Nursery Mangement: CHAPTER 7

TEST COVERS CHAPTER 7 TO 12

soil vs substrate

• Soil (field) = thin, variable, unconsolidated layer of material on the earth surface

• Substrate (containers) = artificial growth medium for greenhouse and nursery crops

explain substarte

holds less water

drains easier

doesnt supple nutrients

less buffered

container production benefits

intact root system

harvest/sell year round

how does container production differ from field production

• Requires less land
• Requires more labor
• Offers greater return per acre
• Requires more management
• More flexible sales
• Container beds more expensive
• Insect and disease control are more critical
• Grown in artificial substrate

substrate characteristics

physical

chemical

biological

what is the defintion of substarte physical characteristics

air and water changes based on composition

what is the defintion of substrate chemical charcteristics

nutrtion and pH based on composition

what is the defintion of substarte biological characteristics

organisms (good or bad)

what is phsycial

air space

water rentention

bulk density

what three parts of substrated composed of

solids (OM)

Gases (O2 and CO2)

Liquid (Water)

what are ohysical properties

shown based on % volume of container

total porosirt (big and little pores)

air space def

space for air

container capacity

amount of water the substarte can hold

avaliavble water

plant uptake

unavaliable water

too tighlt bound

bulk density

measure of the solids in the substartes (g/cm3)

what does compressing ths substrate do

reduces air space

large particles leads to

lots of air

small particles leads to

less air

less irrigation

lots of air

frequent irrigation

less air filled spcae

more moisture =

more air space

more mixing =

more fines created, less air spcae

container height and shape =

taller and allows more water to flow and increase air space