Resource Book on Horticulture Nursery Management

4. Fertigation:
Adequate dose of fertilizers can be mixed in the irrigation water and given to nursery
plants through drip or sprinkler irrigation or drenching near the stem.
5. Foliar Fertilization:
Fertilization of plants or feeding nutrients to the plants by spraying chemical
fertilizers on the foliage. This is also known as foliar feeding or spray fertilization.
3.2.3. Growth Media and Media Preparation in Nursery
Media for plant growth and seed germination has great significance in nursery
business. The material for rooting and growing media may be used either alone or
incorporated with one or more products in combination. The materials used for rooting
media may be naturally occurring or may be manufactured artificially.
Qualities of an Ideal Rooting Media:
� The substance must have appropriate physical and chemical properties.
� They must retain sufficient water and air to allow sufficient drainage.
� The substance must be free from weed seeds, insect pest and diseases.
� The acidity and alkalinity of the medium should be in optimum for different species.
� The medium must be sufficiently firm and dense to hold the cuttings and seeds in
place during rooting or germination.
� Its volume must be fairly constant when wet or dry and it must be capable of being
sterilized.
� The rooting media should support the cuttings to avoid lodging. This is particularly
important whenever larger sized cuttings are used under mist chamber conditions.
Media for Propagation and Growing Nursery Plants
There are several media and mixtures of different kind are available for use in
propagation such as in seed germination, rooting of cuttings and for growing container
stock. Commonly used media with a brief description of properties are given below.
1. Soil: Soil is the most important and widely used media in the world so also called as
„Universal Media‟. A soil is composed of materials in the solid, liquid and gaseous
states. This material must exist in the proper proportions for satisfactory plant growth.
The texture of soil depends upon relative proportions of sand, silt and clay.
Maintenance of soil structure in favorable and granular form is very important.
2. Sand: Sand consists of small rock grains (0.05-2.0mm in diameter) formed as result
of the weathering of various rocks. Its mineral composition depends upon type of
rock. Quartz sand is generally used for propagation and plastering grade sand is used
for rooting of cuttings. Sand should be preferably sterilized before use.
3. Peat: There are different types of peats available. Peat consists of the remains of
aquatic marsh or swamp vegetation, which has been preserved under water in a
partially decomposed state. Composition of peat varies widely depending upon the
type of vegetation, decomposition and degree of acidity. It is a uniform product, free
<strong>Resource</strong> <strong>Book</strong> on Horticulture Nursery Management : 57