Cotton has cellulose, water, phosphorous, calcium, and other proteins and organic matter that is required for plant growth. The problem with cotton balls or tissue paper is that they don't contain minerals that the plant requires for growth. Soil Alternatives. This process is called leaching and does not allow plant roots to properly absorb all the nutrients. Water-Soil-Plant Relations soil moisture-plant growth relations are influenced by many factors including soil type, plant root systems and weather Robert M. Hagan With irrigation-and where neces- sary, with drainage-the farmer can exercise greater control over soil mois- ture than over any of the other soil physi- … Although coco coir is an organic plant material, it breaks down and decomposes very slowly, so it won't provide any nutrients to the plants growing in it, making it perfect for hydroponics. Each plant in the cotton grew, the growth and production was just delayed. Using Agar for Plant Growth. Seeds can grow on alot of substrates as long as they are moist and stable enough to allow the plant to grow upwards without toppling over. What was once considered a waste product, is one of the best growing mediums available. Without intervention, planting beans in sandy soil can cause the bean plant to die or result in severely stunted growth. "Coco coir" (Coconut fiber) is from the outer husk of coconuts. Agar has been found useful for orchid culture and other specialized plant reproduction in sterile conditions. Even though soil is better, I can conclude that cotton has the ability to support plant life. Sandy soil is not ideal for growing plants; while the soil drains quickly, important nutrients are washed away in the process. As an added bonus, germinating plants with agar produces very rapid growth as compared to soil starting. You can purchase … Several soil-free growth mediums are available for starting seeds and growing plants. Soil Structure and Plant Growth replace b with B. Radius B may be many times larger than b so that t* could become of the order of weeks; for example, one can calculate from data of Wang et t*