Performance of turkey litter compost as a slow-release fertilizer in containerized plant production

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to develop a protocol for using compost in nursery crop production. Five rates of inorganic fertilizer (0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 g N) and two irrigation volumes (600 and 900 mL per 3.8-L container) were evaluated for their effects on Rudbeckia fulgida Ait. 'Goldsturm' and Cotoneaster dammeri Schneid. 'Skogholm' growth in a pine bark substrate amended with composted turkey litter (CTL). Additions of ≥2 g N per container for cotoneaster and ≥1.0 g N for rudbeckia were required to produce growth equivalent to that of plants in a control treatment that simulated typical production by a grower in the southeastern United States. Phosphorus, Ca, and Mg contents of cotoneaster and rudbeckia plants grown in CTL-amended substrates with no fertilizer added (0 g N) were similar to or greater than that of the control. Phosphorus concentrations in the substrate solutions were higher in all CTL-amended substrates than in the control regardless of fertilizer addition. This suggests that P released from CTL had a greater impact than P added with fertilizer. The greatest nutrient value of CTL may be as a P source and a replacement for dolomitic limestone and micronutrients in container-grown plant production.