Plant fibers for renewable growing media: Potential of defibration, acidification or inoculation with biocontrol fungi to reduce the N drawdown and plant pathogens

Plant fibers allow for the partial replacement of peat in growing media and have potential to carry and sustain biocontrol organisms. However, they may also carry plant pathogens and they may vary in their degree of biodegradability and their interaction with N, and in this way thus affect the quality of growing media.