scholarly journals Substrate Stratification: Layering Unique Substrates within a Container Increases Resource Efficiency without Impacting Growth of Shrub Rose

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1454
Author(s):  
Jeb S. Fields ◽  
James S. Owen ◽  
James E. Altland

Nurseries rely on soilless substrates to provide suitable growing media for container grown crops. These soilless substrates have been developed to readily drain water to prevent issues with waterlogging and associated soil-borne disease. A negative consequence of high porosity and subsequent drainage throughout the container profile is the required high or frequent irrigation rates with poor retention of applied nutrients. Substrates with relatively high levels of moisture and nutrient retention placed on top of a coarse and freely draining substrate could further optimize water and nutrient retention, while allowing for needed gas exchange for plant establishment and growth. Containerized Red Drift® rose (Rosa ‘Meigalpio’ PP17877) plants were grown under 16 mm or 12 mm daily irrigation, utilizing a traditional pine bark substrate or stratified substrates with either a conventional bark, bark fines, or a bark–peat mixture on top of a coarse bark within a container. The stratified substrates received 20% less controlled-release fertilizer; however, the fertilizer in the stratified treatments was concentrated in the upper strata only. During the first growing phase or season, plants grown in stratified substrates outperformed those grown in conventional, non-stratified bark substrates under normal irrigation. The stratified substrates did not reduce growth under reduced irrigation regimes. Overall, crop growth was equal or superior for stratified substrates when compared to the non-stratified controls, even with a 20% reduction of fertilizer. This research suggests that stratified substrate systems can be used to reduce fertilizer and irrigation rates while producing crops of similar or superior quality to conventionally grown containerized crops.

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giampaolo Zanin ◽  
Carmelo Maucieri ◽  
Nicola Dal Ferro ◽  
Lucia Bortolini ◽  
Maurizio Borin

In bioretention ponds proposed to manage urban runoff, floating elements with anchored macrophytes plants improve nutrient and pollutants removal and provide aesthetic benefits. To prompt the establishment and initial growth of plants in floating elements with substrate, the application of Osmocote (a controlled-release fertilizer) in tablet form was proposed. In a confined environment, eight treatments were compared, combining two substrates (peat and zeolite at a ratio of 1:1 or 2:1 v/v), two levels of fertilization (without or with addition of Osmocote plus tablets; 5 g plant−1), and the presence or absence of Mentha aquatica L. plants. For about 16 weeks, the amount and quality of water, along with plant growth and nutrient content, were monitored. The results showed better plant growth when Osmocote was supplied, with no effect of the substrate. The presence of the plant produced the almost total uptake of the nutrients contained in the tap water and released by the fertilizer. This indicates that the use of a controlled release fertilizer can improve plant growth without compromising water quality, hence being a valuable solution to promote plant establishment usable as routine practice when a bioretention basin is vegetated with floating elements with substrate.


HortScience ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 503e-503
Author(s):  
Patricia R. Knight ◽  
D. Joseph Eakes ◽  
Charles H. Gilliam ◽  
Harry G. Ponder

Seed geranium (Pelargonium × hortorum Bailey `Scarlet Elite') were grown in subirrigation troughs in 10-cm pots from 25 June to 3 August 1993. Production medium was a 1 pine bark:3 peat moss:1 perlite (v:v:v) mixture. Plants were irrigated using fresh or recycled solutions and fertilized using Peter's Geranium Special 15N-6.5P-12.5K or Osmocote 14N-6.1P-11.6K. Controlled release fertilizer produced greater shoot dry weights and foliar color ratings than plants receiving water soluble fertilizer. Plants receiving a controlled release fertilizer had lower shoot N concentrations than plants receiving water soluble fertilizer. Recycled irrigation solutions reduced plant quality regardless of method of fertilization.


