Alternative substrates to fern tree fiber in the production of ornamental bromeliad

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate alternative substrates for the cultivation of the bromeliad Aechmea fasciata (Lindley) Baker, to substitute the formulated mixtures with fern tree fi ber from Dicksonia
sellowiana (Presl.) Hook. Tested substrates were: Pinus bark, Eucalyptus bark, coxim (made of coconut fi ber), coir or fern tree fi ber, mixed with peat and perlite, in the proportions 2:7:1, 5:4:1 and 8:1:1. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse covered with polyethylene and shaded with shade cloth 70%. The bromeliads were
cultivated during 435 days, until the beginning of the fl owering, when they were suitable for commercialization. The evaluated parameters were dry masses of leaf, root, infl orescence, fl oral scape, and stem, besides total dry mass and the commercial quality. The substrates formulated with fern tree fi ber or Pinus bark, in the proportions 2:7:1, 5:4:1 and 8:1:1, and with Eucalyptus bark, coir or coxim, in the proportion 2:7:1, showed the best results. The substrates formulated with Eucalyptus bark, coir or coxim in the proportion 8:1:1 presented
the poorest results.