Nancy Giacovelli
Junior, Environmental Horticulture
Research Project: Quantifying the pH and EC response of a Peat-based, Calcium chloride- treated Medium to Application of Acidic and Basic Chemicals.
In container plant production, the pH of a peat-based medium with and without the addition of CaCl2 to the medium is affected when it is treated with acid and base. The initial pH and EC are affected by the initial medium pH when varying rates of Ca(OH)2 were added. The addition of HCl and NaOH influences the pH and EC at different rates of lime. Studies have been done to compare the pH response when several chemicals were added to a peat-based medium (Bishko, Fisher, 2003, Bishko, Fisher 2003).
The objectives of this study were:
- To determine how the addition of different amounts of Ca(OH)2 affect the pH and EC of a peat:perlite media.
- To determine the dose response of media when treated with acid.
- To determine the dose response of media when treated with base.
- To look at the interactions with the addition of CaCl2 to media.
