CACTIBOTANY AND CULTIVATION
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Tables and diagrams

Water and air in the substrate

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SUBSTRATE AND CONTAINER AS ONE SYSTEM
Comparison of pore and water arrangements in three potsThe first pot contains a fine mixture with little air space. The second has varied, stable pores. The third shows that a coarse layer at the bottom does not remove the zone of high hydration in the finer substrate.A large fine fractionVaried structureA layer at the bottomThe root zonestays wet longerWater and airthroughout the profileWater retained higher upabove the material boundaryZone of greater hydration after drainage
An original qualitative model based on the physics of container substrates. Particle size and number are illustrative. The diagram is not a composition recipe and does not show a constant height of the hydrated zone. Based on Rutgers NJAES and Oklahoma State University Extension. [Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station b.d.] [6-WWW]

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