Rooting of Deciduous Woody Stem Cuttings in Peat-and Perlite-amended MSW Compost Media.

INDUSTRIAL wastes; COMPOSTING

Terminal stem cuttings of seven deciduous woody taxa [coralberry (Symphoricarpos x chenaultii Rehd. 'Hancock'), snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus (L.) S.F. Blake), European cranberry bush (Viburnum opulus L.), lilac (Syringa velutina Kom.), purple osier (Salix purpurea L. 'Nana'), purple-leaf sandcherry (Prunus x cistena N.E. Hansen), and winged spindle-tree (Euonymus alata (Thunb.) Siebold. 'Compacta')] were rooted under outdoor lath (50% shade) and mist in rooting media consisting of 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, and 75% by volume of MSW compost mixed with sphagnum peat or perlite. Rooting performance, expressed in terms of percent rooting, mean root number per rooted cutting, and length of the longest root per cutting, was regressed on level of compost. When there were differences due to amendments, most taxa rooted better with perlite than with peat due largely to more favourable water (36-50%) and air (16-26%) porosities with perlite than with peat (water, 60-60%; air, 12-15%). Cranberry bush, an exception, rooted better in the peat-amended compost. Increasing level of peat-amended MSW compost resulted in a large curvilinear decrease (adverse effect) in percent rooting of winged spindle-tree. Contrastingly, increasing level of both peat- and perlite-amended MSW resulted in moderate to substantial linear or curvilinear increases (beneficial effect) in root number and/or root length of coralberry and snowberry cuttings. MSW level had little or no effect on the rooting responses of other taxa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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