When considering spring plant nutrition, it is easy to picture fully finished bedding plants at the garden center. However, achieving optimal plant growth at the end of production requires a strong start. This guide from eGro provides tips to promote healthy, uniform plant growth beginning when plants first arrive in the greenhouse.
Plant nutrition begins during propagation. At this stage, plants have no or very limited root systems, so nutrient delivery must be gentle, consistent, and well balanced. Before roots develop, cuttings rely on carbohydrates and nutrients stored within the cutting itself. Once roots begin to form, they can take up additional nutrients from the substrate. Because root development is essential for nutrient uptake, monitoring environmental conditions is just as important as selecting the appropriate fertility type and application rate during propagation.
Environmental conditions play a major role in nutrient uptake and overall plant health. High humidity and excessive misting during propagation can reduce transpiration, which limits calcium uptake and movement to growing tips and actively expanding plant tissue. This can result in localized calcium deficiency, leading to symptoms such as tip abortion, distorted new growth, or tissue necrosis in sensitive species like petunia and calibrachoa.
Overly saturated substrates can also create problems by reducing oxygen availability in the root zone. Limited oxygen impairs root development and function and can restrict iron uptake. This often appears as interveinal chlorosis on young leaves, particularly in iron-sensitive crops such as petunia and calibrachoa, even when sufficient iron is present in the fertility program.
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