1997 Ornamentals Research Report - AUrora - Auburn University

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ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL ExPERIMENT STATION
ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION
RESULTS
Table I. Influence of Container Hole Position
Growth index for canna at 60 DAP
on Growth of Canna at 60 DAP
(Table 1) was greater for pot-in-pot plants
and plants produced in pots with holes half Treatment Growth index Shoot rating Root rating Top dry weight
way up, while plants produced in containers
with holes three-fourths of the way up had
the lowest growth index. Plants in the pot-inpot
containers had the highest shoot dry
No holes
Bottom
Halfway up
Three-fourths up
in.
23.7
23.9
25.3
21.0
2.4
2.7
2.7
3.1
2.2
2.9
2.4
2.6
g/plant
57.6
47.8
71.3
64.5
weight, and plants produced in traditional
containers with holes at the bottom had the
Pot-in-pot
26.4 4.1 4.6 83.7
least dry weight. Visual root and shoot
ratings for canna were highest in the pot-inpot
treatment and similar for all other
Table 2. Influence of Container Hole Position
on Growth of Soft Stem Rush at 90 DAP
treatments.
Treatment Growth index Shoot rating Root rating Top dry weight
Soft rush grown in the pot-in-pot
treatment (Table 2) had a higher growth
index, leaf and root ratings, and shoot dry
weight than plants grown in the other four
No holes
Bottom
Three-fourths up
in.
29.2
26.8
26.0
26.8
3.0
2.7
2.9
2.6
3.0
3.0
3.1
3. I
g/plant
52.6
40.4
47.0
48.3
pot types. There were no treatment Pot-in-pot
31.2 4.0 5.0 88.7
differences with any growth parameters for
smooth cordgrass or iris.
Although medium solution pH and soluble salts
greater than salt levels for containers with holes at the bottom
varied among species, treatment differences were similar. A or pot-in-pot.
higher pH and lower salts level were present in the pot-in-p ot Growing canna and soft rush in a pot-in-pot system
treatment than in the other treatments. Medium solution pH
produced larger, more marketable plants than conventional
averaged 5.7 for pot-in-pot soft rush, while the remaining foiur
containers regardless of hole position. Container type had no
treatments averaged 5.0 and ranged from 4.6 to 5.3. Soluble
salts in containers with no holes, holes half way up, and hol
three-fourths of the way up were a minimum of eight timc
influence on the growth or quality of iris or smooth cordgrass.