The planting medium is one of the important factors that determine in farming activities. Planting media will determine both the poor plant growth, which in turn affects the results of production. Planting media types are very numerous and diverse. Moreover, with the development of various methods of farming, such as hydroponics and aeroponics.
Each type of plant takes the nature and characteristics of different planting media. For example, fruit crops need planting media characters with different vegetable crops. Fruit plant requires a solid growing medium to sustain plant growth is relatively larger, while vegetable plant needs more leaves the planting medium conducive and quickly penetrated the root.
Well, this time, we will be discussing the planting medium used for cultivation of organic vegetables in a polybag or pots. Materials used is a material widely available in nature and can be done yourself. How shall we describe suitable for organic cultivation because it does not use additional chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and other drugs?
Good planting media terms
The planting medium has the functionality to support the plant, providing nutrients and provide a venue for plant roots to grow and develop. Through the planting of vegetation, media get most of his nutritional. For cultivation in pots or containers polybag planting media, created as a replacement for the land. Therefore, it should be able to replace the function of the land for the plant.
A good growing medium must have the properties of the physical, chemical and biological needs of plants. In General, a good growing medium must have termed as follows:
Able to provide space for growing root crops, and also able to sustain plants. That is, the media should be conducive to plant so that plant roots can grow good and perfect, but still pretty solid hold of hearts and shore up the road in order not to fall. If the media is too loose, the growth of the root will flow freely however the plants will be too easily disconnected. Otherwise, once is too dense, the sources will be difficult to grow.
Has good porosity, meaning that it could keep the water at the same time also have drainage (ability drain water) and aeration (oxygen flow capabilities). The planting medium should be able to retain soil moisture but should be able to throw away the excess water. The porous planting media has an empty cavity between its material. The media is the is penetrated water, so water is not inundated in a polybag or pots. But on the other hand, the cavity air spaces should be able to absorb water (hygroscopic) to be kept as a reserve and retain moisture.
Provides a pretty good nutrient elements macro as well as micro. Paramount nutrient for plant growth. This nutrient can be supplied from the fertilizer or the activity of the microorganisms contained within a planting media.
Does not contain the germ of the disease, the planting medium should be clean from pests and diseases. Pests and diseases are included within a planting media can attack crops and lead to the deaths at the plant. The planting medium should not be sterile because much of the land microorganism is very beneficial for plants, but it should be hygienic from the seeds of disease.
Ingredients for organic planting media
There is a lot of variety of materials that can be used to make the planting media ranging from natural to synthetic. But in this occasion, we will only limit on some organic material widely available in natural, cheap and easy to make.
a. land (the main ingredient)
Good soil for planting medium should be taken from the inner layer (top soil). In general, there are two types of land that is to be aware of IE land of sand and clay soils. The sandy soil that has excellent drainage capability, quickly drain the water but the disadvantage the poor soil in storing water as a backup. While the ground clays are harder to penetrated by water so that will make the water inundated in planting media. Good soil to plant a medium not too gritty and not too loose; clays.
b. Compost or humus
Compost is organic matter that serves as a provider of nutrient for the plant. Compost used for compost is dense planting media; please read the type and characteristics of the fertilizer. Almost all types of solid fertilizer can be utilized as raw material for planting media.
The addition of organic materials such as compost or humus on planting media can improve the physical structure of the soil and enhance cation exchange capacity. The compost should be added to the compost that has matured. Immature compost could potentially bring in pests and disease. Besides the element is difficult because not decompose plant absorbed in full.
In addition to the compost, humus can also make use of the forest. Humus soils have a high nutrient content. When your location is close to the woods, soil humus can be found easily. The best places are the fern plants followed.
Elements of other organic material can also be used as a substitute for compost or humus-like manure or green manure. It just needs to be underscored, we recommend using green manure or have matured properly and moreover already shaped granule like soil. The use of manure that immature risky carry pests in plants.
c. Charcoal husk or coir
Husk Charcoal burning was a result not of rice husk. Charcoal husk is useful to increase the porosity of the soil. Adding charcoal shell on medium for planting will improve the structure of the planting medium because the particles have an effect on the movement of water, air and maintain moisture.
Benefits of charcoal to neutralize the acidity of the husk can land, neutralize toxins, increase your connective power of soil to water, stimulates the growth of beneficial microbes to plants, making loose soil which improves drainage and aeration of the ground. Charcoal better than husk rice husk, shell charcoal because already experiencing burning that could eliminate the seeds of disease or pests that might have been shipped.
Also, shell charcoal may also use leftover coir (coco peat). Coir has properties such as charcoal chaff. The choir was growing medium suitable in dry areas with little rainfall. Coco coconut skin part is taken from an old one.
How to make organic planting media
Here's how to embed media how to make poly bag or pot with the use of raw materials that have been explained above. To make a good cropping required media element in soil, water or Binder storage materials and provider of nutrient elements. Raw materials to be used in the following tutorial is the land of top soil, compost, and charcoal chaff. The following the steps:
Prepare the soil looks fertile, loose soil and better taken from the very top. Then sift the ground up to be fine-grain grains. Try to land in a dry state so it's not lumpy. Ground rotate will cause the ingredients not mixed with snow showers.
Prepare the compost that has been cooked; it can be of type regular compost, bokashi compost or Taka Kura. Sift the compost or humus to the beautiful grain.
Prepare charcoal chaff; please read how to make charcoal the chaff.
Mix soil, compost, and husk charcoal in a container. The composition of the mixture is two parts 1 part compost, soil and 1 part charcoal shell (2:1: 1). Mix until evenly distributed.
Prepare a pot or polybag, enter the mix into it. The planting medium is ready to use.
Just a note, all three of these raw materials can also be mixed with the composition of the 1:1: 1 or 2:1: 1. Which one is best for you, of course depending on the plant type and availability of resources. Regarding the results, some studies show different things. Better try it for try and error.
The planting medium is very useful when we want to grow vegetables in a polybag or pots. Methods such as this match are applied in a limited or narrow land. The following is an example of the application of cultivating vegetables in a poly bag.
