Upload
anabel-ray
View
213
Download
0
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Mixing Media Like Making Soup
When first made, each ingredient still easily identified
Eventually chemical and physical properties become blended creating unique characteristics.
Characteristics are chosen to meet specific needs of plants.
Functions of Media
Provide water Supply nutrients Permit gas exchange Provide support
These functions can be controlled by the grower by choice of component blends.
Problems with Sub-Optimal Media
Poor growth Nutritional disorders Increased risk of root diseases Inefficient/ineffective irrigation Unstable (toppling) plants
Rootzone Environment
Creating a rootzone environment:
blending selected components
filling pot
initial watering of containers after transplanting
Rootzone EnvironmentConstantly changing as roots grow into medium.
Roots:
Extract nutrients
Exude chemicals such as H+ and phytochemicals
Contribute organic material to the medium.
Chemical Properties of Media
1. pH
measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) in media solution
controls availability of all essential plant nutrients
soilless (highly organic) media pH 5.4-6.0 mineral soil pH 6.2-6.8
Chemical Properties of Media
2. Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) measure of media nutrient holding capacity defined by sum of exchangeable cations
(+ charged nutrients) that media can contain per unit wt.
Chemical Properties of Media
3. Soluble Salts dissolved mineral salts found in media fertilizer, impurities in the irrigation water,
organic matter all nutrients available for absorption are called
soluble salts
Physical Properties of Media(Air- and Water-holding Capacity)
Determined by:
size and type of solid components
how medium is handled (compaction, amount per pot, watering technique, etc.) prior to planting
Physical Properties of Media
• Bulk Density- weight per unit volume
• Total Porosity- Percent volume of media comprised of pores
• Water Holding Capacity- % volume of media filled with water after saturating and draining
Determining Physical Properties (approximation method for growers)
Method [use metric units (g and cc) throughout]
• cover inside of container (must have hole for drainage) with cheese cloth or screen material and cover container hole with tape
• fill with a measured volume of media1 • add H2O slowly from a known volume until
medium is saturated to surface• allow to equilibrate for 15 min, add more water
if necessary
Determining Physical Properties (approximation method for growers)
Method cont’d.
• record vol. of H2O added2 (original volume minus
remaining volume)
• remove tape, collect drained H2O for 60 min, record volume3
• weigh wet sample4, air dry the sample, reweigh5
The measurements recorded from this procedure are then used where indicated by superscript(1,2,3,4,5) in the following formulas:
Physical Properties of Media
Bulk Density- weight per unit volume
5Mass of dry media (g) 1 Media volume (cc)
(to convert to ~pounds/cu. ft., multiply answer by 62.4)
Physical Properties of Media
Total Porosity - Percent media volume comprised of pores
2Volume of water added1media volume
• most mineral soils have less pore space than organic based media
x 100
Physical Properties of Media
Water Holding Capacity - % moisture in the media after saturating and draining
(4wet weight - 5dry weight) x 100 1media volume
• It is the maximum amount of water media can hold
Organic ComponentsPeat
formed by decomposition of bog plants
low bulk density high CEC manageable pH non renewable (at
least in human lifespan terms)
Organic ComponentsPeat
Peat being ‘harvested’
Processed by:• Sieving for uniform
size• Compressed into
uniform size and weight bales
Organic ComponentsCoir
coconut husk, treated as substitute for peat
physical properties similar to peat
pH ~7 low porosity inexpensive lower CEC than peat
Organic ComponentsBark
improves aeration inexpensive hardwood or softwood bark can be used must be composted various sizes used, most common are:
1/8” to 3/4”
Organic ComponentsWood Products - sawdust
Inexpensive way to get organic matter into media
Must be composted Considered too
variable for use in commercially available media
Can be too ‘reactive’
Organic ComponentsProcessed Sludges and Composts
Sludge - sewage processing by-product
high CEC
high bulk density
little pore space make-up dependent on starting material, may
contain high concentration of heavy metals
Inorganic ComponentsSand
Used primarily to increase bulk density
Very porous
Inert (no CEC properties)
Inorganic ComponentsPerlite
from volcanic rock low CEC, inert good drainage neutral (in terms of
pHmay contain fluoride
ions (F)
Inorganic ComponentsVermiculite
Aluminum-Iron-Magnesium silicate (mica like)
pH depends on source High CEC provide nutrients Ca,
Mg, K great water holding low bulk density
Inorganic ComponentsRock wool
From basalt rock or slag liquefied and spun into fibers
high total porosity, air space, and water holding capacity
low CECneutral pH
Inorganic ComponentsCalcined Clay
Fired clay aggregates Increases drainage
and air space
Minimal CEC
Low bulk density
Inorganic ComponentsStyrofoam
Polystyrene foam Improves aeration and
drainage No CEC No water holding
capacity Broken down by UV light Environmental Nuisance
Selecting Media
Important- one size does not fit all
Consider crop needs• What is the optimum growing pH?• What kind of moisture level does it require?• Particle size (germinating seeding vs established
plant) (size and type of root system - fine or coarse)
Watering methods (high pressure watering requires a media resistant to compaction and erosion)
Trial New Media Test new product to determine suitability
Be sure you have a big enough sample size!
