What’s in the bag?
Peat and its alternatives: garden centre training
Objectives for the training session For garden centre staff to understand
what’s in a bag of growing media To build confidence talking to customers
about peat and the alternative materials To build an understanding about why it is
important to move away from peat
What’s in a bag: potted history Early 1900’s – used soil and domestic
compost 1930’s - early growing media based on the
‘John Innes’ mixes from blends of ‘loam’ (composted grass turves), peat and sand
1970’s – new lightweight mixes based in peat
Recently – reduced peat mixes and peat free using alternative materials Message: peat is still widely used but alternative materials are replacing it
How much peat do we use in the UK?3 billion litres used by UK horticulture a year:
69% by amateur gardeners 30% by professional growers 1% by local authorities and landscapers
Message: garden centres are a key outlet for peat-based growing media or plants grown in peat
How much peat have we stopped using? The UK horticultural market is 57.5% peat
free for all bagged products Approximately 6.3 billion litres of peat
have been saved through using alternative materials
Why is using peat an issue? It’s not renewable
Peat extraction
Previously extracted area left to re-grow – mostly reeds with sphagnum moss starting to reappear
Same area with no peat extraction. It will take thousands of years to grow the peat back to this thickness
Why is using peat an issue? Healthy, undisturbed peat bogs bring so
many benefits such as drinking water quality, a huge store of carbon, homes to special flora and fauna and recreation
Why is using peat an issue? 90% of UK’s peat bogs are already destroyed
Alternative materials to peat are increasingly delivering good results for the amateur and professional grower
Retailers are increasingly specifying peat-reduced products
Defra has set targets to phase out peat use in horticulture by 2020 (amateur) and 2030 (professional)
Do we need to use peat? Customers want a growing medium that
grows good plants, is consistent, safe to use, looks and smells nice and is reasonably priced
Most compost is already peat reduced and not many people have noticed
Many alternatives to peat bring as many, and in some cases even more benefits to the customer than peat
Challenges with peat replacement Peat reduced and peat alternative
materials need to be treated differently to peat to get good results – particularly watering and feeding regimes
Alternative materials have, in the past, suffered a few setbacks in quality. Garden centres need to contribute to rebuilding confidence with their customers
What are the alternative materials? Coir pith Green compost Composted bark Pine bark Wood fibre Other wood by-products
Coir pith Produced from the husk of the
coconut and a by-product of making coir products
Produced mainly in India and Sri Lanka
Used as 100% peat free material or used as a peat diluent
Very lightweight, easily transported
Stable and good with seedlings Good natural water holding
properties May need extra feeding
Green compost Derived from green waste and
made under BSI PAS 100 Used as high quality soil
conditioner and as a diluent in growing media
Readily available in the UK Good levels of natural
nutrient e.g. NPK with good slow release qualities
Can be heavy to handle so often diluted with lighter materials
Composted bark By-product from
forestry Used in multi-purpose
composts as a diluent for peat and as the main ingredient for peat free mixes
May need extra feeding, especially if over 6 months old
Bark By-product from
forestry Used in tree and
shrub mixes and more specialist products such as orchid composts
Adds good drainage structure and air into compost for more mature plants
Wood fibre By-product from
forestry Major peat diluent
in multi-purpose composts
Good shelf-life Very light material
and so good for handling
Excellent drainage properties
Other wood by-products By product of forestry
and manufacturing of wood based products
Readily available and often locally sourced
Often found as a peat diluent and has similar characteristics to composted bark
Good air holding qualities
May need extra feeding
What’s in the bag? Credible labels for origin of
raw material Growing Media InitiativeMeans that the bag contains 50% peat or less
and themanufacturer has signed up to an initiative to
reduce peat in their business.
Forest Stewardship CouncilMeans that the bag contains wood from a well
managed forest.
Recycle NowMeans that the bag contains recycled materials
What’s in the bag? Statements and claims ‘Which ‘Best Product’ Award - performance of
the product has been independently tested and found to be the best for the year stated. Does not refer to origin of raw materials
Defra’s Green Claims Code states that: ‘the claim does not use vague, ambiguous words’
Terms such as ‘low peat’ or ‘peat reduced’, ‘organic’, ‘ made from 100% naturally occurring ingredients’ or ‘100% sustainable’ or ‘helping protect the environment’ – are all completely ambiguous statements and need clarification with the manufacturer
What can garden centres do to reduce peat usage?
Understand the alternative materials to peat and how to use them successfully
Know what raw materials are in the growing media you sell
Provide better point of sale information to customers on peat, the issues and the alternatives
Summary There are many environmental reasons to reduce peat use
Good alternative materials are available Defra targets mean that peat will be phased out in horticulture
Everyone can play their part