buds are most likely to maintain genotypic and phenotypic fidelity. This method is used for a wide range of plants, such as Dieffenbachia, Syngonium, Rhododendron, Acer, and Rubus, for

Author: Robert L. Geneve

PP: 458

Commercial plant propagators use vegetative propagation to increase the number of individuals of a superior clone. Traditionally, cuttings and grafts have been used to maintain and increase the numbers of individuals in a clone. More recently, tissue culture propagation has become economically feasible for some species. In either case, the integrity of the clone—its being "true-to-type"—is a major objective for the propagator.

A clone is described by the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants as a "genetically uniform assemblage of individuals derived from a single individual." However, being "genetically uniform" does not necessarily mean that variation cannot occur within a clone. Tissue culture propagation represents a new challenge to the propagator to maintain the integrity of the individual clone. New challenges, but challenges from the same influences that induce clonal variation during standard vegetative propagation. Variation within a clone occurs by

Author: Deborah D. Mccown, David D. Ellis

PP: 463

INTRODUCTION

The last ten years have established micropropagation as a commercial production technique for horticultural crops. Zimmerman estimates that approximately half the production has been in foliage crops, a quarter in woody ornamental plants and shade trees, and the remaining quarter shared by fruits and non-woody flowering plants (7). The first part of the 1980s recorded a huge increase in both capacity and production of micropropagules. In the second half of the decade overall U.S. production has probably increased only slightly, with the largest gains in the micropropagation of woody ornamentals, shade trees, and fruit crops. The micropropagation industry appears to be in a maturation phase, experiencing consolidation and market development. Market development has focused on maintaining or improving quality, dependability, and position.

Micropropagation is usually considered a part of the biotechnology industry. Like micropropagation, the other components of the

Author: Anna J. Knuttel

PP: 470

At Knuttel Nursery, we produce Kalmia latifolia (mountain laurel) for the nursery industry three ways. (1) From stem cuttings taken from existing stock. (2) We buy micropropagated plantlets that are grown in an accelerated growth program. (3) We take small stem cuttings from the growing micropagated plants.

We have had good results from each method, and each method has merit in our program.

To propagate Kalmia latifolia from stem cuttings, we implemented a program inspired by the research presented by Alfred J. Fordham of Weston Nurseries Inc., Hopkinton, Massachusetts, at the 1977 meeting of the Eastern Region International Plant Propagators’ Society (1).

Kalmia latifolia cuttings are taken the first week in December from the current year’s growth. We generally take cuttings from 2 to 4 in. in length. The cutting is wounded on one side. The wound is approximately one inch long and treated with a hormone. The hormone powder is a 2.2% IBA mixture (5 tbsp 4.4% IBA, 3 tbsp 0.1% IBA, 1 tbsp

Author: John E. Rodebaugh

PP: 472

During the decade of the 1990’s water recycling may no longer be an option due to a public attitude that is developing on environmental issues. The implications of not recycling irrigation water may become the more important issue. Water recycling in a primitive form began when the first creatures on earth started swimming in and drinking from the many streams and rivers that crisscross the continents. As civilization developed along the waterways, the amount of waste materials dumped into the water became sufficient to cause pollution. In many parts of the world society is gradually learning how to deal with this pollution in order to maintain reasonable standards of water quality.

Environmental issues are expected to become extremely important during the next 10 year period. Agriculture will receive special attention due to at least in part the large quantities of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and other pesticides that are applied to agricultural land. The nursery and greenhouse