2013 ASHS Annual Conference

Biocontainers are being considered as more environmentally sustainable alternatives to plastic containers.  However, the use of biocontainers may have unforeseen challenges including increased water use and poor durability in long-term nursery production settings. The objective of this research was to investigate the suitability of using biocontainers in a pot-in-pot (PNP) nursery production system. This study was conducted in Mississippi, Texas, Kentucky, and Michigan. Two types of 7-gallon fiber containers, Kord Fiber Grow and Western Pulp, and a 7-gallon standard plastic container were used in this study as inner pots (production pots). A plastic container was used as the in-ground socket pot. Birch (Betula nigra) bare root liners were planted in mid-June 2011 into the production pots filled with pine bark and peat (85:15, v/v). At the end of the first growing season, there was no significant difference in plant growth index and daily water use among the three container types in all four locations. Visual inspection of the biocontainers showed that the side walls and the bottom of the containers were intact. At the end of the second growing season, there was still no significant difference in plant growth index and daily water use among the three container types. However, the visual inspection of the biocontainers showed some degrees of degradation, especially the bottoms of the pots. The results suggested that the biocontainers we tested might be suitable for short-term rather than long-term PNP production.