A CULTIVATION METHOD FOR NASTURTIUM OFFICINALE (WATERCRESS) GROWN IN GREENHOUSE

Pot experiments with watercress were carried out in greenhouse to compare the suitability of different substrates on the one hand, and crop yield achieved from direct seed into differently sized pots on the other.

Since watercress, on its natural site, preferably grows in a slowly flowing water stream, the first experiment was set up in a basin with water dammed up to 3 cm level, slowly flowing through the basin. During cultivation, a fluid fertilizer was applied as soon as required. For the second experiment, the pots were placed in a fertilizer solution dammed up to 2 cm level.

The harvested crop was assessed for its fresh weight, plant length and the degree of branching. The highest amount of fresh weight was measured for plants grown in the substrate-mixture TKS 1 with Humosoil, where the plants were branched and compact.

The rate of fresh weight of directly sown watercress increased with rising pot-size. Plants grown in big-sized pots produced thicker stems and higher nitrate levels, which made their quality worse compared to that of plants grown in small-sized pots.