The production of carnation cut flowers in the Bogotá plateau has been important in the last decades, bringing them to second place in the total of Colombian cut flowers exports. Recently, due to pathogenic diseases, this crop is grown using soil-less techniques, particularly on organic substrates. For this reason, it is important to investigate the growth of carnation plants in such conditions. The aim of this research was to evaluate the growth of standard carnation cv. Nelson grown both in soil and substrates, in the second harvest peak of production. For that purpose, in the SENA - Multisectorial Center of the municipality of Mosquera, rooted cuttings were transplanted into the following substrates and mixes: 100% burnt rice husk; 65% burnt rice husk-35% coconut fiber; 35% burnt rice husk-65% coconut fiber and soil, reflecting the treatments to be analyzed. Through continuous sampling, the variables leaves number, length and diameter of flowering stem, nodes number, and length and diameter of floral bud were evaluated. The data were then fitted to growth curves. The plants grown in the soil treatment produced more flowering stems; however, despite showing a higher number of nodes and leaves, they were shorter than those of the other treatments. Likewise, the quality parameters diameter of flowering stem, and length and diameter of floral bud were lower in soil in comparison with the other treatments. In consequence, the production of select exportable flowering stems produced in the plants grown in soil was significantly lower compared with those grown in substrates.
Dianthus caryophyllus; soil-less culture; growth models
