Objective  Describe basic soil and media requirements for growth of agricultural crops

Plant Growing Medias  Soil  Perlite  Water  air

hydroponics  Growing plants without soil Can use sand, gravel or marbles to support the roots Can use sand, gravel or marbles to support the roots Water solution Water solution Aeroponics Aeroponics Continuous-flow system Continuous-flow system

Type of Plant Growing Media  Soil is the top layer of the Earth’s surface and is the primary medium for cultivated plants  Sphagnum moss: used for encouraging root growth under certain conditions

Type of Plant Growing Media  Perlite: volcanic glass material used for starting new plants and in media mix

Type of Plant Growing Media  Vermiculite: mineral mica-type material used for starting plant seeds and cuttings and in media mixes  Peat moss: used in media mixes of various types

Amending the pH of a Plant Growing Media  Improper soil/media pH will have the most impact on the availability of nutrients in the soil/media  Soil/media with high alkalinity (sweetness) are made more acidic by lowering the pH value with sulfur or aluminum sulfate  Soil/media with a high acidic (sourness) level is made more alkaline by raising the value with lime

Amending the pH of a Plant Growing Media  Lime is usually applied as finely ground dolomitic limestone that supplies both calcium and magnesium