Alternative substrates for potbedding plants - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Alternative substrates for potbedding plants
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Bark - pine and spruce. Forestry by-products e.g. Sylvafibre', Pietal' Sawdust ... Must be from a reputable source. Useful in propagation and for small modules ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation
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Title: Alternative substrates for potbedding plants
1
Alternative substrates for pot/bedding plants
- Susie Holmes
- ADAS Horticulture
2
The Major Alternatives
- Wood/forestry by-products
- Coir
- Green compost
3
Wood/forestry industry by-products
- Bark - pine and spruce
- Forestry by-products e.g. Sylvafibre, Pietal
- Sawdust
- Chipboard/furniture manufacture waste
- Recycled wood
- All need to be stabilised/composted before use
4
Coir fibre
- Must be from a reputable source
- Useful in propagation and for small modules
- Promotes good root development
- Used in blends as a low nutrient ingredient
- Non-indigenous, price may rise
5
Green compost
- Only high quality composts suitable
- Inherently high pH and K level
- Can have high chloride level
- High bulk density
- Useful slow release nutrient content
- Root pathogen suppression possible
- Needs diluting with low nutrient/low BD material
6
Blends for bedding/pot plants
- Reduced peat mixes - e.g. 20 - 70 other
materials - Woodfibre/bark (70/30) e.g. Sylvamix
- Sylvafibre/coir/loam (e.g. Petersfield Peat-free
Supreme) - Woodfibre/bark/green compost blends (e.g.
Sinclair peat-free, Klasmann-Deilmann RT mix) - Green compost/bark (e.g. Gem peat-free)
7
Management of peat alternatives
- Adapting irrigation is the key to success
- Some materials need more frequent watering
- Bark/wood wastes and coir need more N
- Nutrition needs to be reviewed
- Handling with automated systems needs examining
e.g. flow into small modules
8
Further research needed
- Irrigation requirements - compatibility with
different systems esp. capillary - Fine-tuning of nutrient requirements
- Herbicide insecticide efficacy
- Compatibility with machinery
- Disease suppressive effects of green
compost/woody materials - Shelf-life
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