Improving Physical Properties of Plant Growing Medias Using Perlite

Year 2018, Volume: 22 Issue: 5, 1346 - 1350, 01.10.2018

Hasan Özer , Ömer Hulusi Dede

https://doi.org/10.16984/saufenbilder.382895

Cited By: 3

Abstract

The most widely used growing
media in the production of potted ornamental plants is peat. However, the
studies for alternative solutions are being conducted due to the reasons such
as restricted peat sources, high cost, destruction of natural environment due
to peat production and variability in the quality of produced peat. In the
relevant literature, there are two basic ideas on which the studies have
focused on. The first one is the development of new growing media using organic-origin
wastes, the second one is the preparation of the mixtures in which organic and
inorganic materials are used as a component of growingmediums. In this study
which was prepared in parallel with the relevant main ideas in the literature,
the effects of perlite utilization on the physical properties of indigenous
peat, and on those of the growing media obtained from hazelnut cinder, which is
among agricultural organic materials in our country and has considerable  potential to be the most important
alternative of peat, were investigated. For this purpose, the physical
properties of the growingmedias, prepared by mixing perlite with raw peat and
hazelnut husk, at various ratios (10,15,20,25%), were investigated, and the
results obtained were compared with sphagnum peat, and with desired properties
for ideal growingmedias, in the literature. When the results obtained from the
study were examined, it was seen that as well as the highest values were
observed in the mixtures using 25% perlite, the perlite addition increased the porosity
of raw peat by 68.25% and air capacity by 30.03%, and that the hazelnut husk
decreased air capacity, higher than the ideal values,  by 47.19%,thus approximating it  its ideal value range. With increasing perlite
ratio in the mixtures, the organic substance contents and water holding
capacities of the growingmedias decreased as their pH values increased.
However, in applications using 25% Perlite, the shrinkage rates of raw peat and
hazelnut husk were found as 17.05% and 6.41% respectively,  and the water resuction times of those were
found as 1.52 and 1.21 minutes, respectively. Based on these results, it can be
said that the most important contribution of perlite utilization for raw peat
and hazelnut husk is to decrease shrinkage rates and water resuction times, and
that this improvement will avail in preventing the damages that occur in plant
roots due to  drying and shrinking of the
growing media, and in decreasing  the
irrigation frequency.

Keywords

Perlite, peat, hazelnut husk, growing media, ornamental plant

References

• Nelson PV., 1991. Greenhouse Operation and Management. 4th ed. Reston, VA: Reston Publishing Company.
• Abad, M., Noguera, P., Puchades, R., Maquieira, A., Noguera, V. 2003, “Physico-Chemical and Chemical Properties of Some Coconut Coir Dusts for Use as a Peat Substitute for Containerised Ornamental Plants” Bioresource Technology 82, 241-245.
• Yahya, A., Sye, C. P., Ishola, T. A., Suryanto, h., 2010 “Effect of adding palm oil mill decanter cake slurry with regular turning operation on the composting process and quality of compost from oil palm empty fruit bunches” Bioresour. Technol. 101, pp 8736-8741
• Marfa O, Lemarie F, Caceres R, Giuff rida F & Guerin V (2002). "Relationships between growing media fertility percolate composition and fertigation strategy in peat-substitute" Scientia Horticulturae 94,309-321.
• Ribeiro HM, Romero AM, Pereira H, Borges P, Cabral F & Vaconcelos E (2007). "Evaluation of a compost obtained from forestry wastes and solid phase of pig slurry as a substrate for seedlings production" Bioresource Technology 98,3294-3297.
• Tariq, U., Rehman, S., Khan, M. A., Younis, A., Yaseen, M., Ahsan, M., (2012) "Agricultural and municipal waste as potting media components for the growingand fl owering of Dahlia hortensis ‘Figaro’ Turk J Bot 36 378-385 © TÜBİTAK doi:10.3906/bot-1109-16
• Caycı, G., Unver, I., Ataman, Y., Munsuz, N. 1989 “Distribution and horticultural values of the peats in Anatolia”. Symposium on substrates in horticulture other than soil in situ, Dublin, Ireland, 12–16 September 1988. Acta Horticulturea, 238, pp. 189–196
• Abad, M, Noguera, P, Bures, S. 2001, “Natinoal inventory of organic wastes for use as growing media for ornamental potted plant production: case study in Spain” Bioresource Technology 77, 197-200.
• Standart Of Europian, Potting Mixes, Une-En 13650
• Martinez, F.X., 1992."Proposal of methodology for the determination of the physical properties of the substrata" Minutes of Gardening, 11, pp. 55-66
• Australian Standard, Potting Mixes, As 3743-1993
• Ozdemir, S., Dede, O. H., Koseoglu, G., "Recycling of MSW Compost and Sewage Sludge as Growing Substrate for Ornamental Potted Plants" Fresenius Environmental Bulletin, 13 – No 1, pp. 30-33, 2004
• Dede, O. H., Koseoglu, G., Ozdemir, S., Celebi, A. 2006. “Effects of Organic Wastes Substrates on the Growingof Impatients”, Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry, 30, pp. 375-381
• Benito, M., Masaguer, A., Moliner, A., De Antonio, R. 2006, “Chemical and Physical Properties of Prunig Wsate Compost and Their Seasonal Variability” Bioresource Technology 97, 2071-2076