Influence of Container Type and Growing Media on Seedling Growth of Pinus sylvestris in the Nursery

Type of container and growing media are two important factors that affect seedling quality. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of the growing media (local peat sources and Finnish peat) and Enso tube containers (type with vertical slits and rocket type) on the morphological attributes of two-year-old container-grown Pinus sylvestris L. seedlings using a completely randomised block experimental design in the nursery. Both container types and growing media significantly affected some seedling morphological attributes such as seedling height (SH), root collar diameter (RCD), the Dickson quality index (DQI), shoot and root dry weights (SDW and RDW, respectively), and sturdiness quotient (SQ) of P. sylvestris seedlings. When the containers were evaluated, the fixed Enso container type with greater volumes, which has vertical slits on the sidewalls, gave better results in terms of most measured seedling morphological characteristics than the Enso-rocket container type with smooth walls. It was also determined that the growing media significantly affected P. sylvestris seedlings’ morphological indices, and low growing media acidity because high local peat pH decreased some morphological quality attributes of P. sylvestris seedlings. The results suggest that lowering local peat pH can increase the potential of local peat as a Finnish peat substitute in container growing media for P. sylvestris seedling production.