ISHS Acta Horticulturae 99: Symposium on Substrates in Horticulture other than Soils In Situ
METHODS FOR SAMPLING PEAT GROWING BAGS |
| Author: | G.A. Wadsworth |
| Abstract:
When bags of peat compost are used for growing tomatoes, the distribution of nutrients in the compost becomes inhomogeneous after a few weeks. An investigation was made of this inhomogeneity and of the most appropriate method of taking samples to measure the nutrient status. The inhomogeneity is greatest for Phosphorus, Potassium and Nitrate-Nitrogen. The surface layer of compost near the plant is appreciably higher in nutrients than the bulk of the compost. The recommended sampling method is to take 30 samples with a corer from 30 separate bags to make a bulk sample for analysis. The samples are taken near the base of the plant but avoiding the area where nutrient solution is applied. The surface 25 mm of the core is discarded. | |
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