The End of Peat: Episode 2 - From Multipurpose to pick 'n' mix
11/04/24 • 38 min
HortWeek presents The End of Peat, a new four-part podcast series that will hear from leading horticulturists and garden retailers as they navigate a transition to peat-free that is piling pressure on a sector facing stresses on all sides.
Peat is one of the most popular and reliable types of growing media for plants, but peatlands are also a valuable store for carbon and as the UK Government tries to meet net zero targets, a peat ban is on the agenda.
Over the four episodes, Christina Taylor explores the story of the UK peat ban, how the horticulture industry is facing up to the challenge, and how it might shape the future of the sector.
Christina asks:
- Do we need a peat ban?
- Why is the transition to peat-free causing so much division and proving so difficult?
- And as the sector navigates the numerous challenges, she asks what is needed for the sector to survive, if and when peat ban legislation actually comes into effect.
In Episode 2: From multi-purpose to pick 'n' mix, Christina explores the two particular challenges faced by garden centres.
The first is the transition from selling peat-based compost to peat-free mixes. Challenges here include the variable quality of peat-free compost mixes, fears over supply of new ingredients, the higher price of these mixes and how they can help educate amateur gardeners learn to grow their plants.
Many have found difficulties in germinating seeds prompting fears that thousands of customers, particularly those trying to Grow-Your-Own fruit and veg, may give up, costing garden centres valuable customers in the process.
We hear about the initiatives from thought leaders in the industry on how these challenges can and should be addressed.
The second challenge relates to the sourcing of plants that have been grown in peat-free compost. This is where the interests of retailers intersect with the growers as peat-free adds to cost pressures. Ways to grow so-called tricky plants continue to be elusive prompting fears that we may lose the ability to buy whole categories of plants in the UK.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
HortWeek presents The End of Peat, a new four-part podcast series that will hear from leading horticulturists and garden retailers as they navigate a transition to peat-free that is piling pressure on a sector facing stresses on all sides.
Peat is one of the most popular and reliable types of growing media for plants, but peatlands are also a valuable store for carbon and as the UK Government tries to meet net zero targets, a peat ban is on the agenda.
Over the four episodes, Christina Taylor explores the story of the UK peat ban, how the horticulture industry is facing up to the challenge, and how it might shape the future of the sector.
Christina asks:
- Do we need a peat ban?
- Why is the transition to peat-free causing so much division and proving so difficult?
- And as the sector navigates the numerous challenges, she asks what is needed for the sector to survive, if and when peat ban legislation actually comes into effect.
In Episode 2: From multi-purpose to pick 'n' mix, Christina explores the two particular challenges faced by garden centres.
The first is the transition from selling peat-based compost to peat-free mixes. Challenges here include the variable quality of peat-free compost mixes, fears over supply of new ingredients, the higher price of these mixes and how they can help educate amateur gardeners learn to grow their plants.
Many have found difficulties in germinating seeds prompting fears that thousands of customers, particularly those trying to Grow-Your-Own fruit and veg, may give up, costing garden centres valuable customers in the process.
We hear about the initiatives from thought leaders in the industry on how these challenges can and should be addressed.
The second challenge relates to the sourcing of plants that have been grown in peat-free compost. This is where the interests of retailers intersect with the growers as peat-free adds to cost pressures. Ways to grow so-called tricky plants continue to be elusive prompting fears that we may lose the ability to buy whole categories of plants in the UK.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Previous Episode
The End of Peat: Episode 1 - Do we need a peat ban?
HortWeek presents The End of Peat, a new four-part podcast series that will hear from leading horticulturists and garden retailers as they navigate a transition to peat-free that is piling pressure on a sector facing stresses on all sides.
Peat is one of the most popular and reliable types of growing media for plants, but peatlands are also a valuable store for carbon and as the UK Government tries to meet net zero targets, a peat ban is on the agenda.
Over the four episodes, Christina Taylor explores the story of the UK peat ban, how the horticulture industry is facing up to the challenge, and how it might shape the future of the sector.
Christina asks:
- Do we need a peat ban?
- Why is the transition to peat-free causing so much division and proving so difficult?
- And as the sector navigates the numerous challenges, she asks what is needed for the sector to survive, if and when peat ban legislation actually comes into effect.
In Episode 1: Do we need a peat ban? Christina unearths why a peat ban is being proposed and outlines some of the arguments for and against.
It examines the history of peat use in the UK, the properties of peat and peat-free growing media, and begins to unearth why the topic has so bitterly divided the horticulture industry.
The End of Peat was written, produced and presented by HortWeek digital content manager Christina Taylor
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Next Episode
The End of Peat: Episode 3 - The cost of trial and error
HortWeek presents The End of Peat, a new four-part podcast series that will hear from leading horticulturists and garden retailers as they navigate a transition to peat-free that is piling pressure on a sector facing stresses on all sides.
Over the four episodes, Christina Taylor explores the story of the UK peat ban, how the horticulture industry is facing up to the challenge, and how it might shape the future of the sector.
In Episode 3: The cost of trial and error, Christina explores the two particular challenges faced by UK horticultural growers.
Where peat-free might cause an amateur gardener to lose a batch of lettuce seedlings, professional growers face the loss of entire crops as many attempt to trial new, and quite alien, growing media mixes.
Professional growers tell us their stories of trial and error, what they have learned in the process and discuss the fears that some plants and specialist nurseries will be lost to the UK for good.
Series writer, producer and presenter is Christina Taylor
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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