EFFECTS OF VERMICOMPOST COCOPEAT AND SODIUM POLYACRYLATE (Diaper foam) AS GROWING MEDIA OF GREEN ONION (Allium fistulosum L.)

Plants tolerate a variety of soil types. Best performance occurs with consistent moisture during the growing season. Vermicompost as an organic fertilizer improves soil condition and maintains the physical appearance of the soil, Cocopeat holds about 33% more moisture with similar grades of peat-based mediums. Sodium polyacrylate is also added to retain moisture. The study on “Effects of vermicompost, cocopeat and sodium polyacrylate (Diaper foam) as growing media on green onion (Allium fistulosum L.) was conducted from June 01, 2018 to July 31, 2018 at Mindanao State University campus to evaluate the effects and determine the appropriate mixture of vermicompost, cocopeat, and sodium polyacrylate. A Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with four treatments and five replications was used. The treatments used were; T1 (Control) Vermicompost, T2 Vermicompost with Sodium polyacrylate T3 vermicompost with cocopeat, T4 vermicompost, cocopeat and sodium polyacrylate. Results of the study found out that vermicompost alone used as growing medium has improve the plant height, number of leaves, number of tillers, plant weight and root length of green onion. However, sodium polyacrylate can be added to the media to increase moisture retention. Similar study using other crops with longer maturity is suggested to explore the further potential of the study material.