ADHESIVE ADDED TO SOIL BLOCK TO PRESERVE INTEGRITY DURING TRANSPLANTING

摘要

The invention is a method for treating a plant growth medium containing a plant so that the growth medium remains intact around the roots during transplanting operations. This involves treating the growth medium shortly before transplanting with an adhesive-forming substance which will bond the particles of the growth medium to form an intact plug. The adhesive-forming substance must be physiologically innocuous. Materials such as warmed solution of agar or soluble alginates have been found to be very suitable. When an alginate is used, it is rendered into an insoluble gel by secondary application of a chemical salt such as calcium nitrate. The method is particularly useful for growing seedlings or cuttings which must be transplanted while the root structure is still delicate and subject to damage from handling.