Now that we started a new season in our small urban garden, we have to acquire substrates for our new crops. The substrate is the material used as a support to germinate seeds or grow plants. With it we will fill our pots or grow tables. It is, in a way, the substitute for earthsince it is the medium where the roots will grow and from which they will extract the necessary nutrients for plant growth. Of the correct choice of substrate the success of our flowerpot.
The substrate will make our plants grow up healthy in an environment that actually lacks soil. In the case of vegetables, not just any substrate will do. In fact, there are low-quality substrates on the market, which can give good results with ornamental plants, but they do not meet the needs of the vegetables and lead the pot-garden to failure.
To choose a good substrate, the following must be taken into account characteristics:
- Keep it light: it will reduce the weight of the garden and facilitate its handling, transport and maintenance.
- That it is porous, that it has free spaces in its structure and has a spongy touch: it will allow the development of the roots and the circulation of water.
- That it be nutritious, that it has a good group of nutrients. Most substrates provide few nutrients to the plants and must be mixed with organic compost.
- That it is stable, that it maintains its properties for several months.
The substrates that meet most of these characteristics are the organic substrates or vegetable lands.
We will especially avoid substrates that do not have the composition and characteristics detailed on the container and those with unpleasant odors, odors that reveal the presence of fresh, non-decomposed organic matter.
More information – The cultivation tables, Mineral nutrients: benefits and deficiency symptoms, The flowerpot
