Abstract
Promotion of sustainable horticulture via wider use of peat substrate substitutes makes wood fiber an increasingly popular substrate component. Interspecific geraniums are plants of huge potential in the floriculture market, but there are not enough specific guidelines on their cultivation. This study investigated the effectiveness of enriching peat substrate with 10%, 20%, 30%, or 40% (by volume) waste wood fiber in the pot cultivation of interspecific geraniums cv. ‘Calliope Dark Red’. It also examined plant response to additional fertilization with nitrogen in the form of Ca(NO3)2. Plants grown in the substrate with 10% and 20% of wood fiber did not differ in the leaf greening index, flower weight, and visual score from the plants grown in control (100% peat substrate). Wood fiber content of 40% negatively affected all growth parameters and leaf content of macro- and micronutrients. The plants growing in the peat substrate enriched with 20% of waste wood fiber and fertilized with nitrogen had the highest leaf greenness index, the greatest number of flowers, and the highest content of N, P, Ca, Na, Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn. In summary, the study demonstrated that high quality ornamental plants can be successfully grown in peat substrate containing 20% of waste wood fiber and additionally fertilized with nitrogen.
Highlights
The height of the plants grown in 100% peat substrate was similar to that of plants grown in peat and 10% and 20% of waste wood fiber
We found a significant interaction between the type of substrate and additional fertilization for the number of flowers per plant (p = 0.018), but there was no interaction for fresh weight of flower (p = 0.574) and visual score (p = 0.091) (Figure 6A–C)
Our study showed a considerable potential of using waste wood fiber as a substrate component in the cultivation of interspecific geraniums
Summary
Geraniums belong to the most important ornamental plants in the world, and are the leading commodity on the flower exchanges [1]. They are resistant to unfavorable environmental conditions and widely used in urban areas in flower beds, containers, and green areas [2,3]. To maintain consumer interest and increase the sales of geraniums, breeding companies constantly seek new cultivars with distinctive decorative features, such as interspecific geraniums developed by crossing the two most important geranium species: Pelargonium × hederaefolium, syn. × hortorum (abundant flowering, possibility of cultivation in hanging containers) [5]. A attractive group of interspecific geraniums is Calliope developed by Syngenta/FloriPro
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