Soils and their properties

Zoey uses a soilless horticultural mix for her greenhouse because it:

• comes from the garden

• has a lot of weight

• is cheap

• is sterile.

Which is the best growing media if an inorganic media is desired?

• Leaf mold

• Perlite

• Sawdust

• wood shavings

Marcy mixes perlite in her soilless mix. What is perlite?

• bark from pecan tree

• dead plant material

• natural volcanic rock

• Product of seaweed

Which is the best inorganic growing media?

• Bark

• Compost

• Peat moss

• Vermiculite

Which is a lightweight, inorganic mica mineral capable of absorbing a large amount of water in growing media?

ABarkBCompostCLeaf moldDVermiculite

• Bark

• compost

• Leaf mold

• vermiculite

While the pH of most commercial horticulture soilless mixes is neutral, the pH of bark, peat moss, and sphagnum moss is:

• acid

• alkaline

• basic

• neutral

Which is the most likely effect of adding perlite to the growing media?

ABCtD

• Decreases drainage

• Increases drainage

• Increases weigh

• Makes media acid

Pedro adds compost to condition his soil. What is compost?

AlBCD

• Clayey soil

• Decayed organic matter

• Vermiculite

• Volcanic rock

The high carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of nondecomposed sawdust and wood shavings affects nitrogen in growing media by:

Aa.B.CD

• cting as a fertilizer

• increasing availability for plant use

• making it unavailable for plant use.

• stimulating plant growth.

Perlite and vermiculite are most likely examples of:

• hydroponics

• organic growing media

• soil growing media

• soilless growing media.