EFFECT OF GROWING MEDIA AND FERTILIZATION TREATMENTS ON GROWTH AND FLOWERING OF GARDENIA JASMINOIDES PLANTS

The effect of three growing media types (peatmoss, peatmoss + sand and peatmoss + sand clay) and five fertilization treatments (control, mineral NPK, humic acid, EM and humic acid + EM) on growth and flowering of Gardenia jasminodies was investigated during two successive seasons of 2014 and 2015 under greenhouse conditions.. The peatmoss growing medium was superior to the other media types in increasing plant height, stem diameter, branch and leaf number/plant, leaves and roots dry weights/ plant, as well as, number and fresh weights of flowers/plant and in producing earlier flowering. In the second place came peatmoss + sand, while peatmoss + sand+ clay gave the least values of all these traits and produced the most delayed flowers of Gardenia. Concerning fertilization treatments, the combined treatment of humic acid plus EM produced the best vegetative and flowering characters. Like that of NPK treatment, while each of humic acid or EM alone gave less values. Moreover, the three tested treatments of humic acid and/or EM caused early flowering date while NPK produced late flowering in comparison with untreated plants. The overall best vegetative growth and flowering aspects in addition to early flowering date were given due to planting Gardenia jasminoides plants in peatmoss or peatmoss plus sand and fertilizing them with humic acid plus EM.