## 5 Conclusions  
Our findings highlighted some interesting potential of the tested substrates in terms of the technical aspects inherent in ornamental plant cultivation (i.e., growth), allowing CO\({}_{2}\) savings at the same time. Nevertheless, we tested two hardy evergreen shrubs, relatively easy to manage in a plant nursery. Further studies are needed to verify the suitability of these by-products for the cultivation of species more sensitive to substrates, or young propagated plants, which are usually more demanding in terms of production inputs. Consequently, it could be appropriate to maintain peat in potting mix formulations as a diluent to compensate for the less favorable characteristics of these alternative substrates, as stated by [PERSON] [8]. The results of environmental impact analyses increase the awareness of policymakers about the benefits of reducing the exploitation of natural resources and GHG emission control. However, replacing the peat input, which requires the extraction and transport for thousands of kilometers, with locally available by-products is a crucial step, opening new perspectives to improve the sustainability of the ornamental nursery sector. Further action will also be needed for the environmental sustainability of this production chain in developing alternatives to plastic pots, a very significant source of CO\({}_{2}\)eq emissions.  
**Supplementary Materials:** The following are available online at [[https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app14041538/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app14041538/s1)]([https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app14041538/s1](https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app14041538/s1)), Table S1: ANOVA analysis on marginal models describing plant growth parameters. Table S2: Summaries of the models used to compare the growths of plants cultivated on different substrates. Table S3: Row data of _P. \(\times\) fraseri_ and _V.titus_ growth parameters for different substrates. Figure S1: Flowchart of the Materials and Methods Section 2. Figure S2: Relationship between time and growth parameters as influenced by different substrates. Figure S3: _P. \(\times\) fraseri_ and _V. titus_ plants grown with different substrates at the end of the cultivation phase.  
**Author Contributions:** [PERSON], [PERSON], [PERSON] and [PERSON] conceived the study; [PERSON] carried out the LCA analysis and data collection; [PERSON] performed the regression analysis; [PERSON], [PERSON], [PERSON] and [PERSON] performed substrate analyses. All authors were involved in writing the paper, although [PERSON], [PERSON].  
Figure 6: Total emissions (kg CO\({}_{2}\)eq) for all substrates used in the trial per single plant grown in a 10 L pot.  
and [PERSON] took a lead role. [PERSON] and [PERSON] reviewed and revised the manuscript. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This research was funded by the UE project \"Use of dredged sediments for creating innovative growing media and technos coils for plant nursery and soil rehabilitation\" (LIFE17 ENV/IT/000269). We also thank National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) of the Italian Ministry of University and Research funded by the European Union--NextGenerationEU, Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.4--Avviso 3264/2021, Award Number: Project code CN_0000033, Concession Decree No. 1034 of 17 June 2022, CUP B83C22002930006, Project title \"National Biodiversity Future Center--NBFC\" (Spoke 5).  
Not applicable.  
The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article and Supplementary Materials, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.  
We thank the nursery \"Gorini piante\" involved in this research, who made both facilities and data available to conduct the cultivation trials and the LCA analysis.  
Author [PERSON] was employed by the company Agri Vivai S.r.l. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.