Abstract
This study evaluated rooting of Pennisetum ‘Vertigo’ cuttings and development and the nutritional status of rooted plants. Cuttings of Pennisetum ‘Vertigo’ rooted in a perlite or peat medium were treated with Goëmar Goteo biostimulator as follows: (1) soaking (2) watering (3) spraying (4) no Goteo applied (control). Then, 83.3–100% of cuttings formed adventitious roots. The, 100% rooting was obtained for plants in perlite when Goteo spraying or watering was used for plants rooted in peat only after Goteo watering application. Cuttings rooted in perlite had 30% more roots and they were longer than in peat. Goteo watering of cuttings affected root elongation in both peat and perlite. Neither rooting media nor biostimulator treatment affected root dry weight (DW). Rooting medium after 2 months of pot cultivation had no effect on biometric features of plants, but those grown from cuttings rooted in peat had a higher fresh weight (FW) compared to those rooted in perlite. Plants developed from Goteo-treated cuttings were higher compared to the control plants. Goteo watering during rooting stimulated the formation of new shoots in the greenhouse cultivation. Plants from cuttings rooted in perlite had more Fe and Cu in their leaves, especially when they were Goteo-watered. Goteo increased P content in plants derived from biostimulator-watered cuttings, and K in plants from cuttings soaked in Goteo and rooted in perlite.
Highlights
The concept of using ornamental grasses to create green areas has become an attribute of modern landscape architects, whose projects are implemented in home gardens as well as in multi-hectare urban areas [1,2]
Considering only the medium, it was found that perlite was better for rooting the cuttings (95.8%) compared to peat (90.3%), while assessing the effect of Goteo, regardless of the medium, it was found that spraying and watering stimulated the rooting process (97.2 and 100.0%, respectively)
In perlite rooting of cuttings not treated with biostimulator increased by 10 percent compared to their counterparts rooted in peat
Summary
The concept of using ornamental grasses to create green areas has become an attribute of modern landscape architects, whose projects are implemented in home gardens as well as in multi-hectare urban areas [1,2]. Ornamental grasses have created a dynamic sector of floriculture where a wide range of new varieties is introduced each year. Market competition forces producers to act from the very beginning according to procedures that guarantee obtaining the best quality product. Studies show that many of Pennisetum ornamental grasses are becoming popular—they are subjected to genetic testing to determine karyotype diversity and nuclear genome [3]. Breeding programs in recent years have resulted in obtaining the new Pennisetum hybrids for container and landscape applications [4]; one of them is Pennisetum ‘Vertigo’, product information: Graceful Grasses®
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
