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KMID : 0903620000410040429
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Journal of the Korean Society for Horticultural Science
2000 Volume.41 No. 4 p.429 ~ p.434
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Plant Growth and Wilting of Indoor Plants , and Water Content and Rehydration of Media Irrigated by Wick as Affected by Medium Composition
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Abstract
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In order to effeciently introduce plants into indoor environment, changes of medium water contents, days to plant wilting, rehydration rate after initial plant wilting point, and growth according to medium composition and plant species were investigated under a wick culture system. Pachira aquatica, Saintpaulia ionantha, and Spathiphyllum patinii with the same size and volume, respectively, were transplanted into combined media with 2:1:0 (T1), 5:4:1 (T2), 6:3:1 (T3), or 5:3:2 (T4) volume ratio of peatmoss : perlite : clay loam. The increase of clay loam in media decreased porosity while the increase of peatmoss increased moisture capacity. pH and EC of media were in the acceptable range of 5.2-6.0 and 1.85-2.09 dS·m^(-1), respectively. Porosity and moisture capacity of media were high in T1 and T2. Container capacity was high in T3 and T4. T4 medium was most suitable for the growth of Pachira with a good root development, whereas T2 was most suitable for Spathiphyllum with a even poor root development. However, there was no significant difference in the growth of Saintpaulia between media. Because water content of pots during the growth of plants under the wick culture system is closely related to root development, it is not a reasonable decision to select suitable media based upon moisture capacity alone. The rate of rehydration after incipient wilting was fast and abrupt in T4 with a high amount of clay loam and, especially, in Spathiphyllum with a good root development among even the same media. These results indicated that the degree of root development had a certain effect on rehydration after incipient wilting as well as water content of pot. Time to reach the wilting point after irrigation was hastened in T4 with a small quantity of available water capacity (AWC), despite high pot water content, and was delayed in T1 with a high quantity of AWC. In case of the same media, however, Spathiphyllum was curtailed while Pachira was postponed. Conclusively, days to incipient wilting point was found to be closely related to the degree of root development and AWC, which directly influenced medium porosity.
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