What is growing medium media This presentation is from Virginia Tech and has not been edited by Geor

1
What is growing medium (media) ?This
presentation is from Virginia Tech and has not
been edited by Georgia Curriculum Office.

• Material in which roots of plants can grow in
• can be a variety of substances
• Roles
• provide nutrients (nutrient holding capacity)
• provide water (water holding capacity)
• anchor
• provide air to roots (media porosity)

2
Different Types of Media

• Soil
• Sand
• Perlite
• Vermculite
• Sphagnum Peat Moss
• Hydroponics
• sand, gravel, or bag culture

3
Why cant you just use it?

• Consider what the plants needs are
• Consider how much media is needed
• Consider what type of media you are comfortable
  working with
• Convenience?
• Ensure that media is free of weed seed, disease,
  or residues

4
pH Importance

• Measures acidity or alkalinity in soil
• Certain plants grow best in soils with certain pH
  ranges
• Influence plant health
• Influence color of flowers

5
Soil Testing

• Method of determining what and how much nutrients
  are in the soil
• Should be done at least once every three years
• pH can be tested so that the grower can determine
  which plants will grow best
• Lime raises pH
• sulfur lowers pH

6
Importance of Fertilizers

• Any material that provides nutrients to soil
• Complete fertilizer - contains all three primary
  nutrients
• Elemental fertilizer - contains only individual
  nutrients
• Fertilizer application
• time
• rate
• Forms
• liquid
• solid ( granular)
• Fertigation

7
Calculation of Media Volume

• Media is always calculated on a volume basis
• usually given in per cubic yard rate
• Ex how much peat and calcined clay is needed to
  blend a cubic yard of 21 peat clay medium?