Irrigation of container-grown nursery plants with reclaimed water

Response of plants to reclaimed water (processed municipal sewage wastewater) applied over the canopy and grown in containers with 2.4 L of a common nursery substrate was evaluated. Plant growth indices (height plus average width plus or minus the standard deviation) for Catharanthus roseus, Codiaeum variegatum ‘Petra’, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis ‘Seminole Pink’, Ilex crenata ‘Helleri’, Ilex vomitoria ‘Nana’, Ixora coccinea ‘Maui’ and ‘Petite’, Loropetalum chinensis ‘Ruby’, Plumbago ericulata ‘Imperial Blue’, and  Salvia splendens were similar whether irrigated with reclaimed water or a municipal or deionized water control. Additional experimentation showed that reclaimed water provided adequate K (15 mg/L) for Rhododendron japonica ‘Mrs. G. G. Gerbing’ and  Ixora coccinea ‘Petite’ that received a controlled-release fertilizer without K. However, Dendranthema x morifolium ‘Covington’ exhibited K deficiency and reduced biomass compared to plants that received K in the fertilizer. Additional information from a survey of nursery operators that used  reclaimed water and the experiments mentioned will be presented along with results from an experiment where growth response of Spathiphyllum wallisii ‘Ty’s Pride’ to reclaimed water was evaluated.