Different Ratios of Vermicompost in Planting Substrates Affect the Growth and Physiological Characteristics of Spathiphyllum (Spathiphyllum wallisii)

To investigate the effect of different planting substrates and varying levels of vermicompost on the growth and physiological traits of Spathiphyllum under greenhouse conditions. In this experiment, factor A included four levels of planting substrate (sand + perlite, sand + peat, peat + perlite, peat + perlite + sand), and factor B included four levels of vermicompost (0%, 25%, 50%, and 75% by volume of the pot). The results obtained from the experiment indicated that the interaction effect of planting substrates and vermicompost on important traits such as the number of leaves on the plant, length and width of the spathe, fresh and dry weight of the offshoot, and the amounts of chlorophyll, nitrogen, and iron in the leaves was significant. Specifically, using peat + perlite + sand (all in a ratio of 8.3 by volume of the pot) combined with 75% vermicompost resulted in the highest values for leaf length, spathe length, number of roots in the offshoot, chlorophyll content in the leaves, nitrogen content in the leaves, and iron content in the leaves, showing 20 to 30 percent higher effects compared to all other treatments. Conversely, the treatment of 50% perlite + 50% sand without using vermicompost exhibited the lowest values across all mentioned traits. Therefore, the use of peat + perlite + sand (all in a ratio of 8.3 by volume of the pot) combined with 75% vermicompost is recommended as the most suitable substrate for the cultivation of Spathiphyllum.