• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.217-222
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• 2010

Bark is a general medium for potted Cymbidium in Korea, but it is difficult to shake off or eliminate the medium from the roots before exporting the potted plants. This working process can injure the roots and then deteriorate plant marketability. This study was carried out to select the optimum medium easier to eliminate from the roots instead of bark and the optimum amount of applied fertilizer to improve the plant growth. Cymbidium young plants 'Honey Hot' and 'Desert Look' were planted in pots with bark, cocochip, and peatmoss. The plants were treated with 2, 4, and 6 g of slow release fertilizer. The plant growth characteristics were investigated in the first and second years during production period of three years. The medium characteristics and mineral nutrient content of the leaves were also examined in the second year. In the first year, the plant growth of 'Desert Look' was improved in all peatmoss treatments more than bark. 'Honey Hot' showed the highest plant growth values in the bark treatment. In the second year, the plant growth of the two cultivars was improved in peatmoss. Cocochip treatments showed the lower plant growth values than bark and peatmoss in the first and second year. There was no significant difference among fertilizer amounts in all the media. The higher CEC values of peatmoss medium resulted to higher capacity to hold more nutrients than bark, and the nutrient retention of the peatmoss improved the plant growth. The higher K and Ca contents in the leaves would contribute to improve the plant growth. Consequently, it would be possible to use peatmoss instead of bark for Cymbidium young plants, but there must be always attention to appropriately water the medium and manage the moisture.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.107-112
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• 2022

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of mulching materials in extensive green roof system by comparing and analyzing the soil moisture content and growth response of Lychnis cognata according to the types of organic mulching materials. The experimental group consisted of a control group that did not use mulching material (Cont.) and a total of five treatment groups, including cocochip (C.O), woodchip (W.O), straw (S.T), and sawdust (S.A), depending on the mulching material. The soil moisture content according to the type of organic mulching material was high in the order of W.O > S.T > Cont. > C.O > S.A, and there was a significant difference especially in S.A. The plant height showed good growth in the order of S.T > Cont. > C.O > W.O > S.A, and there was no significant difference by mulching materials in other growth items except for plant height. Both the chlorophyll and plant water contents were superior to those of untreated group, so the treatment of organic mulching materials is considered to be effective in maintaining the chlorophyll and plant water contents of Lychnis cognata. In particular, the soil moisture content was affected by the characteristics of the mulching material itself. Based on these results, it is required to use a mulching material suitable for the characteristics of each plant in extensive green roof system and it is considered that this can be overcome through organic mulching when selecting a plant species that is weak to water stress.