RNGR.net is sponsored by the USDA Forest Service and Southern Regional Extension Forestry and is a colloborative effort between these two agencies.

U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Forest Service Southern Regional Extension Forestry Southern Regional Extension Forestry

Developing a Low-Risk, Recyclable Cutting Medium

Carmen, P. International Plant Propagators' Society, combined proceedings 2007, 57:202-204. 2008.

Nonrenewable products such as perlite, sphagnum peat, and sand have been the mainstay of propagation media. Concerns about the long-term viability of their use, and the health risks associated with the use of perlite in particular, have prompted a search for alternatives by staff in the nursery at the Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG). The ANBG nursery has used a combination of a coarse grade of perlite (P500) and coir (fine grade) (5 : 1, v/v) as a cutting propagation medium since 1990. Coir is a renewable resource and has the added advantage of being easy to rewet, unlike sphagnum peat. This combination has all the right characteristics for promoting root growth on cuttings of the wide range of Australian plants propagated by the nursery each year. In January 2006, pine bark and rice hulls were identified as potential ingredients that are inexpensive, safe to use, and made from renewable resources and that might be suitable for substituting for perlite.


Download this file:

PDF document Download this file — PDF document, 203Kb

Details

Author(s): P. Carmen

Section: Soil Management and Growing Media