We Dared to Compare

Our Winter/Spring Growth Trial

Back in January, we decided to test out our new PittMoss Performance against some of the leading products in our field, Bumper Crop, Miracle Grow, Fox Farm’s Happy Frog, and Black Gold. We tested out five different plants- basil, marigolds, begonias, calibrachoa and roma tomatoes. We just wrapped up our trial and are excited to start to bring you the results. You can see the first of our trial time-lapse videos above with more to come!

Since we just launched our first time-lapse video, we wanted to share all of the details of the trial, which was conducted by Dr. Charles Bethke, PhD Horticultural Soils and Nutrition Consultant. Below, Dr. Bethke provided us with an overview of the trial conditions.

“Five blends were used as received in the consumer bags. For each blend included four replications of the various container sizes for each crop. Containers were filled to ¼” from the top of the pot when uniformly compacted. All blends in all pots were treated uniformly throughout the project. On January 26, 2017 liner plugs were planted. Three plants of “Kabloom Pink” Calibrachoa where planted into the 12” hanging baskets. Into one set of the “gallon” pot replications one plant of “Roma” tomatoes and in another set a Pink Sonic Magic New Guinea Impatiens were planted. One “Big Red” Begonia, and one plug with 4 seedlings of “Genovese” Basil were planted into the sets of 6” pots. Additionally, one set of 6” pots was sowed with 2 seeds each of “Janie Orange” Marigolds which were thinned to one plant per pot after germination. After planting all pots were watered to full saturation with a solution containing soluble 20-10-20 fertilizer to deliver 200 ppm nitrogen dissolved in well water (pH 7.2 and alkalinity of 328 ppm bicarbonate). The pH of the watering solution was adjusted to below 6.2 using additions of citric acid. The next watering with clear water, was after 17 days due to the dark winter conditions in the double poly covered greenhouse located in central Michigan. Continuing on all plants in all blends of each test crop set were surface watered, uniformly, when any plant in the crop group began to wilt or show water stress. Soluble calcium nitrate was applied at the 200 ppm nitrogen rate during the 3^rd and 5^th watering otherwise pH adjusted clear water was applied until the finish of the project. Temperatures were maintained at 65° F nights and 75° F days with venting at 82° F. Insecticide sprays were applied as needed. Shading of 40% was applied over the Begonias and New Guinea Impatiens beginning March 23^rd. For the photos a representative plant from the four replications of each blend was selected and labeled to follow throughout the project. The photos where completed in the middle of April and plant measurements were taken on the various crops shortly after that.”

If you would like to learn more about our trial, please fill out any contact form on the site and remark your request in the comment section. We look forward to sharing more trial results as we compile them!