ISHS Acta Horticulturae 401: International Symposium on Growing Media & Plant Nutrition in Horticulture
MEASURING MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF GROWING MEDIA AND THE INFLUENCE OF CUCUMBER CULTIVATION ON THESE PROPERTIES |
| Authors: | G. Wever, A.A. van Leeuwen |
| Abstract:
In the Netherlands growers will have to grow in sustainable closed systems to meet the environmental demands. Therefore growing media must have good structural stability. Little is known about this aspect of growing media. Growing time, root development and pH do have their influence on structural stability but the extent of this influence is not known. To get an impression of the influence of these factors on the structural stability a growing trial was carried out and a test procedure for measuring the mechanical properties of growing media was developed. The influence of root development was tested by comparing growing media with and without cucumber plants. Two pH levels, 4.5 and 5.5, were realised and eight media were tested: expanded clay, glasswool, polyurethane foam, rockwool, coir dust, wood shavings, white peat and sphagnum peat. The mechanical properties like hardness and elasticity were measured by an INSTRON 4301 testing machine. The growing media were compressed four times with increasing force. The method is suitable for measuring the differences in hardness and elasticity between the media. In course of time some influences by aging are found. The cucumber roots have an influence on the mechanical properties of growing media. No effects of pH were found. | |
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