HortScience ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Calvin Chong ◽  
Glen Lumis ◽  
Peter Purvis ◽  
Adam Dale

Rooted cuttings of `Antonovka' apple, `Lynwood Gold' forsythia, double-flowered kerria, common ninebark, `Goldfinger' potentilla, and `Red Prince' weigela were grown in 2-gal (6-L) nursery containers filled with 1:1 (by volume) of waste compost and composted pine bark, under three fertilizer regimes: 1) liquid nutrients [target concentrations in ppm (mg.L-1): NH4-N, 13; NO3-N, 100; P, 28; K, 120; Ca, 92; Mg, 13; Fe, 1.3; Mn, 0.27; Zn, 0.23; Cu, 0.05; B, 0.22; Mo, 0.05; Na, <50; Cl, <50; and SO4 <300] delivered and recycled twice per day via a computer-controlled multifertilizer injector; 2) same nutrient formula and concentration rate delivered fresh via the injector but without recycling; and 3) Nutryon (Polyon) 17-5-12 controlled-release fertilizer incorporated into the medium at a rate of 11 lb/yd3 (6.5 kg·m-3). With recycled liquid nutrients, all species grew the same or more than with nonrecycled nutrients, and generally the poorest growth was with controlled-release fertilizer. Foliar concentrations of K (all species), N (all species), P (forsythia, kerria, potentilla, and weigela), and Mn (forsythia, potentilla, and weigela) were higher in plants supplied with recycled and/or nonrecycled nutrients than in those supplied with controlled-release fertilizer, while foliar concentrations of Ca (ninebark and kerria) and Mg (apple, kerria, ninebark, potentilla, and weigela) were lower. Compared to nonrecycled liquid nutrients, the amounts of individual recycled nutrients were reduced by (percentage in brackets): NH4-N (30), NO3-N (78), P (76), K (46), Ca (93), Mg (96), Fe (52), Mn (43), Zn (55), Cu (60), B (83), and Mo (66).


HortScience ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 730a-730
Author(s):  
Patricia R. Knight ◽  
D. Joseph Eakes ◽  
Charles H. Gilliam ◽  
Harry G. Ponder

Seed geraniums (Pelargonium × hortorum Bailey `Scarlet Elite') were grown in 10-cm pots in a 1 pine bark : 3 peat moss : 1 perlite medium from 18 March until 5 May 1993. Plants received Osmocote 14N-6.1P-12.5K and either conventional overhead (CO), drip (DI), or subirrigation (SI). Subirrigation produced greater shoot and root dry weights than CO or DI. Plants grown using DI produced fewer branches than plants grown using CO or SI. Plants receiving SI reached anthesis before plants receiving CO or DI. Method of irrigation had no influence on total root, soil, or leachate N, but SI did increase total shoot N.


HortScience ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 1054D-1055
Author(s):  
C. Chong ◽  
P. Purvis ◽  
G. Lumis ◽  
M.Z. Alam ◽  
E. Roesler

Plug-rooted liners of cotoneaster (Cotoneaster dammeri C.K. Schneid. `Coral Beauty') were grown in 6-L nursery containers filled with three different media: 73 pine bark: 22 peat: 5 pea gravel (Medium 1); 60 pine bark: 25 peat: 15 compost (Medium 2); and 50 pine bark: 50 compost (Medium 3). Plants were fertilized with Polyon (Nutryon) 17–5–12 (17N–2P–5K) 6-month controlled-release fertilizer at various rates (0, 2.5, 4.5, 6.5, and 8.5 kg·m-3 incorporated or dibbled (placed under the liner at potting). Shoot dry weight of cotoneaster increased with increasing fertilizer rates in all three media, and was consistently higher with dibble (calculated maximum ranges, 269-362 g/plant at 6.1–7.5 kg·m-3) than with pre-incorporated (127-263 g/plant at 6.4-8.5 kg·m-3) fertilizer. Trends for root dry weight were similar with dibbled fertilizer but nonsignificant with incorporation, while those for shoot: root ratio were reversed to those for shoot dry weight. Positive correlations were observed between foliar contents of N, P, and K and shoot dry weight from both dibbled and incorporated treatments, as well as root dry weight from dibbled treatments. With incorporation, however, only foliar K was correlated with root dry weight.


