Effects of hardwood sawdust in potting media containing biosolids compost on plant growth, fertilizer needs, and nitrogen leaching

There is extensive variability in physical and chemical properties among brands of retail potting media. The purpose of this study was to assess variability in seed germination and plant growth responses among and within brands. Twenty-four different brands of media, and multiple bags of five brands, were purchased at nine retail stores. Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) seeds were germinated in 11 different brands of media and in media from different bags of four of the same brands. Marigold (Tagetes erecta) and petunia (Petunia×hybrida) were grown to flowering in 10 brands of media. Germination varied significantly among media brands and among bags of one of the brands. Plant performance also varied significantly, with several of the brands producing plants with few flowers, long times to flowering, and low shoot and root dry weights even though all treatments received uniform applications of a complete fertilizer solution three times per week. Few relationships could be discerned between individual physical and chemical properties of the media and plant performance. Results indicate improvements in quality among brands and quality control within brands are needed in the retail potting media industry. Quality assessment tools emphasizing plant performance could improve overall media quality.

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Agro-industrial-residues as potting media: physicochemical and biological characters and their influence on plant growth

Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery ◽

10.1007/s13399-021-01998-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Pratibha Agarwal ◽

Sampa Saha ◽

P. Hariprasad

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Industrial Residues ◽

Potting Media ◽

Biological Characters

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Optimum Soluble and Slow-release N Rates for Rhododendrons and the Fate of Such N Applied to Various Potting Media

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.30.4.794e ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 30 (4) ◽

pp. 794E-794

Author(s):

Thomas M. Rathier

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Slow Release ◽

N Uptake ◽

Plant Quality ◽

Pine Bark ◽

Factorial Experiments ◽

Total N ◽

Coated Urea ◽

Potting Media ◽

N Rates

Two year-long, factorial experiments were conducted on Rhododendron catawbienses (cv. Roseum elegans) grown in 2.3-liter plastic pots. I) Annual N rates of 0, 0.4, 0.8, 1.6, and 3.2 g/pot were applied as NH4NO3 (SBL) or sulfur-coated urea (SR) to plants potted in a composted hardwood bark (CHB)/peatmoss (P)/sand (S) medium. Plant growth and quality was best at 0.8 g N/pot for SBL and 1.6 and 3.2 g N/pot for SR. II) Annual N rates of 0.8 (SBL) and 2.4 (SR) g/pot were chosen as optimum rates and applied to plants potted in the following media: pine bark (PB)/P/S; CHB/P/S; P/S; and PB/CHB/P/S. Plant growth and N uptake was best in PB/PS. Plant quality was best in P/S. NO3 in leachate did not differ among media, but was greater in SBL. Total N immobilized in media was greater in PB/CHB/P/S. N recovered from SR-treated pots as unused fertilizer did not differ among media. Total applied N recovered was 90% for SBL and 51% for SR.

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Biochar bound urea boosts plant growth and reduces nitrogen leaching

The Science of The Total Environment ◽

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134424 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 701 ◽

pp. 134424 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Wei Shi ◽

Yanyan Ju ◽

Rongjun Bian ◽

Lianqing Li ◽

Stephen Joseph ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Nitrogen Leaching

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Glomus intraradix effects on citrus rootstock seedling growth in various potting media

The Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.1017/s0021859600070684 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 118 (3) ◽

pp. 315-323 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

S. Nemec

Keyword(s):

Plant Growth ◽

Linear Models ◽

Fine Sand ◽

Root Weight ◽

Sour Orange ◽

Rough Lemon ◽

Wood Shavings ◽

Citrus Rootstock ◽

Potting Media ◽

Glomus Intraradix

SUMMARYFive potting media components mixed in various combinations and in various percentages of one with another (0, 14·3, 29, 42, 57, 71 and 100% by volume of the second component with the first) were inoculated with Glomus intraradix in six experiments. Seedlings of citrus rootstocks were grown from seed in these mixes. Sour orange in inoculated peat plus vermiculite, Astatula fine sand plus vermiculite, and peat plus Perlite® in all percentage combinations grew c. two- to threefold taller than noninoculated control plants. Up to twofold growth increases of sour orange occurred in vermiculite amended with wood shavings. The best evidence for fungus-mediated plant growth occurred in Astatula fine sand amended with 29–71% Perlite, and the roots in that combination had the highest percentage of infection. In another experiment in which Astatula fine sand was amended with up to 16% of an acid peat, ratios of inoculated rough lemon plant growth to controls decreased as the peat content in the medium increased. Top and root weight ratios of inoculated:control seedlings in the six experiments did not fit four simple linear models.

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