Woodwaste Composts as Growing Media for Vegetables Under Protection

Pudelski, T.

doi:10.17660/actahortic.1985.172.5

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Reviews describing the production and use of composts as growing media were written by Miller and Metting (1992), Inbar et al (1993), Epstein (1997), Raviv (1998a), and Raviv et al (2002). The use of bark and wood composts as growing media was reviewed by Gartner and Williams (1978), Worrall (1978), Pokorny (1979), Aaron (1982), Riviere and Milhau (1984), Pudelski (1985), Bunt (1988), Miller and Jones (1995), and Benoit and Ceustermans (1995).…”

Section: Compost As An Ingredient In Container Mediamentioning

confidence: 99%

Production of High-quality Composts for Horticultural Purposes: A Mini-review

Raviv¹

2005

horttech

107

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Compost is organic matter that has undergone partial thermophilic, aerobic decomposition. This environmentally safe process is called composting. The combination of raw materials and the chosen composting method yields a wide range of characteristics, such as organic matter (OM) content, nutrient content, potential for disease suppressiveness and other physical, chemical, and biological properties. The objectives of this review are describing the horticultural outlets for composts, defining compost characteristics important for the above uses, and describing composting procedures and raw materials leading to these characteristics. The two main horticultural uses of composts are as soil amendment and as an ingredient in container media. Soil-applied composts improve soil fertility mainly by increasing soil organic matter (SOM) that activates soil biota. Compost's nutrient content, and especially that of nitrogen (N), should be high (>1.8%). Composts having these characteristics are produced of raw materials rich in both OM and N, while minimizing their loss during composting. Typical raw materials for this purpose include animal manures, offal, abattoir residues, sewage sludge, and grass clippings. Various composting methods can yield the required results, including turned windrows, aerated static piles, and in-vessel composting. Composts are also used for substrates as low-cost peat substitute, potentially suppressive against various soilborne diseases. These composts must be stable and non-phytotoxic. Physical properties of compost used as substrate are important. Hydraulic conductivity, air porosity, and available water should be high. Reconciling the physical and biological demands may be difficult. Materials such as softwood bark, wood shavings, various types of shells or hulls, and coconut coir are characterized by good physical properties after composting. However, being relatively resistant to decomposition, these materials should be subjected to long and well-controlled composting, which may be shortened using N and N-rich organic matter such as animal manures. High temperatures [>65 °C (149.0 °F)] may cause ashing, which leads to reduced porosity. In addition to ligneous materials, composts serving as growing media may be produced from numerous organic wastes, such as manures, food industry wastes, etc. These materials are better composted in aerated static piles, which tend to minimize physical breakdown. Animal excreta are of special value for co-composting as they contain large, diverse populations of microorganisms, which accelerate the process.

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Section: Compost As An Ingredient In Container Mediamentioning

confidence: 99%

Production of High-quality Composts for Horticultural Purposes: A Mini-review

Raviv¹

2005

horttech

107

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“…The use of tree bark as a growth medium was reviewed extensively by Pokorny [12]; Aaron [13]; Pudelski [14]; Bunt [15]; Miller and Jones [16]; and Gartner and Williams [17]. Pine bark has been the most widely used soilless growing media constituent for the production of tobacco seedlings in float bed and ebb-flood fertigation systems because of its suitable chemical and physical properties for propagating and growing plants [4].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comparative Evaluation of the Physical and Chemical Characteristics of Composted Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifoliaL.) with Pine Bark Growing Media in Tobacco (Nicotiana tabucumL.) Seedling Production

Masaka

Chimwanda

Chagonda

et al. 2016

Advances in Agriculture

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The search for suitable organic growing media substitutes for pine bark based media combinations has been prompted by concerns over high costs and lack of availability to smallholder farmers coupled with increasing demand for soilless media in Zimbabwe. A trial was conducted for 12 weeks to investigate the suitability of tea tree compost-based substrates for tobacco seedling production as a substitute of the traditional pine bark growing media. The use of composted tea tree growing media in float trays significantly (p<0.05) increases the bulk density of the media by 23–59% when compared with pine bark media. The cation exchange capacity of the native pine bark growing media was 14 to 95% lower than that for the composted tea tree media. The use of the composted tea as media for tobacco seedling nursery reduced seed germination by 10–37%, seedling stem height by 4–34%, and seedling stem girth by 6–175%. While the nutrient holding and supplying potential of the growing media in seedling production is important for normal seedling growth, its effect on seedling growth vigor is less important than that exerted by the presence of suitable physical conditions in the media.

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Woodwaste Composts as Growing Media for Vegetables Under Protection

Cited by 2 publications

References 0 publications

Production of High-quality Composts for Horticultural Purposes: A Mini-review

Production of High-quality Composts for Horticultural Purposes: A Mini-review

A Comparative Evaluation of the Physical and Chemical Characteristics of Composted Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifoliaL.) with Pine Bark Growing Media in Tobacco (Nicotiana tabucumL.) Seedling Production

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