Greenhouse Plant Containers
(book excerpts)Growers have a range of container types to select from, each with slightly different characteristics. The container not only influences plant development but also production costs and cultural practices. Most greenhouse operations grow a wide variety of plants, and therefore, several different types of containers are required. The container choice for a plant species depends on root system morphology, target plant criteria, and the growing conditions. Containers offer growers several significant advantages. Growers gain handling convenience and increased flexibility for plant spacing. The use of container production also means that a grower can customize the growing media. The potential to modify chemical and physical properties in a container is much greater than directly planting into the soil in the greenhouse. However, container-produced plants are more susceptible to physiological stresses than in-ground grown plants due to the limited root space, soilless substrate, and dependency on irrigation. Not all growing containers are equal. Some types of containers are better suited for some purposes than others. Likewise, containers don’t just differ in size. Containers are made of many different materials, including clay, metal, plastic, or eco-friendly materials; each material has its advantages and drawbacks.
Topics Within This Chapter:
- Types of Greenhouse Continers
- One-Time-Use Containers
- Jiffy® PeatPellets
- Jiffy® Super Pellets
- Jiffy® Pots
- Rockwool Cubes, Blocks, and Slabs
- Paper Pots
- Zipset™ Propagation Trays
- Single, Free-Standing Containers
- Treepots™
- RootMaker® Containers
- Polybags
- Hanging Baskets
- Clay Pots
- Plastic Pots
- Exchangeable Cells Held in a Tray or Rack Containers
- Ray Leach Cone-tainer™ Cells
- Deepots™
- Book or Sleeve Containers
- Spencer-Lemaire Rootrainers™
- Rectangular Block Containers Made Up of Many Cavities or Cells
- Styroblock™ and Copperblock™
- Propagation Containers
- Plug Trays
- Cell Plug Try Inserts
- Flats
- Eco-Friendly Greenhouse Containers
- Plantable Containers
- Recycled Plastic Geotextile Containers
- Compostable Containers
- Cleaning and Disinfecting the Greenhouse Containers
- Disinfectants for Greenhouses
