The ability of a growing media to take up water effectively once it has dried out is critical to the growth of plants and the ability of the media to become wet again. This is known as wettability. Testing for wettability isn’t difficult and can...
Knowing the amount of water held within a growing media, referred to as Water Holding Capacity (WHC) of your growing media can help you manage irrigation scheduling more effectively and ensure plants have adequate moisture. Testing for Water Holding Capacity isn’t difficult and can be...
Knowing the pH and Electrical Conductivity or EC of your growing media can help you to grow better and more consistent crops. Testing procedures aren’t difficult and can be done at minimal cost. This video shows a process for carrying out a practical on-site pH...
Plant roots require air as well as water to remain healthy. The amount of air held within a growing media is referred to as Air filled porosity or AFP . Testing procedures for AFP aren’t difficult and can be done at minimal cost with simple...
Coir, coir fibre pith or coconut fibre is a one hundred percent natural, sustainable and renewable product. Coir is a ‘peat like’ byproduct produced from the processing of coconut husks, and is composed of the fibrous material found between the hard, internal shell and the...
Air filled porosity (AFP), water holding capacity (WHC), bulk density, shrinkage, wettability and water retention efficiency (WRE) are all physical properties of growing media that influence plant growth and ultimately plant health....
In this month’s Nursery Paper, NGINA Industry Development Officer, Michael Danelon provides an overview of growing media and the importance of selecting the most appropriate media to achieve optimum plant performance....
Coir is a ‘peat like’ byproduct produced from the processing of coconut husks. Its characteristics are described, including water holding capacity, wetting and rewetting capacity, air-filled porosity, cation exchange capacity and physical stability in containers....
Understanding the chemical properties and their possible interactions is actually quite complex. Hence this article will only touch on a few key points, other key areas such as the buffering capacity of mixes will not be covered in this article....