HortScience ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 660b-660
Author(s):  
Mark H. Brand

Information on fertility optimization for container-grown ornamental grasses is limited. For ornamental grasses, growers are concerned with the degree of flowering, number of tillers, and height and width of the plants as well as other growth or ornamental components. Pennisetum alopecuroides divisions potted into 8.5-L containers were grown outdoors in a container nursery from May through September. The potting medium used was a 3 aged pine bark: 2 peatmoss: 1 sand nursery mix (by volume), amended with dolomitic lime 3 kg/yard3. Sierra 17-6-10 plus minors, 8 to 9 month controlled-release fertilizer (CRF) was top dressed at 20, 30, 40, 50, or 60 g/container. Foliage height increased linearly with increasing CRF rate. Flower height increased to a maximum at 40 g of CRF per container and then decreased with higher levels of CRF. Basal plant width exhibited a quadratic response to CRF rate, reaching a maximum at 40 g of CRF per container. The greatest number of flowers and tillers were obtained using 50 g of CRF per container. Maximizing the number of flowers is important for marketing of Pennisetum, since this plant is grown primarily for its flowering.


HortScience ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 462C-462
Author(s):  
Raul I. Cabrera ◽  
Pedro Perdomo

Herbaceous perennials are the hottest item in the ornamental industry, yet relatively little is known about the most appropriate management and cultural practices for many of these species. The response of selected perennials to controlled-release fertilizer (CRF) rates was evaluated in this study. Liners of Coreopsis `Early Sunrise' and `Zagreb', Astilbe `Bridal veil', Hemerocallis `Stelladoro', Phlox `Franz Shubert', and Rudbeckia `Goldstrum' were transplanted to 5.7-L pots filled with a 2 peat: 1 perlite (v/v) medium amended with dolomite and Micromax (2 and 0.6 kg·m-3, respectively). Plants were topdressed with Osmocote 18N-2.7P-10K at rates of 0, 1.8, 3.6, 5.3, 7.1 (industry standard) and 8.9 kg·m-3, and grown over a 3-month period. Plant biomass and quality ratings (including chlorophyll levels) followed an asymptotic behavior with CRF applications for Coreosis `Early Sunrise' and Astilbe `Bridal veil', leveling at ≈1.8 kg·m-3. The rest of the species showed increases in plant growth and quality with CRF rates of 1.8-3.6 kg·m-3, followed by sharp, and significant, reductions at higher CRF rates. Observations of optimum growth and quality at CRF rates 1/2 to 3/4 below commercial recommendations were partially attributed to the use a peat medium, with relatively higher nutrient holding characteristics in relation to the more common pine bark mixes. This observation was confirmed the following season, where plants grown in a 4 pine bark: 1 sand medium (v/v) required higher CRF rates to have similar growth and quality responses to those grown in a 4 peat: 1 bark: 1 sand medium (v/v).


HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 501c-501
Author(s):  
Andrés A. Estrada-Luna ◽  
Jonathan N. Egilla ◽  
Fred T. Davies

The effect of mycorrhizal fungi on gas exchange of micropropagated guava plantlets (Psidium guajava L.) during acclimatization and plant establishment was determined. Guava plantlets (Psidium guajava L. cv. `Media China') were asexually propagated through tissue culture and acclimatized in a glasshouse for eighteen weeks. Half of the plantlets were inoculated with ZAC-19, which is a mixed isolate containing Glomus etunicatum and an unknown Glomus spp. Plantlets were fertilized with modified Long Ashton nutrient solution containing 11 (g P/ml. Gas exchange measurements included photosynthetic rate (A), stomatal conductance (gs), internal CO2 concentration (Ci), transpiration rate (E), water use efficiency (WUE), and vapor pressure deficit (VPD). Measurements were taken at 2, 4, 8 and 18 weeks after inoculation using a LI-6200 portable photosynthesis system (LI-COR Inc. Lincoln, Neb., USA). Two weeks after inoculation, noninoculated plantlets had greater A compared to mycorrhizal plantlets. However, 4 and 8 weeks after inoculation, mycorrhizal plantlets had greater A, gs, Ci and WUE. At the end of the experiment gas exchange was comparable between noninoculated and mycorrhizal plantlets.


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