Container Nursery Produc1on Fer1liza1on

Transcription

1 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.

2 Whole Systems Approach Temperature Light Wind Water Humidity Substrate Container Size and Shape Years in Produc1on Fer1lizer Plant Size (leaf area)

3 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

4 Container Plant Nutri1on Op1mal ph (pour thru) Lower than ideal soil ph range Why?

5 Container Plant Nutri1on Op1mal ph 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

6 Nutrient Availability Macro elements Complete fer1lizer Minor elements Bilderback, 2001

7 Container Plant Nutri1on Op1mal alkalinity range (water supply) <61 ppm no problem 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

8 Container Plant Nutri1on Op1mal EC 0.2 to 0.5 mmhos CRF only (+) 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 Electrical Conduc1vity (EC): Units and Conversions. NCSU. FLOREX 002.

9 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

10 Whipker and Cavins Electrical Conduc1vity (EC): Units and Conversions. NCSU. FLOREX 002.

11 Whipker and Cavins Electrical Conduc1vity (EC): Units and Conversions. Whipker NCSU. and FLOREX Cavins Electrical Conduc1vity (EC): Units and Conversions. NCSU. FLOREX 002.

12 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

13 Image Credit: hip:// 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=0ccgq9 QEwAQ&dur=652 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.

14 Types of Controlled Release Fer1lizers Polyon polyurethane coa1ng Reac1ve Layers Coa1ng Temperature dependent release Longevity gauged at ~80F hip://polyonthinkgreen.com/howitworks.html

15 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

16 Types of Applica1ons Topdress Dibble Incorporate Graphic Credit: Dr. James Altland, USDA

17 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 Evalua1ng Fer1liza1on and Water Prac1ces to Minimize NO3- N Leachate from Container- grown Forsythia. HortScience. 44(7): Graphic Credit: Dr. James Altland, USDA

18 Top Dress Osmocote with Fusion Technology No spill prill Photo Credit: hip://everris.us.com

19 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 Altland, J. Fer1lizer Placement affect weed control and plant growth. hip://oregonstate.edu/dept/nursery- weeds/research/dibbling/ dibbling_feritlizer.html Graphic Credit: Dr. James Altland, USDA

20 Altland, J. Fer1lizer Placement affect weed control and plant growth. hip://oregonstate.edu/dept/nursery- weeds/research/dibbling/ dibbling_feritlizer.html Graphic Credit: Dr. James Altland, USDA Dibble Can t fall out Fer1lizer is where the roots are Poten1al to burn roots

21 Dibble With no herbicide Topdressing and incorpora1ng resulted in about 60% weed control. Dibbling fer1lizers resulted in over 95% weed control. Altland, J. Fer1lizer Placement affect weed control and plant growth. hip://oregonstate.edu/dept/nursery- weeds/research/dibbling/ dibbling_feritlizer.html Graphic Credit: Dr. James Altland, USDA

22 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

23 Applica1on Technique Leads to: Temperature and moisture differences Substrate surface exposed to radia1on, dries out compared to within substrate

24 Container Plant Nutri1on Fer1lizer analysis ra1o Fer1lizer rate 3 grams actual nitrogen/gallon container size Does the fer1lizer last the season? Longevity 8-9 or month CRF at potng What if selling in 2 months?

25 EC Levels for Osmocote Plus and Polyon Top- applied Treatments Yes, the fer1lizer lasts the season. Lower fer1lizer release in May reflects decrease in temperature Polyon High Top June Polyon High Top No June Polyon Medium Top June Polyon Medium Top No June 1.5 Osmocote Top June Osmocote High Top No June Osmocote Med Top June Osmocote Medium Top No June March April May June July August September October November March April May June July August September October November Fulcher, A., W. Dunwell, D. Wolfe, and R. McNiel 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:

26 Container Plant Nutri1on 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

27 Container Plant Nutri1on Fer1lity/Nutri1on How to address micronutrients for a 2 year produc1on cycle? hip://everris.us.com/sites/default/files/micromax_micronutrients.pdf

28 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) % 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

29 Bumping up - Container size 7- gallon 15 gallon Backfill 15 - gallon

30 Bumping up - Container size Displacing Adding 3 gal 15 gal = 20 % 80 % 7 gal 15 gal = 44 % 56 % 10 gal 15 gal = 70 % 30 % 15 gal 25 gal = 58 % 42 % 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.

31 Container Nutri1on - ph 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

32 Container Nutri1on - ph Blueberries, azaleas, hydrangeas Top dress sulfur in container produc1on carefully!! Small, incremental changes be pa1ent!

33 Hydrangea ph & Nutri1on 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

34 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.

35 Ques1ons?