container)nursery)) produc1on)fer1lizaon)€¦ · ec)levels)for)osmocote)plus®)and)polyon®...
TRANSCRIPT
Container Nursery Produc1on Fer1liza1on
Amy Fulcher University of Tennessee
Assistant Professor Sustainable Ornamental Plant Produc1on and Landscape Management
Some content adapted from that originally prepared and presented by Donna Fare, Mark Halcomb and Amy Fulcher at the Container Dogwood Produc1on Workshop, November 18, 2010 in McMinnville, TN.
Whole Systems Approach
Substrate
Fer1lizer
Temperature Light
Humidity Water
Years in Produc1on
Container Size and Shape
Wind
Plant Size (leaf area)
Container Nursery Produc1on Fer1liza1on
• pH, alkalinity, EC guidelines • Monitoring nutri1on • Controlled release fer1lizers • Types of fer1lizer applica1ons • Rates – at poTng and bumping up • Changing pH
Container Plant Nutri1on
• Op1mal pH 5.0 – 6.0 (pour thru) – Lower than ideal soil pH range – Why?
Container Plant Nutri1on
• Op1mal pH 5.0 – 6.0 – Lower than soils ok because excess Al not a problem
• pH -‐ A figure expressing the acidity or alkalinity of a solu1on on a logarithmic scale from 0 to 14 (where 7 is neutral and greater than 7 is more basic and less than 7 is more acidic). – 10x difference
Macro elements Complete fer1lizer
Minor elements
Bilderback, 2001
Nutrient Availability
Container Plant Nutri1on
• Op1mal alkalinity range (water supply) – <61 ppm no problem – 61-‐214 ppm degree of problem increasing – >214 ppm severe alkalinity level
• Alkalinity – the amount of carbonate and bicarbonate anion in solu1on. Carbonate and bicarbonate anions contribute to alkalinity due to their basic nature, hence their ability to neutralize acid. – Buffers against pH change
Container Plant Nutri1on
• Op1mal EC – 0.2 to 0.5 mmhos CRF only – 0.5-‐1.0 (+) mmhos CRF + solu1on or solu1on only
• Soluble salts -‐ the total dissolved salts in the root substrate (substrate solu1on) at any given 1me – Measured by electrical conduc1vity (EC).
• More fer1lizer -‐> more salty -‐> higher EC
Whipker and Cavins. 2000. Electrical Conduc1vity (EC): Units and Conversions. NCSU. FLOREX 002.
Measuring Container Nutri1on
• Pour thru – Mark discussing • Saturated paste extract* – Add dis1lled water to substrate un1l glistens
• 2:1 dilu1on – 2 dis1lled water:1 substrate
– *not liquid feed-‐ so s1rring not desirable – Consistent technique – Acceptable range varies with technique
Whipker and Cavins. 2000. Electrical Conduc1vity (EC): Units and Conversions. NCSU. FLOREX 002.
Whipker and Cavins. 2000. Electrical Conduc1vity (EC): Units and Conversions. NCSU. FLOREX 002. Whipker and Cavins. 2000. Electrical Conduc1vity (EC): Units and Conversions. NCSU.
FLOREX 002.
Types of Controlled Release Fer1lizers
• Osmocote® -‐ Longevity 70F • Granule is covered with an organic, semi-‐permeable coa1ng of
biodegradable resin made of vegetable oils. – Water penetrates through the coa1ng and dissolves the nutrients.
– Start-‐up takes 1 to 2 weeks, depending on the longevity. – Only the temperature is important in the release.
Image Credit: hip://everris.us.com/plant-‐nutri1on/coated-‐fer1lizers/paierned-‐nutrient-‐release-‐fer1lizers
Types of Controlled Release Fer1lizers
• Nutricote® • Resin (Polyolefin) coa1ng • Longevity controlled by the composi1on of the resin and the quan1ty of a special "chemical release agent" added to the resin
• Molecular passageways in the coated resin in a maze-‐like structure.
• Water in the soil enters the granule through the passageways and dissolves the nutrients.
Image Credit: hip://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=hip://www.mortonproducts.com/images/nutricote.jpg&imgrefurl=hip://www.mortonproducts.com/page.cfm/1557&h=325&w=361&sz=43&tbnid=zoNPn8p-‐Hu_iM:&tbnh=94&tbnw=104&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dnutricote%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=nutricote&usg=__opgJUdz3WIP_kV0A9MPYLVbZ0k=&docid=ItT7eKxdWwAv8M&hl=en&sa=X&ei=kztyUISVJIGE8QSx9oHoCg&ved=0CCgQ9QEwAQ&dur=652
Types of Controlled Release Fer1lizers
• Polyon® – polyurethane coa1ng • Reac1ve Layers Coa1ng™ • Temperature dependent release • Longevity gauged at ~80F
hip://polyonthinkgreen.com/howitworks.html
CRFs
• Longevity indicates the period of 1me over which a granule con1nues to release nutrients – 5-‐6 months – 8-‐9 months
• Coa1ngs can be damaged • Sand in substrate + mixing = damage • Mixing with front end loaders can scrape and damage
Types of Applica1ons
• Topdress • Dibble • Incorporate
Graphic Credit: Dr. James Altland, USDA
Top Dress
• Can do any1me in produc1on • Less likely to burn roots • Less likely to leach out before nutrients are absorbed by the roots
Alam et al. 2009. Evalua1ng Fer1liza1on and Water Prac1ces to Minimize NO3-‐N Leachate from Container-‐grown Forsythia. HortScience. 44(7):1833–1837. Graphic Credit: Dr. James Altland, USDA
Top Dress
• Osmocote® with Fusion Technology™ • “No spill prill”
Photo Credit: hip://everris.us.com
Incorporate
• What if incorporate and then substrate isn’t used for a long 1me?
