Properties of substrates with ground pine bark. [Conference paper].
1980
Lemiare F. | Dartigues A | Riviere L.M.
The difficulties of finding imported peat for substrate preparation of horticultural soilless crops have directed French plant-growers to use substitution products, for example the non-composted ground pine bark. The authors give results of investigation into its physical and chemical characteristics, the stability of this material and the response in growth of some ornamental plants. Pine barks make a light substrate with high porosity, well aerated but with very low water availability. Their mixing with sphagnum peat gives a substrate with suitable characteristics: high air content, good water availability. When sphagnum peat is too fine, the addition of pine bark compensates for the lack of air in this peat grade at pF 1. Pine barks have a pH less low and index of buffer capacity less high than those of peat. The pine barks under investigation remained stable for 8 months, without packing down and without granulometric modification. Container growth experiments on ornamental plants moderately resistant to asphyxia, under conditions of non-limitative mineral nutrition have shwon that the substrates with pine bark and peat compared to those with peat and sand give similar results for Weigela hybrid growth and for Pelargonium zonale cutting production, better longevity and rooting for Picea pungens "Koster" No phytotoxicity has been observed during experiments.
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