The influence of biohydrohumus on growth and development of garden pansy (Viola x wittrockiana Gams.)

In the years 2007–2008, experiments were conducted with four cultivars of garden pansy grown in pots, in media prepared as mixtures of wet shrimp waste (BioHydroHumus) and sphagnum peat at the following volumetric ratios: 2% BioHydroHumus + 98% sphagnum peat, 5% BioHydroHumus + 95% sphagnum peat, 10% BioHydroHumus + 90% sphagnum peat. The Osmocote Exact 5–6 M (15:8:10:3MgO + microelements) fertilizer at the rates of 2.5 and 5.0 g × dm-3 was added to each medium. Sphagnum peat with addition of 5.0 g × dm-3 Osmocote Exact 5–6 M was used as control medium. It was found that BioHydroHumus can be a source of macroelements in the cultivation of garden pansy. It is characterized by alkaline reaction and high total soluble salts. BioHydroHumus used as a component of media affects the quality of cultivated plants. The best results were obtained when BioHydroHumus was used at the rates of 2 and 5%, even if the rate of fertilizer were twice smaller than in control medium. At full flowering, plants grown in medium containing 5% BioHydroHumus were the most branched. Garden pansies cultivated in medium containing 10% BioHydroHumus were characterized by a smaller number of leaves. Plants grown in media with addition of 2 and 5% BioHydroHumus flowered more abundantly in comparison with garden pansies cultivated in medium containing 10% BioHydroHumus, regardless of the rate of fertilizer. However, an ambiguous influence of BioHydroHumus on height and diameter of garden pansy cultivars was found