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- Author or Editor: Mark D. Sherratt x
Five cultivars of greenhouse snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus L.) were grown in media containing 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% coal bottom ash (CBA). Stem length of 'Winter Yellow' was reduced at 100% CBA. Spike length, number of open florets, and number of buds were reduced at 25% CBA for 'Maryland White and Yellow Bicolor'; at 50% CBA for 'Monaco White', 'Winter Yellow' and 'Maryland Plumblossom'; and at 75% CBA for 'Maryland Red'. Fresh weight was reduced at 25% CBA for 'Maryland Red' and 'Maryland White and Yellow Bicolor'; and at 50% CBA for 'Maryland White', 'Winter Yellow', and 'Maryland Plumblossom'. Number of days to harvest was increased for all cultivars at 100% CBA. L*, a*, b* color values were not affected by CBA level. Performance of all cultivars in 0% to 75% CBA fell within height and flower per spike grade standards for snapdragons, while weight per spike was within grade standards in 0% to 50% CBA. 'Apricot Floral Showers' snapdragons grown in 10-cm pots were reduced in flower bud number, height, and plant diameter at 50% to 100% CBA.
Four poinsettia cultivars were planted in root media containing 0%, 25%, or 50% (by volume) of coal bottom ash or aged hardwood sawdust. Bract color development in `Supjibi' was delayed in media containing sawdust or ash by up to 8–12 days. Bract color initiation of `Jingle Bells' and `Success' occurred earliest in media containing 25% sawdust, but color development was delayed in 50% coal ash. Color development in `Dark Red Hegg' was not affected by ash or sawdust. Analysis of combined leaves from all four cultivars showed Fe levels below normal where media contained sawdust. Leaf Mo concentrations increased with increased media sawdust to above the normal range, but Mn levels were below the normal range in sawdust media. Leaf Ca levels were below normal in all media, possibly due to excessively high K levels in media and leaves. When fertilizer concentration and frequency were adjusted to media EC levels, control media (0% ash or sawdust) required 100 ppm N once a week. Media containing sawdust required 300 ppm to maintain EC levels between 1.25–2.25 dS·m–1 and coal ash media were irrigated with water following the sixth week after planting due to EC levels >2.25.
Dormant budded plants of Hydrangea macrophylla (Thunb.) cvs. Blaumeise Blue and Pink were planted on 29 Jan. 1996 in 15-cm azaleas pots containing media with topsoil, peat, perlite, coal bottom ash, and mine soil, mixed in varying proportions. Media pH levels were initially adjusted with dolomitic limestone to a range of 6.0 to 6.1 for pink inflorescences and with ammonium sulfate to a range of 4.4 to 5.9 for blue inflorescences. Plants of Blaumeise Blue and Blaumeise Pink in low pH media were drenched on 29 Feb. with a solution of aluminum sulfate at 6 g·L–1. Number of shoots per plant were reduced in media with the highest proportion of coal bottom ash (40%, v/v) plus 30% mine soil. Plant diameter was affected very little by type of media. Tallest plants were `Blaumeise Pink' growing in media containing at least 20% top soil or mine soil plus 20% coal bottom ash. These mixes also contained 20% or 40% perlite. Inflorescence diameters ranged from 10.88 to 17.43 cm. and were mostly unaffected by media type. Inflorescence number per plant appeared to be reduced in `Blaumeise Blue' regardless of media. Inflorescence color brightness ranged from L = 55.26 to 61.38 and was affected very little by media type in both cultivars. Bluest inflorescences occurred on `Blaumeise Blue' plants growing in a combination of zero top soil, 40% peat, 30% perlite, 20% coal bottom ash, and 10% mine soil with no lime, and`Blaumeise Pink' plants growing in media with zero topsoil, 40% peat, and 20% mine soil. Blue color did not develop well in media containing top soil and no mine soil. This study demonstrated that florists' hydrangea can be satisfactorily forced in media containing substantial amounts of coal bottom ash and mine soil and that color regulation is also possible in some of these media.
Easter lilies (Lilium longiflorum Thunb. `Nellie White') were placed at three spacings of about 11, 22, or 44 plants per square meter (plants/m2). Above canopy light intensities, measured weekly at noon, ranged from 107.3 to 704.5 μmol·s–1·m–2 and were not significantly different among spacings. Mid canopy light intensities ranged from 16.5 to 229.0, 43.0 to 458.5, and 77.5 to 535.3 μmol·s–1·m–2 at spacings of 44, 22 and 11 plants/m2, respectively. On February 5, 1996, three plants from the 22 plants/m2 spacing were sprayed with a solution of 0.5 ml·L–1 of 1.8% (a.i.) of each of N-(phenylmethyl)-IH-purine-6-amine and gibberellins A4A7; and on March 5, three additional plants from each spacing were similarly sprayed. Beginning 5 Mar., weekly counts were made of yellow and brown leaves on all treated and control plants. Average per plant numbers of brown leaves increased on control plants at all spacings but increased on treated plants only at the 11 plants/m2 spacing. On 25 Mar., control plants averaged 15.6, 12.1, and 15.3 brown leaves per plant at spacings of 11, 22, and 44 plants/m2, respectively, while plants treated on March 5 averaged 10.7, 9.0, and 10.7 brown leaves. Plants treated on 5 Feb. averaged 3.5 brown leaves per plant and had an average mid leaf length of 13.8 cm compared to about 10.5 cm for all other plants. Spacing had no effect on average yellow or brown leaves per plant. This study demonstrated that early applications of Promalin can reduce leaf senescence which may occur during forcing time before bud appearance to opening of first bud. Some leaf enlargement may occur on plants treated very early.
Apple, peach, blackberry, raspberry, cabbage, cantaloupe, bean, tomato, red maple, juniper, yew, viburnum, and boxwood were planted in two soils, a yellow overburden (YO) and a soil manufactured from crushed shale (MS), in a reclaimed surface mine in southern West Virginia. Treatments at planting time were 454 kg·ha-1 of 10N-4.4P-8.9K fertilizer + ≈2.5 cm of sphagnum peat (F + P) or 250 mL of micorrhizal fungi inoculum + peat (M + P) mixed into the planting hole. Both soils were low in organic matter (0.9%) and N (3.0 mg·kg-1). The MS had a pH of 7.7, while the YO had a pH of 5.0 and was low in Ca (16 mg·kg-1). Peach grew best and tomato yielded best in the F + P treatment, while viburnums responded more to M + P. Roots of all species in all treatments including noninoculated sampled nine months after planting were found to be infected with one or more of the Glomus sp., with which they had been inoculated. A noninoculated species of Glomus was also found on some roots.