Tinkering for profit: To stratify or not to stratify?

Authors: Owen Jr, James - Jim; FIELDS, JEB - Louisiana State University

Submitted to: Trade Journal Publication
Publication Type: Trade Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/25/2024
Publication Date: 6/5/2024
Citation: Owen Jr, J.S., Fields, J.S. 2024. Tinkering for profit: To stratify or not to stratify?. Nursery Management. 40, 6, 10-12.

Interpretive Summary: Five years ago, we were simultaneously working on projects that looked at crop response in fine and coarse textured substrates, bioretention systems for landscapes, isolating fertilizer in the top half of the container, and defining unsaturated hydraulic conductivity in bark-based substrates with different particle size and fiber additions (coir and peat). Each project resulted in an improved understanding of a component or process in the container, helping growers incrementally along the way. Then, one day, a light bulb went off when we had the notion of combining all of these concepts into a single holistic system. We had the idea to intentionally stratify each container to incorporate all the benefits we found in the aforementioned projects. We found that these layered, or stratified substrates, produce a starting point to slow water movement, ensure water storage where it was needed, increase mineral nutrient availability, decrease water and agrichemical leaching, and increase gas exchange in the lower part of the container to support healthy root establishment. In this article, we provide the "recipe" to stratify containers.

Technical Abstract: Five years ago, we were simultaneously working on projects that looked at crop response in fine and coarse textured substrates, bioretention systems for landscapes, isolating fertilizer in the top half of the container, and defining unsaturated hydraulic conductivity in bark-based substrates with different particle size and fiber additions (coir and peat). Each project resulted in an improved understanding of a component or process in the container, helping growers incrementally along the way. Then, one day, a light bulb went off when we had the notion of combining all of these concepts into a single holistic system. We had the idea to intentionally stratify each container to incorporate all the benefits we found in the aforementioned projects. We found that these layered, or stratified substrates, produce a starting point to slow water movement, ensure water storage where it was needed, increase mineral nutrient availability, decrease water and agrichemical leaching, and increase gas exchange in the lower part of the container to support healthy root establishment. In this article, we provide the "recipe" to stratify containers.