Substitution of peat with vermicompost from food waste digestate and green waste compost

Experiments on growing lettuce and head cabbage plants using potting media containing varying proportions of peat were conducted.
The objective was to evaluate the potential of vermicompost (VC) produced from food waste digestate and green waste compost (GWC), as a substitute for peat.
The first experiment compared peat reduced potting media to commercial peat based substrates.
The second experiment consisted of four treatments: (v/v) mix of 25% VC + 25% GWC + 40% peat and 10% perlite, 30% VC + 30% GWC + 30% peat and 10% perlite, 25% VC + 35% GWC + 25% peat and 15% perlite, and 25% VC + 30% GWC + 25% peat and 20% perlite.
The experiment was arranged in the complete randomized design and the seedlings of the vegetables were planted in pots replicated three times.
The biological parameter measured was the above ground fresh biomass.
Treatment effects were not statistically different (P>0.05), indicating that it is possible to reduce the proportion of peat in a potting media down to 25% by substituting it with vermicompost and green waste compost.

International Symposium on Growing Media, Composting and Substrate Analysis – SusGro2015

A.A. Tesfamichael, K. Stoknes

growing medium, green waste compost, vermicompost, food waste digestate

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2017.1168.51