Development and optimisation of ecological production technology for the production of bedding and balcony plants, early spring plants and autumn plants under cover in environmentally friendly substrates produced on the basis of waste materials of wood

Project title: Development and optimisation of ecological production technology for the production of bedding and balcony plants, early spring plants and autumn plants under cover in environmentally friendly substrates produced on the basis of waste materials of wood origin.

The main objective of the project is to develop and implement an ecological technology for the production of bed and balcony early spring and autumn plants under shelter in ecological and environmentally friendly substrates. This will be achieved through a series of research work and investment activities to enable the greening of the current cultivation technology.

The substrate formulations will be selected which are adapted to the requirements of the test plants, which will be grown initially on the experimental scale and subsequently on the production scale.

The research tests obtained on the experimental scale enable the correction of substrate formulations, also within the use of the mushroom biostimulant application. In the prepared substrates, according to experimentally verified procedures, the commodity-scale production of bed plants will be carried out.

The result will be the following ornamental plants:  early spring (pansy), bed and balcony plants (geranium and marigold) and autumn plants (chrysanthemum) grown on the selected peat-free or reduced peat content substrate, according to the cultivation technology developed in the project.

• The plants produced in this way will be taken from the production in a cutting-edge ecological peat-free substrate containing a biostimulant additive in the form of the mushroom fraction (stems and non-normative fruiting bodies), which will enrich them with additional organic substances, minerals, as well as biostimulating compounds, thus making them stand out from their competition. 

The objective of the planned project is to develop and implement an ecological technology for the production of bed and balcony early spring and autumn plants under shelter in ecological and environmentally friendly substrates.

The technology developed in the project will enable the partial replacement of high peat, which is used as standard in growing substrates in soil-free plant production technology, with waste wood components.

The project research aims to develop an environmentally friendly technology for the production of potted bed and balcony plants with the use of substrates with reduced peat content or peat-free substrates enriched with a biostimulant (in the form of dried and ground waste mushroom fraction: stems and non-normative fruiting bodies), which will reduce the amount of peat used for cultivation, contributing to environmental protection.

Project activities

1. Evaluation of the suitability of selected substrates with reduced peat content and peat-free substrates (including those with a mushroom biostimulant) based on changes in physical and chemical properties monitored during the cultivation of bed plants and based on the evaluation of plant growth and development under experimental greenhouse conditions.
2. Production of potted bed and balcony plants in selected substrates with a mushroom biostimulant on a production scale on the farm.
3. Development of an environmentally friendly technology for the production of potted bed and balcony plants with the use of reduced peat content or peat-free substrates enriched with a mushroom biostimulant.                                               
4. Cultivation of early spring, autumn bed and balcony plants in innovative substrates in a commodity greenhouse.

The main benefits of the project

The methodology for seasonal plant production developed in the project results in a cutting-edge production technology which will stand out for its innovativeness.

As part of the project, the technological innovations will be created within a technology for growing seasonal plants in substrates with reduced peat content and peat-free substrates with the addition of a biostimulant from mushroom waste.

The introduced solution will be an innovation on the market and will enable the implementation of innovative and sustainable horticultural production in the current activity and, in consequence, offering high quality products, grown under ecological conditions.

There will be an environmentally friendly technology developed for the production of bed and balcony plants with the use of a mushroom biostimulant (stems and non-normative fruiting bodies). The use of dried waste from mushroom production as a source of nutrients and plant stress reliever will help to stimulate the growth and development of the cultivated plants. This additive will be used for the first time in the plant production technology in the soil-free cultivation.    

Practice summary

The solution introduced will be an innovation on the market and will enable the implementation of sustainable horticultural production into commercial operations. There will be an environmentally friendly technology developed for the production of bed and balcony plants with the use of a mushroom biostimulant.

• The use of the dried waste from mushroom production as a source of nutrients and plant stress reliever will help to stimulate the growth and development of the cultivated species of balcony and bed plants.

Such a biostimulating additive will be used for the first time in the plant production technology in the soil-free technology.   

A key innovation will be the development of a technology for growing bed and balcony early spring and autumn plants in pots filled with reduced peat content or peat-free substrates, with a mushroom biostimulant additive in a technologically advanced cultivation system on flooding tables.

The peat in peat-free substrates will be replaced with other organic components, among other things, wood and coconut ones. The replacement of the currently used peat substrates with reduced peat content formulations or peat-free formulations based on wood and coconut fibres must satisfy high requirements of plants grown from selected seedlings.

Plants will be grown in an advanced flooding system.  Low labour intensity, full automation, water and fertiliser savings, fast and even plant growth, clean and dry leaves and reduced environmental pollution - these are the main advantages of the flooding system.

Additional comments

 As the awareness of consumers grows regarding the production process, there is an increasing need for being surrounded by ecological products which are as much environmentally friendly as possible.

Taking the above into consideration, an important project aspect is the preparation of a proper message for consumers and appropriate information about the positive and innovative features of the project result.  It will be important to provide information on packaging concerning an ecological production technology.