EN
Commercially produced green waste compost from urban areas was evaluated for its suitability to replace 10 or 20% (v/v) of peat substrate in the cultivation of ornamental shrubs. For mineral fertilization, two doses of Osmocote Standard 5 - 6M controlled release fertilizer (3 g and 1.5 g dm – 3 ) were used. The plant species tested were Physocarpus opulifolius L. ‘Diabolo’, Potentilla fruticosa L. ‘Gold Drop’ and Spiraea japonica L. ‘Pruhoniciana’ . The compost used as a supplement to peat substrate in the amount of 10 - 20% positively influenced the growth and development of all the studied plant species cultivated in containers, but the use of half the recommended dose of the controlled release fertilizer was associated with weak growth and poorer quality of shrubs. The compost added to peat soil at 20% improved the uptake of phosphorus and potassium, but no effect on nitrogen content in plants was noted. P. opulifolius grown in a peat substrate supplemented with 20% compost contained less Mn, and S. japonica shrubsless Fe and Mn, than those grown in the peat soils.