容器园艺 (1/2)

英语自学网

概述：弗兰克是一家集装箱园艺公司EarthBox的总经理。 他说用这种方式种植蔬菜有多种好处，但是种植需要特殊的“土壤”。
Hints:
Frank DiPaolo
EarthBox Company
Scranton
Pennsylvania
Blake Whisenant
dolomite
limestone
calcium
校对： ciciwonder
翻译&注解： annmar
组长： zpdslshhz
答疑： fwlclover
发音点评： 岩见泽
本期材料发音模仿地址：http://bulo.hujiang.com/menu/11885/item/777700/Frank DiPaolo is the general manager of the EarthBox Company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He says that growing vegetables this way -- container gardening some call it -- makes it easy for Blake Whisenant and other farmers to quickly solve common growing problems.
Frank DiPaolo says normal dirt or soil will not work in this kind of container gardening. Instead, potting mix is used. This is mostly peat moss with a few things added to help air get to the roots of the plants.
The box holds about 11 liters of water. There is a small hole in the side to drain out extra moisture and keep from drowning the plants. Since the potting mix soaks up the water, you have to pour more water down the tube every day or so. This kind of container gardening uses much less water than is needed when growing plants in the ground. And it is made so you can never give too much or too little water to the plants.
The plants in the box also need two other things -- a small amount of fertilizer and dolomite, a powder-like substance made from limestone. The fertilizer feeds the plants and helps them grow. The dolomite helps to reduce acid in the potting mix. Many farmers say dolomite is the secret to growing good tasting tomatoes.
Dolomite is also a low-cost way to supply calcium to young tomato plants. This helps to protect the plants from a disease known as "blossom end rot."弗兰克·迪保罗是宾夕法尼亚州斯克兰顿市EarthBox（泥土箱）公司的总经理。他告诉我们，这种人们称之为“容器园艺”的种植方法能使布雷克·维森南和其他农民更便捷地处理在种植中遇到的常见问题。
弗兰克·迪保罗介绍道，一般的泥或土壤在这种容器园艺中并不适用，取而代之的是盆栽混合土——一种添加了多种物料的泥炭土。这样的混合土能使空气到达植物的根部，从而提高透气性。
种植箱的饱和水量约为11公升，箱壁有一个小洞，多余的水分会从小洞排出，这样可以保证植株不会被水淹没。由于盆栽混合土能吸收水份，因此要每天通过管子注水到箱子底部。这种容器种植远比地面种植用水要少，并且也能保证你给植物浇的水不多也不少。
箱内作物的生长还需要两样东西——少量的肥料和白云石。白云石是由石灰石制成的粉状物质。肥料为植物提供养分，促进它们生长；白云石则可以降低盆栽混合土的酸性。许多农民都认为白云石是种出美味西红柿的诀窍。
同时，白云石也是一种给西红柿幼苗补钙的低成本方法，它能防止植株（因为缺钙而）感染“脐腐病”。