Consider CostQuality and quantity of the finished plant
are the most important considerations
Media Storage
Use within 3 months of production (follow manufacturers recommendation)
If dries out, may be difficult to re-wet
If it gets wet - algae and moss may grow, fungus gnats and shoreflies may infest it.
Store off the ground (on pallets) with good air circulation
Keep out of direct sun
Avoid Overhandling
Commercially prepared media are formulated with certain “built-in” aeration and water retention properties
Properties altered when handled by:• potting machines• flat fillers• mixers• untrained human media handlers
Mixing Options
Can buy commercially prepared mediaCan custom mix your own media
The choice is up to the grower/owner. In general smaller greenhouses tend to buy while larger tend to mix, but this is not a hard and fast rule.
Mixing Options
Considerations: mixing equipment transportation costs raw materials skilled labor storage consequences of mixing errors quality control testing
Soilless Formulations
Whether commercial or mixed on site, most mixes are derived from two groups of media mix formulations established at University of California and Cornell University.
Media Formulations
Based on combinations of peat, vermiculite, perlite
Nutritional and other additives depend on the crop
Wetting Agents
Non-ionic wetting agent added to improve initial wetting of media mix
Granular and liquid forms
High concentrations toxic to plants
Most commercial mixes contain wetting agents
Tests pH, EC, and specific nutrients
pre-plant analysis • amend as necessary
after planting analysis• monitor changes in pH and nutrient
accumulation• adjust fertilizer composition accordingly
Sampling
Factors to consider when sampling media
number of samples to take when to take samples relative to fertilization (be
consistent)
sampling location with pot or bed
Sampling Units
Pooling- mixing small random samples together to form a larger collective sample
potted plants - collect sample from root zone, sample minimum of 10 plants
plugs/cell pack - sample from 5-10 different flats, plants sacrificed
BE CONSISTENT in your sampling method
If you are trying to diagnose a problem, include samples from healthy and affected plants in order to compare results.
Determining pH and Soluble SaltMedia Extraction Methods
1:2 dilution*
1:5 dilution*
Saturated Media Extract (SME)*
Pour-through**It is VERY important when sending soilless media samples to
a lab to label them as soilless
* Guidelines are available to interpret results** Few guidelines are available, you have to develop your own
1:2 or 1:5 Dilution
Air dry media
1/4 - 1/2 cup (50-100cc) media mixed with 2 (or 5) parts deionized or distilled H2O
Mix well & equilibrate (15-30 min)
Gravity filter through coarse filter paper
Test pH and EC
Saturated Media Extract Starting water content does not matter
Starting media amount does not matter
Add deionized or distilled H2O to container of media until media is saturated
Equilibrate (30 min)
Vacuum filter through coarse filter paper and collect leachate
Test EC and pH (can also test pH before filtering)
Pour Through Volume of water used will depend on the
container (grower must experiment)
Collect leachate in tray shortly after irrigating
Filter leachate
Test pH and EC
Easy method but few guidelines available, although more becoming available. You can develop your own guidelines by keeping records and being very consistent in your technique.