Additional author: Mengmeng Gu, Professor, Colorado State University Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture.
This publication series was awarded a 2024 Blue Ribbon Extension Communication Award by the Southern Region of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences.
Container substrates must fulfill several functions for plant growth: create a suitable environment for root growth, physically support them, hold nutrients and water, and enable gas exchange between the roots and the atmosphere. Suitable physical and chemical container substrates’ properties facilitate these functions.
The physical properties of container substrates include air space (%), container capacity (%), total porosity (%), bulk density (g/cm3), and water holding capacity. Air space measures the proportion of air-filled large pores (macropores) after drainage. Air space influences gas exchange and water holding capacity. Container capacity measures the maximum percentage volume of water a substrate can hold after drainage. Total porosity equals container capacity plus air space, and it measures the substrate volume that holds water and air. Bulk density measures how much one unit of the substrate weighs. Water holding capacity measures the container substrate’s ability to physically hold water against gravity; its maximum value equals container capacity.
Biochar can be derived from various feedstocks, processed under different pyrolysis temperatures, and subjected to various pre- or posttreatments, which can lead to dissimilar physical properties that affect the container substrate’s physical properties. Adding biochar may affect air space, container capacity, total porosity, and bulk density with variable effects.
For instance, substituting peat moss with 50% green waste biochar (by volume) did not affect total porosity and container capacity, but significantly decreased air space, which was still in the optimal range (15%–30%) for container substrates. Similarly, a peat-moss-based substrate’s total porosity decreased with the increased addition of pelleted biochar. However, adding deinking sludge biochar increased the total porosity and air space of the container substrate.
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Status and Revision History
In Review on Jan 25, 2024
Published on Jan 30, 2024