| A plant trial was established at SUNY-ESF. Three species were used: flowering kale (Brassica oleracea var. Acephala), chrysanthemum (Leucanthemum paludosum), and celosia ( Celosia argentea var. Spicata); however, celosias were left out of the analysis due to a virus infection. The compost used was Toad Hollow Farms Natural Compost, made from food scraps, manure, leaves and wood chips. It was blended with additives to produce the following treatments: Garden Blend with fertilizer (OsmocoteRTM), Potting Blend, and Potting Blend with OsmocoteRTM. Biomass production in those potting mixes was compared with the biomass production in Fafard RTM with OsmocoteRTM, a growers' standard potting mix taken as the control.;Data from this study showed that the two plant species can be successfully grown in the Garden Blend with OsmocoteRTM mix, but this blend's production cost exceeds the cost of the control, making the compost-containing blend unable to compete with FafardRTM in the horticultural market. |
