The use of water-soluble fertilizers in floricultural production provides readily available nutrients to sustain short-term crop production; however, nutrients such as phosphorus are poorly retained in typical peat substrates. Activated aluminum is an amendment that has demonstrated success in binding phosphorus within substrates, reducing the amount of phosphorus that is leached from the container. This research investigated the production of Tagetes in peat-based substrates amended with or without activated aluminum and provided four different phosphorus fertilizer regimens. The fertilizer regimens encompassed a nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium liquid blend applied weekly; however, phosphorus was only included for 0, 2, 4, or 6 weeks in total over the duration of the study. Growth of Tagetes was effectively similar, and leachate analysis provided insights that can be applied towards more efficient production methods. In this research, utilizing activated aluminum resulted in less phosphorus loss in container leachate than unamended substrates. The potential to decrease applied phosphorus during floricultural production can similarly be achieved when using substrates amended with activated aluminum. This presentation will decipher the dynamics of the movement of phosphorus and other anions of interest that may be relevant to sustainable floriculture production.