• Coa1ng can be damaged by mixing • Puts fer1lizer where the roots are • Can’t fall out if pot 1ps over
Graphic Credit: Dr. James Altland, USDA Altland, J. Fer1lizer Placement affect weed control and plant growth. hip://oregonstate.edu/dept/nursery-‐weeds/research/dibbling/dibbling_feritlizer.html
Dibble
• Can’t fall out • Fer1lizer is where the roots are • Poten1al to burn roots
Graphic Credit: Dr. James Altland, USDA Altland, J. Fer1lizer Placement affect weed control and plant growth. hip://oregonstate.edu/dept/nursery-‐weeds/research/dibbling/dibbling_feritlizer.html
Dibble
• With no herbicide – Topdressing and incorpora1ng resulted in about 60% weed control.
– Dibbling fer1lizers resulted in over 95% weed control.
Graphic Credit: Dr. James Altland, USDA Altland, J. Fer1lizer Placement affect weed control and plant growth. hip://oregonstate.edu/dept/nursery-‐weeds/research/dibbling/dibbling_feritlizer.html
Dibble
• Dibbling fer1lizers resulted in superior weed control and shoot growth, but slightly reduced root growth.
• Incorpora1ng fer1lizers resulted in moderate weed control, poor shoot growth, but excellent root growth.
• Topdressing fer1lizers resulted in poor weed control, excellent shoot growth, and slightly reduced root growth.
Altland, J. Fer1lizer Placement affect weed control and plant growth. hip://oregonstate.edu/dept/nursery-‐weeds/research/dibbling/dibbling_feritlizer.html
Applica1on Technique Leads to:
• Temperature and moisture differences • Substrate surface exposed to radia1on, dries out compared to within substrate…
Container Plant Nutri1on
• Fer1lizer analysis – 3-‐1-‐2 ra1o
• Fer1lizer rate – 3 grams actual nitrogen/gallon container size – Does the fer1lizer last the season?
• Longevity – 8-‐9 or 12-‐14 month CRF at poTng – What if selling in 2 months?
EC Levels for Osmocote Plus® and Polyon® Top-‐applied Treatments
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
March Ap
ril May
June Ju
ly
August
September
October
November
Polyon High Top JunePolyon High Top No JunePolyon Medium Top JunePolyon Medium Top No June
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
March
April
May
June Ju
ly
August
September
October
November
Osmocote Top JuneOsmocote High Top No JuneOsmocote Med Top JuneOsmocote Medium Top No June
Yes, the fer1lizer lasts the season. Lower fer1lizer release in May reflects decrease in temperature.
Fulcher, A., W. Dunwell, D. Wolfe, and R. McNiel. 2004. Effect of Fer1lizer Brand, Rate, Applica1on Technique, and June Reapplica1on on Growth of Amelanchier x ‘Autumn Brilliance’ in Above Ground Container Produc1on. Proc. Southern Nursery Associa1on Research Conference. 49:111-‐113.
• Fer1lity/Nutri1on – Winter poTng & placed in overwintering • Can get release due to warm temperatures • Important to keep substrate moist otherwise fer1lizer salt will burn root 1ps
Container Plant Nutri1on
• Fer1lity/Nutri1on
– How to address micronutrients for a 2 year produc1on cycle?
Container Plant Nutri1on
hip://everris.us.com/sites/default/files/micromax_micronutrients.pdf
Container Nutri1on
• Fer1lity/Nutri1on
– Micromax 6.0 % Calcium (Ca) 3.0 % Water Soluble Magnesium (Mg) 12.0 % Combined Sulfur (S) 0.10 % Boron (B) 1.0 % Water Soluble Copper (Cu) 17.0 % Iron (Fe) -‐-‐ 13.60% Water Soluble Iron 2.5 % Water Soluble Manganese (Mn) 0.05 % Molybdenum (Mo) 1.0 % Water Soluble Zinc (Zn)
hip://everris.us.com/sites/default/files/micromax_micronutrients.pdf
Bumping up -‐ Container size
15 gallon 7-‐ gallon
15 -‐ gallon
Backfill
3 gal 15 gal = 20 % 80 % 7 gal 15 gal = 44 % 56 % 10 gal 15 gal = 70 % 30 % 15 gal 25 gal = 58 % 42 %
Displacing Adding
Bumping up -‐ Container size
3 gal = 674 cu in. 7 gal = 1342 cu in. 10 gal = 2373 cu in. 15 gal = 3396 cu in. 25 gal = 5811 cu in.
• Lime or dolomi1c lime – None to liile recommended in substrate
• However, woody plant crop cycle can outlast the lime in substrate at plan1ng
• Repeated fer1liza1on can lower pH • IBDU Isobutylidene-‐diurea, S-‐coated urea, urea and ammoniacal nitrogen
• Test irriga1on water annually – Jan/Feb and Jul/Aug are 2 best 1mes
Container Nutri1on -‐pH
Container Nutri1on -‐ pH
• Blueberries, azaleas, hydrangeas • Top dress sulfur in container produc1on – carefully!!
• Small, incremental changes – be pa1ent!
• Aluminum sulfate • Al is necessary to produce the blue pigment
• S lowers pH so Al is available • P 1es up Al making it unavailable – Leads to pink flowers
Hydrangea pH & Nutri1on
Resources
• BMP Guide for Producing Container-‐grown Plants. Southern Nursery Associa1on. Marieia, GA.
• Argo and Fisher. Understanding pH management for container-‐grown crops. Meister publishing.
Ques1ons?