水苔(moss)爲臺灣蝴蝶蘭主要栽培介質,近年來因過度開採導致產量減少、成本提高,品質亦不甚穩定,影響蝴蝶蘭的生產及品質。本研究利用紡紗科技產製而成之人造纖維(artifical textile fiber),分析該介質之理化特性與對植株生長之影響,並評估將其應用於蝴蝶蘭栽培介質之可行性。研究結果顯示,人造纖維之pH值接近7、EC值低,爲一中性且純淨之介質;可交換性營養元素含量雖較天然水苔低,然而在商業肥培模式下,對蝴蝶蘭之養份供給影響有限;保水保肥能力佳,養份水份不易流失;栽培試驗期間,蘭株生長良好,其表現與天然水苔間無顯著差異;介質成本比天然水苔降低40-50%,另外,人造纖維分別與科技土(polyethenol)、細樹皮、椰纖、水苔作體積比爲4:1之四種混合介質在蝴蝶蘭栽培試驗上,蘭株生長亦良好。
Sphagnum moss is the main growing media on Phalaenopsis cultivation in Taiwan. In the past few years, excessive exploitation of sphagnum moss caused the decrease in the resources of sphagnum moss in nature, the cost price of sphagnum moss was rising and the quality of sphagnum moss was unstable. Furthermore, poor sphagnum moss accompanied with soil bearing diseases and pests which result a harmful influence on Phalaenopsis cultivation. Artifical textile fiber is a kind of synthetic fiber manufactured by the technology of spinning cotton yarn. In order to evaluate the possibility of using artifical textile fiber on Phalaenopsis cultivation, studies regarding with the physical and chemical characters of artifical textile fiber and physiological condition of plants were conducted. The results indicated that the approximate values of pH and EC of artifical textile fiber were 7 and 0, respectively. It means that this material is a neutral and clear growing media. Although the important contents of exchangeable nutrition element of artifical textile fiber were less abundant than sphagnum moss, it was easy to adjust by applying proper fertilizer system on the condition of using artifical textile fiber as growing media. The capacity of water holding and fertilizer conservation of artifical textile fiber is superior to sphagnum moss. Using artifical textile fiber on Phalaenopsis cultivation, the growth performance of plants has no significant difference compare with that using sphagnum moss. Therefore, artifical textile fiber might be an ideal alternative medium for Phalaenopsis cultivation.