Evaluation of Different Growing Media and Nitrogen Fertilizer on Some Morphological Traits in Spathiphyllum wallisii L.

In order to evaluate different growing media and nitrogen fertilizer (urea) on some morphological traits of Spathiphyllum, an experiment was carried out in a split-plot arrangement based on a completely randomized block design in three replications in greenhouse conditions in 2018. The main plot was assigned to different growing media including T1: leaf-mold, T2: vermicompost, and T3: a mixed growing medium (peat moss 20% + cocopeat 50% + perlite 30%) and the subplot was assigned to urea fertilizer at different rates of 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 g/L. Results showed that the mixed growing medium plus 2 g/L urea fertilizer had significant positive effects on all traits. According to the results for the interaction effects, the highest shoot fresh weight (26.5 g/plant), shoot dry weight (3.75 g/plant), root fresh weight (35.5 g/plant), root dry weight (4.87 g/plant), length petiole (55.1 cm), and leaf number (12.1) were obtained from the mixed growing medium plus 2 g/L urea fertilizer, while the traits were the least in all studied growing media plus 0 g/L urea fertilizer. The increase in the urea fertilizer from 0 to 2 g/L increased shoot dry weight and petiole length while the urea fertilizer at the rates of 3 and 4 g/L decreased them. The growing media with an EC of 2 dS/m, high porosity, and high water holding capacity can have significant effects on improving morphologic traits of Spathiphyllum plants.