Grade Level at Time of Presentation
Senior
Major
Agronomy
Institution
Murray State University
KY House District #
5
KY Senate District #
1
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Alyx Shultz
Department
Department of Agriculture
Abstract
For Western Kentucky farmers, one viable income source could be a pot-in-pot nursery production. One of the highest costs of production in this system was the planting media that the plants were grown in. Economical alternatives to high-priced, non-renewable peat-based mixes were important to consider. Unique to this region, were two renewable soil amendments that may help farmers to widen their profit margin in a pot-in-pot system. This research looked at the economic viability of locally sourced horse stall waste and municipal compost as soil amendments to a traditional bark and peat based mix. Initial cost projections were favorable for both amendments. Further research was warranted on the agronomic suitability of the amendments to nursery stock production.
Keywords: bark based media, peat based media, pot-in-pot, renewable soil amendments
Included in
Utilizing Municipal Compost and Equine Stall Waste as Potential Economic Alternatives in an In-Ground Pot-in-Pot Production System
For Western Kentucky farmers, one viable income source could be a pot-in-pot nursery production. One of the highest costs of production in this system was the planting media that the plants were grown in. Economical alternatives to high-priced, non-renewable peat-based mixes were important to consider. Unique to this region, were two renewable soil amendments that may help farmers to widen their profit margin in a pot-in-pot system. This research looked at the economic viability of locally sourced horse stall waste and municipal compost as soil amendments to a traditional bark and peat based mix. Initial cost projections were favorable for both amendments. Further research was warranted on the agronomic suitability of the amendments to nursery stock production.
Keywords: bark based media, peat based media, pot-in-pot, renewable soil amendments