(60) Rooting Stem Cuttings in Compost Tea and Anaerobic Digestion Wastewater

Abstract

Cuttings of sage ( Salviaofficinalis `Tricolor'), currant ( Ribesaureum ), euonymus ( Euonymus fortunei var. vegetus ), and weigela ( Weigela florida `Nana Variegata') were rooted under greenhouse conditions (40% shade) and mist in aerated hydroponic solutions consisting of deionized water, or mixtures of deionized water and nutrients with various levels of electrical conductivity (EC, 0.0625, 0.125, 0.25, and 0.5 dS·m -1 ) from each of three sources: compost tea from municipal solid waste; wastewater from anaerobic digestion of municipal solid waste; and Hoagland's (control) nutrient solution. Despite differences in species response, rooting tended to be similar with the three nutrient sources. Euonymus rooting percentage increased linearly with increasing EC and was similar with all three nutrient sources (common regression curve, 61% rooting at 0.5 dS·m -1 ), as did root length (1.4 cm at 0.5 dS·m -1 ), but root number was unresponsive. Currant rooting percent increased curvilinearly and similarly with nutrient sources (87% calculated maximum rooting at 0.25 dS·m -1 ), but root number and length were unresponsive. Sage rooting percentage and root number also increased curvilinearly and similarly with nutrient sources (common regression curve, 100% rooting at 0.34 dS·m -1 , and 4.1 roots at 0.38 dS·m -1 , respectively), as did also root length with the compost tea and Hoagland's (common curve for these two nutrient sources, 11.0 cm at 0.30 dS·m -1 ), but was unresponsive to wastewater. Weigela was unresponsive to EC or nutrient sources (mean percentage of rooting, 73; root number, 6.5; and root length, 1.9 cm).