Nursery Papers – is your growing media right for you?

Introduction:

Growing media is a fundamental component in containerised production systems and can have a significant impact upon the quality of plants grown. The selection and importance of an appropriate growing media in relation to plant performance is critical for crop success. Nutrient availability, plant growth, water availability and pest, disease and weed issues can all be affected by the growing media quality.

The Nursery Industry Accreditation Scheme Australia (NIASA) Best Management Practice (BMP) guidelines combined with the increased professionalism of growing
media manufacturers/suppliers assisted in raising the standard of growing media supplied to the nursery industry. Subsequently many growers have adopted a ‘set and forget’ mindset to their growing media choice and ongoing management. With many different media formulations available for growers, it can be a challenge to choose which is the best blend to use. Understanding the basic properties of growing media will make the selection process easier and lead to mproved growing media management over the term of the crop.

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Main photo: Growing media sample undergoing a pH test.