Growing media for plants

 INTRODUCTION

A growing media is a substance in which plant are grow without soil based medium, they are mostly used in nursery for growing horticultural crops. 

PROPERTIES OF MEDIA

• Aeriation
• Porosity
• Water Holding Capacity
• Fertility
• pH
• Cation Exchange Capacity

ADVANTAGE OF SOILLESS MEDIA

• It is free from pest.
• Better nutrients available to plants.
• Provide vapsa condition to plants.
• It is light in weight.
• It has pH nearly neutral.

TYPES OF MEDIA

Basically there are two types of growing media

• Organic
• Inorganic 

1. ORGANIC MEDIA

COCOPEAT

• It is made from coconut, after the extraction of fiber from the coconut husk.
• The pH of cocopeat range between 5.5-6.5.
• It contain good water absorption capacity 60-80% dry weight of husk.
• It provide good aeriation.

PEAT

• It is obtain from the partial decomposition of sphagnum.
• It is widely used growing media in worlds.
• It is light in weight so commonly used in home gardening.
• It has good water holding capacity and aeriation capacity.

BARK

• It is made from saw dust commonly used in nursery.
• It improve aeriation and water holding capacity.
• It has moderate pH and low EC.

RICE HUSK

• It is obtain from the by product of rice in rice mill industry.
• It is light in weight and provide good drainage.

BAGASSE

• It is obtained from the by product of sugar industry.
• It rapidly improve microbial activity.

PRESS MUD

• It is obtained after the extraction of juices, the left over residue is press mud.
• It contain good amount of sugar, organic matter, macro and micro nutrients.

2. INORGANIC MEDIA

PERLITE

• It is obtained from volcanic rock.
• It is white in colour.
• It has high pour space so it is added to provide good drainage.
• It is chemically inert no pH, no EC etc.
• Avoided superphosphate fertilizer, if perlite used.

VERMICULITE

• It is obtained by heating the ground and mica mineral to 750-1000 °C.
• It is light in weight and fully sterile.
• It is soft and easily compress.
• It improve the water holding capacity.
• The pH range from 6.2-7.9.
• It contain K, Ca and Mg.

FLY ASH

• It is obtained from coal power plant by burning coal and lignite to produce electricity.
• It contain K, Fe, Ca and Mg.

PUMICE

• It is produce through volcanic origin.
• It has neutral pH.
• It give small amount of nutrient to plants.

ROCK WOOL

• It is made from basalt salt.
• It has moderate water holding capacity and air space.
• It is slightly alkaline pH between 7.4-7.8 .

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