Abstract
Adventitious root development on cuttings may be promoted by oxygen availability in the rooting zone. Commercial propagation substrates are frequently peat-based, which can be problematic when used in propagation systems with intermittent misting due to excessive water holding. We tested top- or middle-stratifying a peat-based substrate with coarse amendments or a fine biochar. We had seven treatments, with a commercial peat-based propagation substrate as our control, then applying either a top (3 cm deep) or middle (2 cm deep) layer of coarse perlite, parboiled rice hulls, or fine coconut shell biochar in a pot with a top diameter of 6.3 cm, depth of 6.1 cm, and volume of 140 cm 3 . We stuck unrooted cuttings of four herbaceous plants [hybrid hyssop ( Agastache × ‘Sunrise Red Improved’), false heather ( Cuphea hyssopifolia ‘Maria’), blanket flower ( Gaillardia × grandiflora ‘Eclipse’), and Jame sage ( Salvia × jamensis ‘Ignition Purple’)]. We used completely randomized designs, with each plant species treated as a separate experiment. Each experiment had a replication of 7. We repeated the experiments in two series. After ∼4 weeks, we evaluated plug stability with a subjective scale (0 = no visible roots, unstable; 1 = minimal roots, one or two roots visible, unstable; 2 = moderate roots, more than two roots but large spaces with no roots, partially unstable; 3 = acceptable roots, many roots with only small gaps, stable; 4 = optimum roots, many roots with full coverage, stable), dry root weight, total root area, and total root length. Stratification significantly reduced plug structural stability. Across experiments and series, there was not a clear stratification effect on root growth. Considering that stratification with perlite, parboiled rice hulls, and fine biochar reduced plug structural stability but did not provide clear growth advantages, growers should consider alternate stratification materials that provide sufficient binding to maintain plug stability.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Stratification significantly reduced plug stability for hybrid hyssop.
- Taxon
- hybrid hyssop
Dracocephalum officinalee1 - Treatment
- Stratificatione0
- Outcome
- plug structural stabilitye0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Stratification significantly reduced plug structural stability.”
e1“We stuck unrooted cuttings of four herbaceous plants [hybrid hyssop ( Agastache × ‘Sunrise Red Improved’), false heather ( Cuphea hyssopifolia ‘Maria’), blanket flower ( Gaillardia × grandiflora ‘Eclipse’), and Jame sage ( Salvia × jamensis ‘Ignition Purple’)].”
Claim · model-written summary
Stratification had no clear effect on root growth for hybrid hyssop.
- Taxon
- hybrid hyssopDracocephalum officinalee1
- Treatment
- stratificatione0
- Outcome
- root growthe0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Across experiments and series, there was not a clear stratification effect on root growth.”
e1“We stuck unrooted cuttings of four herbaceous plants [hybrid hyssop ( Agastache × ‘Sunrise Red Improved’), false heather ( Cuphea hyssopifolia ‘Maria’), blanket flower ( Gaillardia × grandiflora ‘Eclipse’), and Jame sage ( Salvia × jamensis ‘Ignition Purple’)].”
Claim · model-written summary
Stratification significantly reduced plug stability for false heather.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Stratification significantly reduced plug structural stability.”
e1“We stuck unrooted cuttings of four herbaceous plants [hybrid hyssop ( Agastache × ‘Sunrise Red Improved’), false heather ( Cuphea hyssopifolia ‘Maria’), blanket flower ( Gaillardia × grandiflora ‘Eclipse’), and Jame sage ( Salvia × jamensis ‘Ignition Purple’)].”
Claim · model-written summary
Stratification had no clear effect on root growth for false heather.
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Verbatim
e0“Across experiments and series, there was not a clear stratification effect on root growth.”
e1“We stuck unrooted cuttings of four herbaceous plants [hybrid hyssop ( Agastache × ‘Sunrise Red Improved’), false heather ( Cuphea hyssopifolia ‘Maria’), blanket flower ( Gaillardia × grandiflora ‘Eclipse’), and Jame sage ( Salvia × jamensis ‘Ignition Purple’)].”
Claim · model-written summary
Stratification significantly reduced plug stability for blanket flower.
- Taxon
- blanket flower
Gaillardia aristatae1 - Treatment
- Stratificatione0
- Outcome
- plug structural stabilitye0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Stratification significantly reduced plug structural stability.”
e1“We stuck unrooted cuttings of four herbaceous plants [hybrid hyssop ( Agastache × ‘Sunrise Red Improved’), false heather ( Cuphea hyssopifolia ‘Maria’), blanket flower ( Gaillardia × grandiflora ‘Eclipse’), and Jame sage ( Salvia × jamensis ‘Ignition Purple’)].”
Claim · model-written summary
Stratification had no clear effect on root growth for blanket flower.
- Taxon
- blanket flowerGaillardia aristatae1
- Treatment
- stratificatione0
- Outcome
- root growthe0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Across experiments and series, there was not a clear stratification effect on root growth.”
e1“We stuck unrooted cuttings of four herbaceous plants [hybrid hyssop ( Agastache × ‘Sunrise Red Improved’), false heather ( Cuphea hyssopifolia ‘Maria’), blanket flower ( Gaillardia × grandiflora ‘Eclipse’), and Jame sage ( Salvia × jamensis ‘Ignition Purple’)].”
Claim · model-written summary
Stratification significantly reduced plug stability for Jame sage.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Stratification significantly reduced plug structural stability.”
e1“We stuck unrooted cuttings of four herbaceous plants [hybrid hyssop ( Agastache × ‘Sunrise Red Improved’), false heather ( Cuphea hyssopifolia ‘Maria’), blanket flower ( Gaillardia × grandiflora ‘Eclipse’), and Jame sage ( Salvia × jamensis ‘Ignition Purple’)].”
Claim · model-written summary
Stratification had no clear effect on root growth for Jame sage.
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Verbatim
e0“Across experiments and series, there was not a clear stratification effect on root growth.”
e1“We stuck unrooted cuttings of four herbaceous plants [hybrid hyssop ( Agastache × ‘Sunrise Red Improved’), false heather ( Cuphea hyssopifolia ‘Maria’), blanket flower ( Gaillardia × grandiflora ‘Eclipse’), and Jame sage ( Salvia × jamensis ‘Ignition Purple’)].”
Claim · model-written summary
Growers should consider alternate stratification materials that bind well enough to maintain plug stability.
Verbatim
e0“Considering that stratification with perlite, parboiled rice hulls, and fine biochar reduced plug structural stability but did not provide clear growth advantages, growers should consider alternate stratification materials that provide sufficient binding to maintain plug stability.”