Breeder News

On 10 March, Bulrush, AHDB and Sakata spoke on growing media and latest varieties at WD Smith’s Meadowcroft Garden Centre in Essex. Bedding grower WD Smith & Son has 560 varieties on trial for display for its 2020 Pansy & Viola Festival. The event, held at Grange Nurseries in Battlesbridge, includes selected varieties grown in peat-free growing media from Bulrush , which WD Smith’s Mike Smith said he was "pretty pleased with", though he worries about delays in flowering even more than price of peat-free. At a BPOA meeting at Smith’s nearby Meadowcroft Garden Centre, Bulrush’s Paul Alexander presented information on work in the Sustainable Growing Media Task Force’s project four on what responsible growing media looks like. Alexander, formerly of the RHS, said the government ban in Ireland on harvesting peat for bogs over 30ha could drive peat reduction alongside the UK Government’s desire to stop peat use. After an indecisive election, an established government post-election is needed to move forward. Project four scores production of growing media ingredients’ energy use, water use, social compliance, habitat, pollution, renewability and resource use efficiency. Audits are ongoing. Alexander said using a small amount of peat in a mix, if it is from well-managed sources, could mean the mix ends up with a competitive score. He said to avoid greenwash it was important for the scheme to remain involved with NGOs: "If they walk away there’s no robustness to the scheme." Retailer support is also needed. One aim of the project is to stimulate supply chain improvements. A responsibility calculator is set to go on bags of growing media to be sold to the public in 2021. Alexander said business-to-business growing media could also have the ‘traffic light’ signs showing the scores the ingredients have been given and that Bulrush has already been asked to include that by some customers. He said mixes have to work at a cost effective price and that the next cheapest ingredient that could replace peat is treble the price. There is also not enough alternative material available at the moment. ADHB knowledge transfer manager Wayne […]

Source: www.hortweek.com