Plant growth with nutrient solutions: II. A comparison of pure sand and fresh soil as the aggregate for plant growth

Abstract

Statistical experiments have been carried out as pot cultures in the greenhouse, with sand and soil as the aggregates (nutrients being supplied to both aggregates in the form of nutrient solutions), on the growth of the two vegetables turnip and spring cabbage to the stage of maturity usual in actual practice. With full nutrients, the soil, possibly because of such factors as its nutrient reserves, its physical properties, and its capacity for retaining certain nutritional elements supplied, was superior to the sand as judged by yields of fresh and dry matter for tops and whole plants of both vegetables, and roots for the turnip, thus including the edible portion ofboth plants; the (true) root of the cabbage, however, yielded more in the sand under these conditions. Similar results were obtained even when the concentrations of the nutrients for the soil were only half those in the full nutrient solution applied to the sand, so that it may be stated that fresh soil is greatly superior to sand under equal conditions as an aggregate in the growth of vegetables with nutrient solutions.