Vegetable Transplant Production Tips

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Vegetable Transplant Production Tips

• Dean M. Krauskopf, Ph.D.
• MSU Integrated Crop Management Educator
• Southeast Michigan

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Production Tips

• Water quality
• Non traditional media
• Controlling growth
• Herbicide contamination

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Water Quality

• Total soluble salts
• Bicarbonates
• Sodium
• Boron

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Water Quality

• Test before every crop
• Complete analysis including micronutrients and
  sulfur (S)
• Sodium (Na) and Chloride (Cl)
• Heavy metals (?)

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Total Soluble Salts

• Water SS Fertilizer SS Total soluble
  salts applied
• Physiological drought
• Water moves out of the root into the higher
  concentration of salts in the media solution
• Slow germination, reduced growth, salt burn

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Total Soluble Salts

• New source of irrigation water
• Wet grower
• Media with low cation exchange capacity

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Cation Exchange Capacity
Media
Solution
H
NO3-
- - - - - - - - -
Ca
K
Ca
NH4
Ca
K
Ca
Mg
Mg
K
K
H
NO3-
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Water Quality

• Total soluble salts
• Bicarbonates
• Sodium
• Boron

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Water Quality

• Media pH controls nutrient availability
• Bicarbonate Lime Fertilizer pH

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Effect of Water Alkalinity on Media pH

• Water characteristics
• pH Alkalinity
• 5.5 60 ppm
• 5.5 280 ppm

• Plug soil pH
• Start One week
• 5.5 5.8
• 5.5 7.8

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Water Quality

• Bicarbonate
• Neutralizing bicarbonate does not reduce total
  soluble salts
• Bicarbonate cannot be directly determined by
  water pH

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Water Quality

• Total soluble salts
• Bicarbonates
• Sodium
• Boron

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Water Quality

• Sodium
• Contributes to total soluble salts
• Interferes with uptake of cations
• Toxic to some plants

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Water Quality

• Sodium
• Wet grower
• Low CEC
• Use Calcium and Potassium to flush off exchange
  sites

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Cation Exchange Capacity
Media
Solution
H
NO3-
- - - - - - - - -
Ca
K
Ca
NH4
Ca
K
Ca
Mg
Mg
K
K
H
NO3-
Ca gt Mg gt K gt Na gt NH4 gt H
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Water Quality

• Total soluble salts
• Bicarbonates
• Sodium
• Boron

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Water Quality

• Boron
• lt 0.5 ppm
• Fertilizer micronutrient charge

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Production Tips

• Water quality
• Non traditional media
• Controlling growth
• Herbicide contamination

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Non Traditional Media

• Greater availability of composts
• Concerns
• Uniformity
• Nutrient content/maturity
• Chemistry
• Physical structure
• Biological risks
• Contaminants
• Handling

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Non Traditional Media

• Dr. John Biernbaum, MSU Horticulture Department
• Range of components/mixtures
• Nutrient release characteristics
• Peat moss added before or after composting
• Commercial media becoming available

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Production Tips

• Water quality
• Non traditional media
• Controlling growth
• Herbicide contamination

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Four Stages of Plug Production

• Stage 1 - Sowing to radicle emergence
• Stage 2 - Radicle emergence to cotyledon
  expansion
• Stage 3 - Cotyledon expansion to growth of all
  true leaves
• Stage 4 - Growth of all true leaves to toning for
  shipping or holding

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Factors InfluencingRootShoot Ratio
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Variations in Moisture Levels by Plug Stage
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4
Percent H2O availability
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Fertilizer Levels by Cropand Plug Growth Stage
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Response to DIF
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Production Tips

• Water quality
• Non traditional media
• Controlling growth
• Herbicide contamination

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Herbicides Labeled for Greenhouse Use

• Envoy
• Finale
• Reward
• Scythe
• Roundup DryPak
• Roundup Pro

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Roundup
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