Improved Fiber Pots for Container Nursery Production

Abstract

There is an increasing interest in the use of fiber pots to grow containerized nursery plants. Of particular interest is the ability to incorporate chemicals to modify plant growth, reduce microbial decomposition, and alter fiber structure. Four perennial plants Forsythia `Spring Glory', Baptisia australis, Ilex × meserveae `Blue Girl', and Coreopsis rosea were grown in 2.3-L fiber containers. Containers were treated with Cu(OH)2 (Spin Out®, Griffin Corp.) at 1500 or 3000 ppm, TCMBT (Busan® 30WB fungicide, Buckman Lab.) at 1700 or 3400 ppm, and combinations of Cu(OH)2 and TCMBT. Untreated plastic and untreated fiber pots were used as controls. Plants were grown in a commercial nursery in central Pennsylvania for 5 months during the 1997 growing season. Plants were harvested in the fall. Data included: root penetration of pot walls, plant growth, pot strength, medium root distribution, and root zone temperatures. Results with TCMBT were inconclusive. However, Cu(OH)2-treated pots had fewer penetrating roots and were stronger. Root zone temperatures in fiber pots were lower.