Soak trees/shrubs before planting: freshwater wetlands

How is the evidence assessed?
  • Effectiveness
    34%
  • Certainty
    20%
  • Harms
    15%

Study locations

Key messages

  • One study evaluated the effects – on trees/shrubs typical of freshwater wetlands – of soaking them before planting. The study was in a greenhouse in the USA.

VEGETATION COMMUNITY

 

VEGETATION ABUNDANCE

 

VEGETATION STRUCTURE

  • Biomass/plant (1 study): One replicated, randomized, controlled study in a greenhouse in the USA found that soaking black willow Salix nigra cuttings before planting had no significant effect on the above-ground biomass of surviving seedlings, over the 48 days after planting.

OTHER

  • Survival (1 study): One replicated, randomized, controlled study in a greenhouse in the USA found that the effect, on survival, of soaking black willow cuttings before planting depended on the water regime after planting. However, all cuttings soaked for 15 days before planting died within 42 days of planting.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

  1. A replicated, randomized, controlled study in a greenhouse in Tennessee, USA (Pezeshki et al. 2005) found that the effects of soaking black willow Salix nigra cuttings before planting depended on both the duration of soaking and soil moisture after planting. All cuttings soaked for 15 days died within 42 days of planting. Under permanently or intermittently flooded conditions, cuttings soaked for 7 days and unsoaked cuttings had statistically similar survival rates after 48 days (soaked: 100%; unsoaked: 86–100%) and shoot biomass over 48 days (soaked: 1.4–1.8 g/plant; unsoaked: 1.4–1.7 g/plant). Under well-watered conditions, cuttings soaked for 7 days had a higher survival rate than unsoaked cuttings after 48 days (soaked: 86%; unsoaked: 57%) but had statistically similar shoot biomass over 48 days (soaked: 1.0 g/plant; unsoaked: 0.5 g/plant). Methods: A total of 378 cuttings (30 cm long, 1 cm diameter) were taken from actively growing black willow trees and planted in pots in a greenhouse (dates not reported). Of these, 252 random cuttings had been soaked in aerated tap water before planting (for 7 or 15 days). The other 126 cuttings had not been soaked. After planting, cuttings were exposed to one of three soil moisture treatments (permanently flooded, flooded for 4 in every 14 days, or daily watering). Seven cuttings/treatment were harvested 0, 4, 10, 17, 42 and 48 days after planting, then dried and weighed.

    Study and other actions tested
Please cite as:

Taylor N.G., Grillas P., Smith R.K. & Sutherland W.J. (2021) Marsh and Swamp Conservation: Global Evidence for the Effects of Interventions to Conserve Marsh and Swamp Vegetation. Conservation Evidence Series Synopses. University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

All the journals searched for all synopses

Marsh and Swamp Conservation

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Marsh and Swamp Conservation
Marsh and Swamp Conservation

Marsh and Swamp Conservation - Published 2021

Marsh and Swamp Synopsis

What Works 2021 cover

What Works in Conservation

What Works in Conservation provides expert assessments of the effectiveness of actions, based on summarised evidence, in synopses. Subjects covered so far include amphibians, birds, mammals, forests, peatland and control of freshwater invasive species. More are in progress.

More about What Works in Conservation

Download free PDF or purchase
The Conservation Evidence Journal

The Conservation Evidence Journal

An online, free to publish in, open-access journal publishing results from research and projects that test the effectiveness of conservation actions.

Read the latest volume: Volume 21

Go to the CE Journal

Discover more on our blog

Our blog contains the latest news and updates from the Conservation Evidence team, the Conservation Evidence Journal, and our global partners in evidence-based conservation.


Who uses Conservation Evidence?

Meet some of the evidence champions

Endangered Landscape ProgrammeRed List Champion - Arc Kent Wildlife Trust The Rufford Foundation Mauritian Wildlife Supporting Conservation Leaders
Sustainability Dashboard National Biodiversity Network Frog Life The international journey of Conservation - Oryx Cool Farm Alliance UNEP AWFA Bat Conservation InternationalPeople trust for endangered species Vincet Wildlife Trust