ASTM_D_5539_-_14.pdf

Designation:D553914Standard Specification forSeed Starter Mix1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D5539;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope*1.1 This specification covers the material characteristics,physical requirements,and sampling appropriate to the desig-nation of a soil or soil-like material for seed starting purposes.This would consist of the duration of germination ending afterthe cotyledon stage(at the opening of the first true leaves).1.2 Seed starter mix may include natural soils and artificialmixtures of natural or artificial materials used for the initialgermination of seeds to the cotyledon stage.1.3 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded asstandard.No other units of measurement are included in thisstandard.Alternate sieve designations in parentheses are asprovided in Specification E11.1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2C330 Specification for Lightweight Aggregates for Struc-tural ConcreteC331 Specification for Lightweight Aggregates for ConcreteMasonry UnitsD653 Terminology Relating to Soil,Rock,and ContainedFluidsD2607 Classification of Peats,Mosses,Humus,and RelatedProducts(Withdrawn 1990)3D4531 Test Methods for Bulk Density of Peat and PeatProductsE11 Specification for Woven Wire Test Sieve Cloth and TestSieves3.Terminology3.1 Definitions:3.1.1 For definitions of common technical terms,refer toTerminology D653.4.Material and Manufacture4.1 The success of a seed starter mix is measured in itsability to provide a germinating seed with certain basic needs,that are outlined as follows.Avariety of materials,both naturaland artificial,can be employed to provide the characteristicsthat will fill the need.4.2 FunctionA seed starter media provides a seed(seed-ling)with four basic needs:4.2.1 Aeration to permit an exchange of gases between theemerging roots and the surrounding medium,4.2.2 Adequate seed(seedling)to starter media contact topermit water to flow to the seed and seedling root.Thisfunction also relates to the media having a sufficient amount ofwater retention to maintain the amount of moisture needed forplant use,4.2.3 A surface that does not inhibit emergence.This relatesto the medias ability to resist surface crusting,and4.2.4 A bulk density that does not inhibit root elongationand proliferation.4.3 MaterialWhile one material may be able to provide allof the needs of a seed(seedling),a mixture of varyingpercentage of at least two of these materials has been found inpractice to yield more consistent results over a wide range ofmanagement practices.Therefore,seed starters are generallymixtures of materials.The following is a list of materials thathave been used as or in seed starter mixes:4.3.1 VermiculiteThis is a natural mineral that has beentreated with heat until it becomes porous.This material has theability to hold a significant amount of water and still allow forexcellent drainage.However,it does not provide for goodseed-media contact.4.3.2 Sphagnum Peat MossThis is a natural accumulationof plant material decayed and decaying under anaerobic1This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D18 on Soiland Rock and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D18.22 on Soil as aMedium for Plant Growth.Current edition approved Nov.1,2014.Published November 2014.Originallyapproved in 1994.Last previous edition approved in 2013 as D5539 13.DOI:10.1520/D5539-14.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.3The last approved version of this historical standard is referenced onwww.astm.org.*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standardCopyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 conditions,and meeting the specifications outlined in Classi-fication D2607.Industry-wide,this seems to be the onematerial that has no substitute.4.3.3 PerliteThis is a volcanic ash that looks like smallbeads of plastic.Similar to vermiculite,it holds less water butprovides more seed-media contact.4.3.4 Coarse SandThis is mineral soil material that passesthrough a 2.0-mm(No.10)sieve but is retained on a 425-m(No.40)sieve.It provides good drainage and maintainsfriability.Sieve designations are reported as outlined in Speci-fication E11.4.3.5 Expanded Shale,Clay,or S