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peat-free vs peat compost
as peat-based one and this includes ericaceous planting. Watering and feeding are no more difficult and most users find that they quickly adjust to the new mixes. Indeed, the transition from peat-based media to peat-free is a far smaller jump than our forebears dealt with in turning from loam-based media to soil-less ones.
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
The future for growing media in the UK is very likely to be one of diminishing peat levels and a wider range of ingredients. There will be greater awareness of the Responsible Sourcing Scheme, hopefully becoming a must- have for any buying choice. The four principal alternatives are not available in large enough volumes to replace
the two plus million cubic metres of peat currently demanded but there are significant developments of other promising materials. One such that we
have been involved with is sphagnum moss – ironically the starting material for peat.
But there are many other materials with potential. The growing media industry will no longer be in the rather precarious position of being over-reliant on one raw material and the challenge of finding secure, sustainable sources of suitable materials will be met by a far greater variety than seen hitherto. If you are a gardener that is still fairly wedded to peat-based media, perhaps having had a bad experience of peat-free a
few years ago, now could be the time to try again. There have never been more effective peat-free products and they will inevitably be the only choice in years to come.
Catherine Dawson
Technical Director, Melcourt Industries Ltd
NAS Peat Survey
Earlier this year we asked members to answer a few questions about their attitude to and use of peat-free compost. Lots of you replied and here is a summary:
Many of you had experienced problems using peat-free compost in the past; people had concerns about quality, cost and availability and most negative comments related to seed germination. However, there did seem to be an accord that it had improved in recent years
and the choice of brand was important. For the 58.5% of respondents, who use peat-free, there were clear favourites:
Here are a couple of comments from the survey:
“It has improved over the last few years – it used to be rather coarse and fibrous with too much coir – but good now”
“I’ve found Sylvagrow to be pretty good but the nearest outlet is 20 miles from me”
“Poor results in germination. I shall keep using compost containing peat”
The NAS recognises the environmental impact of continuing to use peat-based composts and the urgency to find long-term alternative sources. To
this end, we are in continual dialogue with DEFRA, other horticultural organisations, suppliers and trade associations to encourage a speedy solution. We will continue to promote home composting methods as a major contributor to maintaining soil fertility.
DEFRA statement on peat use in compost 25 November 2020
Healthy peatlands trap carbon, helping to tackle climate change. They also play an important role in preventing flooding and host an array
of plant and animal life. Peatlands lose these functions if the peat
is damaged, for example by being dug up and removed for sale and emit carbon instead. We introduced a voluntary target for amateur gardeners to phase out the use of peat by 2020, and a final voluntary phase-out target of 2030 for professional growers of fruit, vegetables and plants.
We welcome progress made with new peat-free products coming onto the market.
A Defra spokesperson said: "We are committed to phasing out the
use of peat in horticulture in England by 2030 and are looking at how legislation can achieve this. We urge all gardeners to play their part and only use peat-free products.
We are investing £10m to improve the condition of our peatlands as part of our commitment to protecting and restoring this precious habitat and cementing the UK’s position as a world leader in environmental biodiversity.
We plan to set out proposals to further reduce the use of peat in horticulture in our forthcoming England Peat Strategy.
We are continuing to work with the industry to make the transition to peat alternatives simpler. For example, we are jointly funding research with the industry to overcome practical barriers to peat replacement
in professional horticulture using commercial scale trials. This £1m project ended in December 2019 and has shown promising results and a report will be published with results later in 2020."
18 Allotment and Leisure Gardener