1997 Ornamentals Research Report - AUrora - Auburn University

ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION
Figure 1. Growth responses of three cultivars of azaleas ('Pink Pearl,' Snow' and 'Coral Bells') to fertilizer (dlibbled and
incorporated) and medium (BP = bark:peat, and BPS = bark:peat:wood shavings).
index by 501/ in the BPS mnedil-m1 and 1 91( in the B P miediL1m1.
Foi 'pink Pearl,' dibbled fertilizer iecreased the cioowth index in
the 131' Medium hy 63'/( For 'Snow.' dihbld ti ctilim'i- increased
arowxth index bx 27%4 in the BPS medil-n]1 and 18(4 in the B1P
m1cdiun)m
I i tlei eneex in foliar color i atinex, betxx een the feitiliz'er
treatmnentN x kcie noted in 'Coral Bells' and *Piink Peatrl* in the
B PS Medium Fion r 'Coral Bells.' the t ( d ar color rat ing, k\ as 4 for
dlibled and 2.9 f or incorporated in B PS. Fot 1'ink Pearl,' the
Table 1. Growth Indexes and Foliar Color Ratings of~
Influenced by Media Composition and Fertilizer PlI
Cultivar Medial Fertilizer ptacement Growth index 2
rating was 4. 3 for di bbled and 2.4 t or incoerpo)ratedl iii 131PS.
Plants planted in the BP medinm11 had a 0ioxx th index
and loliar color ratino hi-her than or eCILIal to plants planted in
the BPS ('Table I. Fl-'ire I ). The ,i-o\Atli index lot 'Pink Pearl'
wxas 441/ hieher in BP than in BPS foi dibbled fertilizer
treatments. F'or 'Snow.' the -rowxth index in 13P xx ax I3l
hioher than BlPS in incorporated tertilizer treatments.
1-oliai colot ratinex for 'Coral Bells' xxere 3.8 in BP
and 2.9 in BP1S "xhen tertilizer wxax incorporated. Foi- 'Pink
Azaleas as
Pearl,' ratin-exx re 3.9 in 11 aind] 2.4 in BPS
icernent wxhen fertilizer was incorporated. Some ot'
the differences betwe en media mnay be the
Color rating 3
irexult of' incompletely coimposted shav ings
'Corat Betts' BPS Dibble 8.3
'Coral Belts' BPS Incorporated 5.5
'Coral Bells' BP Dibble 7.5
'Coral Bells' BP Incorporated 6.3
'Pink Pearl' BPS Dibbte 7.1
'Pink Pearl' BPS Incorporated 6.7
'Pink Peart' BP Dibble 0.2
'Pink Peart' BP Incorporated 6.3
'Snow' BPS Dibble 7.5
'Snow' BPS tncorporated 5.9
'Snow' BP Dibble 7.9
'Snow' BP Incorporated 6.7
4.0 and bark in the BPS mnedilLm1. Bacterita activ e
2.9 in the comnpoxtinLg pr~cess' it ilie nitrogen,
4.3 of ten ci-eatin- a nitro-en (leticienex.
3.8 C, C
4.3 Since different fertilizeis. plant
2.4 species, and even eldtix arx, xxthin species
4.2 hav e different characteristics. these results
3. cannot be extrapolated bey ond the
4.6
2.9 infIormation presented. H-owevcxer, thexe
4.8 results are indicat ive ot' how incremental
4.3 changes in practicex applied to specitic
'Media are 2:1:2 Pine Bark.Shredded Peat Moss:Wood Shavings (BPS), a nd 3:1 Pine Bark: crops canl yield significant benel icial iresuilts.
Wood Shavings (BP).
2
Growth Index = (height + width I + width2)/3. Width t is the widest point; width2 is
perpendicutar to width1.
3
Foliar cotor rating scale is a within cultivar comparative scate of I -5,
with I = least
green plant in each cuttivar and S = darkest green plant in each cultivar