Hardwood Bark-Amended Soil as a Potting Medium for Container-Grown Chrysanthemums

Hammermilled bark from seven hardwood species was studied as a possible alternate for peat moss in the production of chrysanthemum potted plants. Plants were grown under typical greenhouse conditions, and at flowering were evaluated as to height, number of blooms, and soil analysis. In general, plants grown in bark-amended, mixes were less succulent (more “woody”) and had fewer flowers. The pH of bark-amended soils was higher than peat-amended soils, often above pH 7.0 and approaching undesirable levels for optimum nutrient uptake. The results indicate that very acceptable plants could be grown in bark-amended growing media if some alterations were made in present cultural techniques.

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