Exploring new sustainable growing media for ornamental crop production

目前，在加拿大，盆栽观赏植物的温室种植是使用泥炭进行的，泥炭是一种从泥炭地提取的无土介质，泥炭是一种敏感的生态系统，具有隔离大量碳和储存多余降水的独特能力。泥炭的提取会导致大量二氧化碳排放到大气中，从而导致温室气体效应和气候变化。因此，为了保护环境，应该逐步淘汰以泥炭为基础的种植基质，并开发不含泥炭的替代品，最好是使用当地的生物质成分。阿西尼博因社区学院将与Vanderveen的温室有限公司合作，探索新的无土种植基质混合物，以部分或完全取代泥炭，以提高苗圃/温室的观赏作物产量。可选择的包括木材纤维和大麻纤维(分别是木材和农业的副产品)，以及亚麻灰(燃烧亚麻屑的副产品)。拟议的项目将调查这些新的更新循环和当地可用的无土基质的不同性质，探索取代典型的泥炭基质的能力，并确定是否适合温室/苗圃的作物栽培。如果成功，Vanderveen的温室将成为加拿大西部第一个将这些新的生长基质混合物用于商业温室作物生产的温室。这一结果将鼓励加拿大和其他地方的其他苗圃/温室使用这些可持续和生态友好的做法种植作物。

Currently, in Canada, greenhouse growing of potted ornamental plants is carried out using peat, a soilless media, that is extracted from peatlands, sensitive ecosystems with unique ability to sequester considerable amounts of carbon, and store excess precipitation. Peat extraction results in the release of high carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, thus contributing to the greenhouse gas effect and resulting in climate change. Therefore, for environmental conservation, peat-based growing media should be phased out, and peat-free alternatives should be developed, preferably from local biomass ingredients. Assiniboine Community College will work with Vanderveen's Greenhouse Ltd. to explore new soilless growing media blends to partially or completely replace peat for improving the production of ornamental crops in nurseries/greenhouses. Options include wood fibers and hemp fibers (by-products of timber and agriculture industry, respectively), and flax ash (by-product of burning flax shives). The proposed project will investigate different properties of these new upcycled and locally available soilless media, explore the ability to replace typical peat-based media, and determine suitability for the crop cultivation in greenhouses/nurseries. If successful, Vanderveen's will be the first greenhouse in Western Canada to use these new growing media blends for commercial greenhouse crop production. The results will encourage other nurseries/greenhouses in Canada and elsewhere to grow crops using these sustainable and eco-friendly practices.