Establish Snowberry Seed Orchard
A seed orchard is a timeless way to manage plants for seed production. It is essentially planting, maintaining, and harvesting from plants that are laid out in rows. Plants from many seed zones or ecoregions are planted amongst each other to harvest seeds in an efficient manner. This post details how to establish a snowberry seed orchard using hardwood cuttings.
Snowberry shrubs
About Snowberry
Snowberry is a widespread shrub found throughout Canada and the United States. It is most noticeable in the winter because of its white, round berries. Some berries express pink pigments, and it has uses for both wildlife and ornamentals purposes. It lives along streambanks and valley bottoms from low to mid elevations. It grows well in shade, and it will be found with roses, willows, and redosier dogwood. It can be propagated by seeds, via a complex stratification, and easier by hardwood cuttings.
Hardwood cuttings are easy to collect. One thing to keep in mind about cuttings, is that they are clones (more below). They will be exactly like the plant that provided the cutting. Look for stems that are about a pencil thick in the interior of the plants. These tend to be 2-3 years old, and they will root easily. Cut the stems at the base of the plant and collect as many as you need. The number you need will be determined by the amount of space that you want to fill. Once, they are all collected, cut them to a length of about 18 inches, and strip the branchlets and leaves off the cutting. Plant them about halfway into the ground with the buds pointing up.
I like to space them about three feet apart. 100 cuttings will take up the lenght of a football field, and 10 will need 30 feet. I like to plant them into prepared beds, but staking them directly into the ground will work too. Make sure to keep them weeded in the first year to aid in establishment.
Tools needed for installing snowberry cuttings
Tools Needed
Hammer - to pound rebar
Rebar - to make pilot hole
Flagging - to wrap on rebar to mark pilot hole depth
Weeder - to clean a spot to install cuttings
Bucket - to carry tools and cuttings
Measuring tape - to space the plant
Landscape staple - to secure the measuring tape
Installation Instructions
Take cuttings after the fall rains begin. The plant needs are low, and there isn’t any irrigation needed until the spring and summer.
Layout measuring tape
Make pilot hole by pounding rebar to depth
Insert cutting 1/2 way into the ground; buds pointing up
Press soil around the cutting
Continue until all cuttings are installed
Snowberry cuttings prepared to plant
Livestakes are Clones
One thing to keep in mind is that cuttings are clones, and they will express the same traits as the parent plant. It is an excellent technique to use when you notice attractive traits and you want to get more of those. For example, snowberries show varying amounts of pink on their berries. Take cuttings from those plants with pinker berries and install them in a more visible place in the landscape to bring attention to them. It’s a nice blend of retaining the ecological benefits of native plants while also adding ornamental value to them. However, one of the negative side effects of this technique is that there can be a loss of genetic diversity through the propagation of clonal material.
Winter is the best time to grow plants by hardwood cuttings. It is relatively easy and low risk. One of the greatest benefits is that you can quickly increase the number of plants by directly planting them into the earth. All you need are your trusty pruners and a favorite bucket. Go for a winter walk, prune some snowberries for better growth in the spring, and use the pruned stems to propagate your next willow stand.
This same technique can be used for other plants that are suitable to take cuttings. Some common ones in the Pacific Northwest are:
Willows
Redosier Dogwoods
Twinberry
Pacific Ninebark
Influences
“Suggestions for Installing Hardwood Cuttings”
Cheers,
John
