GETTING TO THE ROOT OF IT-01/22/2020
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Growing Substrates and You: An overview of the growing mix/substrate world for greenhouse and nursery growers. What are classifications of substrates, typical mixes in the Midwest and discussion of some new trends that have come up in the last decade.
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GETTING TO THE ROOT OF IT-01/22/2020
- 1. GETTING TO THE ROOT OF IT Growing Substrates And You Kevin Donnelly CH Horticultural Soil Scientist
- 2. FINDING RESOURCES THROUGH EXTENSION • “mushroom compost” • 10,300,000 results • Sponsored product • 9 gardening site • 8 sales sites • Wikipedia, • 1 extension site • “mushroom compost extension” • 1,740,000 results • 16 extension results • 4 gardening related sites • www.e-gro.org
- 3. GROWING SUBSTRATES AND YOU Use and Handling of Substrates Detailed Look Into Mixes Latest Trends in Growing Substrates
- 4. TO MAKE OR BUY
- 5. SOIL STRUCTURE Porosity Water Holding Capacity Plant Available Water Hydraulic Conductivity Can prevent bad porosity!
- 6. SOIL STRUCTURE • Can’t change in container • Impacts plant available water and hydrology • Impacts oxygen available to roots • Pores made up of Macro and Micro pores • Packed at optimum moisture content
- 8. CENTER FOR HORTICULTURAL SOILS TESTING AND RESEARCH Research and Testing at Midwest Trading Plant Available Water Research https://hortsoils.blogspot.co m/
- 9. PLANT AVAILABLE WATER 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% 55% 5 50 500 50% maximum water capacity May start to stress below 30% moisture Roughly 20% of volume is easily available water
- 11. TESTING PH
- 12. GET A WATER TEST This should be done at least yearly. Can change season to season Watch for high bicarbonates Share with soil and fertilizer supplier
- 13. CHOOSING A SUBSTRATE Irrigation method Crop time Container Size Fertilizer strategy How many mixes can you justify Product Handling Cost Consistency!
- 14. COMMON PRODUCTION MIXES Container Size Crop Length Peat Pine Bark Other Ingredients Annuals Production Plugs to 6“ Pots 6-12wk 40-65% 20-40% Perlite, Coir, Vermiculite Annual Mixed Containers 8-24“ Pots 12-20wk 20-50% 40-60% Perlite, Coir, Compost Perennials Quart - 2 gal 3-12mo 0-30% 40-70% Compost, Sand, PBH Shrubs 2gal - 5gal 6-24mo 0-20% 50-80% Compost, Sand, PBH Trees >5 Gallon 1-3 years 10-20% >70% Compost
- 15. CANADIAN SPHAGNUM PEAT Retains moisture while providing structure Lots of options for different applications pH 3.5-4.5 High buffer capacity and requires lime adjustment Best used at 50-60% moisture
- 16. PINE BARK Builds Structure as an aggregate Retains moisture Extent varies on particle size Low pH 4.5-5.5 Low Buffering Capacity-easy to change Slow to break down
- 17. COIR Retains Moisture No issues of hydrophobicity pH 7.0-8.0 Some K and Na concerns when used at high rates
- 19. PARBOILED RICE HULLS (PBH) FOR WEED SUPPRESSION Apply 1.5-2 inches Inhibits weed growth Top dress Leaf blower can be effective for small pots Riceland Foods
- 20. COMPOST THIS IS A PROCESS NOT A PRODUCT Landscape waste or manure based Spent Mushroom Substrate (Mushroom Compost) Provides water retention Low cost Provides some fertility Provides biology to the mix
- 21. HYDRAFIBER PROFILE PRODUCTS Wood Fiber Product Some specialized equipment needed Good structure Cost competitive
- 22. BIOCHAR Product of pyrolysis High internal porosity for water and nutrients Characteristics vary depending on source Great for poor soils conditions Still a lot not understood on use Costs are high
- 23. POLYMER COATED CONTROLLED RELEASE FERTILIZER (CRF) Example is Polyon 19-5-8 8-9mo Based on constant 70 degrees Dormant at lower temprature Second is based off avg temp in Chicago Many options on release time between 3-9 months typical Many analysis options on market for general use or specific need Release Curve From Harrells
- 24. BENEFICIALS; BIOLOGICAL & BIOSTIMULENTS Mycorrhizae (Ecto and Endo) Root Shield (Trichoderma harzianum) Promix BX (Bacillus subtilis) Actinovate (Streptomyces lydicus) SunGro ReSiliance (Silcon) Water absorption polymers Calcined clay
- 26. THANK YOU KEVIN DONNELLY, CH HORTICULTURAL SOIL SCIENTIST MIDWEST TRADING Bob Hursthouse
Editor's Notes
- We work in the realm of the countries most popular hobby. Gardening. As such there are a lot of opinions. So when
- Chemical characteristics like pH, salinity, fertility can all be altered, for the most part on the site. The physical properties like porosity, water holding capacity,
- lShow illustration of soil aggregate sizes in container Talk about PSD Focus on container Can’t physically alter Proper moisture content Nesting effect
- Soil Compaction in containers can alter the air porosity and therefore the performance and consistency of crops
- So the below ground is where my team comes in. We are are the Center for … We work on studying this environment for horticultural applications.
- For anyone growing, it is very important to test the pH as this can be a first method of troubleshooting any issues. For those of you not familiar with this chart, basically pH impacts the availability of nutrients. For example, if you have chlorosis and your pH is high, you likely have iron deficiency, doesn’t mean there is no iron, just not available to the plant. Lower pH, fix the problem
- Aditionally a water test is of great value. You need oto understand your inputs and water is one of the most important. Look to the alkalinity as that will often cause your pH to drift. Depending on your source, you could have an abundance or lack of micronutrients that will inform you fertilizer choices. Keep in mind that this is not a static number. If the alkalinity is high you may find it necessary to neutralize with an acid. This is done more in greenhouse production than nursery
- Irrigation Talk about water distribution Fert liquid or CRF Crop time Logistics like # mixes Weight Cost Goals- show fast drain to slow drain
- Talk about difference between can we do it and what do you want