An experiment was conducted under saran house at the Nursery of Hort. Res. Inst., ARC, Giza, Egypt during 2013 and 2014 seasons to examine the effect of some growing media, viz. compost + sand at 1:1, 1:2 or 1: 3 ratios, by volume and olive pomace + sand at the same ratio as suitable alternatives for traditional media (either loam + sand or peatmoss + sand at 1:2, v/v for each) usually used for transplanting rooted olive cuttings, transplanting times (on spring or autumn) and their interactions on growth and quality of rooted olive cuttings cv. Aggezi transplanted after 1, 2 or 3 months from rooting start for each time in 10-cm-diameter black plastic bags filled with about 1 kg of one of the aforementioned media.
Results indicated that survival (%) of transplants was significantly increased by planting the rooted cuttings in compost + sand (1: 2, v/v) and olive pomace + sand (1: 1 or 1: 2, v/v) media, as these two media gave the highest percentages in most cases of both seasons. The first period (of spring) recorded the highest survival (%) for rooted cuttings transplanted after one month compared to those of the second period (of autumn), while the two periods alternatively scored the highest percent of survival for rooted cuttings transplanted after either 2 or 3 months from rooting commencement. However, the best survival (%) at all was attained by transplanting in either compost + sand or olive pomace + sand media (1: 2, vol. for each) on either first or second period. The results also showed that most vegetative and root growth parameters of the produced transplants were greatly improved by planting in either compost + sand (1 : 2, v/v) or olive pomace + sand (1 : 1or 1:2, v/v) media regardless of time of planting (either in spring or in autumn), but the mastery in both seasons was for planting in compost + sand (1 : 2, v/v) medium that recorded the highest means in most characters. The content of total chlorophyll in the leaves was significantly decreased in response to various treatments applied in such study, except of planting in sand amended with compost at 2: 1 or 3: 1, v/v which gave values greatly near to those registered by control media in the only 1st season.
Hence, it can be recommended to transplant the rooted cuttings of olive cv. Aggezi in compost + sand (1 : 2, v/v) medium at any period of the year as a more suitable and cheaper medium than peatmoss + sand one.