Viola Propagation

Throughout this summer Stuart, Jared, and I have been discussing the possibility of a new addition to the production plots at the Hjelm. The main goal was to create a production plot for the Prairie Violet. It is a notoriously difficult species to collect seed for in the wild due to its relatively early seed set period and its tendency for seed pods to burst open and scatter seeds the moment they are ripe. Our first obstacle was determining exactly how we wanted to get local viola plants. Would we need to be exhaustive in harvesting local seeds and sprouting them; could we attempt to propagate from cuttings; or were transplants our best course of action? After some discussion and reaching out to the Chicago Botanical Garden we found that cuttings weren’t a good option and attempt to harvest and sprout seed was going to be too difficult and possibly provide low yields. Next, we worked on sourcing a growing vessel that will prevent weeds while providing well-draining soil, perfect for the violets. An old cattle trough from a local farmer was the perfect solution.

Holes were drilled and a piece of drain tile was placed inside of the bottom the planter to allow drainage. and then the clay-rich soil that was dug up to level the bed was used to fill the first 1/3 of the planter. Weed free garden soil and washed sand was then mixed approximately 1:1 to fill the rest of the bed with high quality soil that will drain enough for the violets. On Aug 7th Starting at around 6:45 am Stuart and I both went out to collect violets from 5 different sites we had determined to be good host sites. Five plants were taken with each being at least 5 meter away from each other per site. We then recorded the gps postion of the collection point and gave each violet a number to identify it.

Once all the violets were collected a random position was chosen for each plant to ensure fair representation per site. And then finally we could plant each violet after washing its roots to ensure no weeds become established.

Now have a finished production Plot full of V. pedatifida that seem to be doing well only a few weeks on and some are already producing new leaves a good sign they are enjoying their new home.