Growth and Flowering of <i>Doritaenopsis</i> Queen Beer ‘Mantefon’ as Affected by Different Potting Substrates

Abstract

To assess the growth and flowering of the Doritaenopsis orchid in alternative substrates, Doritaenopsis Queen Beer 'Mantefon' was grown for 15 months in four different substrates; a commercial 100% Chilean sphagnum moss (S), peat moss (P), medium-grade Douglas fir bark mixed with P with a 3:7 ratio (v/v) (BP), and S and P mixes (SP) with a 4:6 ratio (v/v). Physical (porosity and water holding capacity) and chemical (pH and EC) properties of the four substrates were investigated. SP substrate had significantly higher substrate volumetric water content (VWC) than the other three substrates only for the first 3 days after fertigation, and only the BP substrate maintained lower air space than the other substrates. Although there was no relevant growth responses to VWC and air space changes, a better growth in shoots and fastened flowering of Doritaenopsis 'Mantefon' occurred in plants grown in the P substrate, which could be attributed to providing better contact of terrestrial roots to the substrate enabling enough water and nutrient supply, along with a proper pH range of 6.15. At 15 months after transplanting, plants grown in the P and BP substrates had larger leaves and a greater shoot dry weight than the plants grown in the S and SP substrates. Plants grown in the P substrate produced 2.75 flower spikes, whereas the plants grown in the S, BP, and SP substrates produced 2.00 to 2.33 flower spikes. Plants grown in the P, BP, S, and SP substrates produced a third flower spike, being 67%, 33%, 17%, and 8%, respectively. There was no significant difference in the total number of flowers, while the total numbers of buds were 32.3, 23.4, 23.0, and 19.7 in plants grown in the P, S, BP, and SP substrates, respectively. Time to visible flower spike was shortened in plants grown in the P substrate compared to the plants grown in other substrates. With these results, using alternative substrates including peat moss for Doritaenopsis cultivation, growers may be able to promote leaf growth and flower spike induction with lower expenses on substrate costs, resulting in a high quality production of Doritaenopsis 'Mantefon' with more profit.

Fertilization methods and substrate particle size differentially affect growth and macronutrient status of Laelia anceps subsp. anceps

“…Furthermore, a better water status in the plant also favours absorption through the leaves (Berry et al, 2019), as well as the transport of nutrients (Nieves-Cordones et al, 2019) to storage organs such as pseudobulbs, from where nutrients can be translocated to demand organs in the subsequent growth phases. Higher stem growth and faster flowering of Doritaenopsis Queen Beer 'Mantefon' were found in plants established with peat moss, attributing such result to a better contact of the roots with the substrate, which allowed an adequate supply of water and nutrients (Kim et al, 2016). The composition of the medium affects the availability of water and nutrients for the growth of potted orchids.…”

“…Pine bark is the most widely used substrate for orchid production, and it is frequently mixed with other components such as perlite, different types of peat, coconut fiber, diatomite, rockwool, etc. (Wang et al, 2007;Hwang and Jeong, 2007;Lichty et al, 2015;Kim et al, 2016).…”

Effects of Nutrient Solution Application Methods and Rhizospheric Ventilation on Vegetative Growth of Young Moth Orchids without a Potting Medium in a Closed-Type Plant Factory

“…There are earlier studies on conditions for the underground part of moth orchids such as the composition and concentration of nutrient solutions in a greenhouse environment (Wang, 1996;Jeong, 2006, 2009;Hwang et al, 2004Lee et al, 2010b); media (Hwang and Jeong, 2007;Hwang et al, 2004;Kim et al, 2016;Wang, 1995Wang, , 1998Wang and Gregg, 1994); and irrigation methods (Lee et al, 2010a;. There were also studies on growing epiphytic plants without a potting media including Dendrobium (Chung et al, 1997) and moth orchids (Lee et al, 2010a).…”

Analysis of Supply and Demand to Enhance Educational Tourism Experience in The Smart Park of Yogyakarta, Indonesia

“…Sharing positive experiences in social media give positive effects to travelers, while unsatisfactory experiences are also able to reduce negative perceptions about travel that ultimately improve post-travel evaluation (Kim and Fesenmaier, 2015) [43].The experience and satisfaction of tourists are seen as the aspects that serve as the strategic steps to design tourism products. Satisfaction comes from customer feelings and expectations compared to reality.…”