Yesterday , the HTA and RHS collaborated to bring a peat - complimentary shop to the RHS Garden Hyde Hall . The free workshop render a forum for growers to portion out their knowledge and bring together industry experts to speak on various aspects of peat - innocent growing , along with brainwave from the RHS Transition to Peat - liberal fellowship .
issue cover research and maturation of peat - free propagation materials , nutrition for peat - devoid propagation , and penetration from agriculturalist and researchers . Speakers included Stephen Godfrey of Jiffy , Harry Downes of Wyevale Nurseries , Dr Raghavendra Prasad of the RHS , and Steve Chapman of ICL .
During the workshop , grower , growing media manufacturers , and industry peers hash out the latest insights into these areas and how they can be factored in to optimise peat - free propagation .
After lunch , the attender also then had a prospect to get together a guided tour of WD Smith and Son Nurseries , Battlesbridge with Mike Smith .
Mike Smith , WD Smith and Son Nursery say : " Reducing and eliminate peat use in horticulture has been on the agenda for as long as I can think . We ’ve take part in some extremely disappointing peat - free trials over the years , where misfortunate - quality mixes produced very pathetic results . Still , in the last five twelvemonth , the character and body of the peat - free growing medium have dramatically improve . Once confident we could not only source the material but also that it would run through our machine , we decided to move our finished product to a peat - spare mix . We are about three years into the eruditeness bender and are still fine-tune as needed , but I am by and large very pleased that the switch has been successful . This year , we moved all our propagation , both seed - recruit and unrooted cut , to peat - free mixes . This has gone well , and being able to produce 100 % peat - complimentary ware is great . "
Wayne Brough , Technical Horticulture Manager , HTA , said :
" The HTA has always been committed to supporting its member in their conversion towards peat - spare plant product , and today ’s workshop at RHS Hyde Hall and WD Smith and Son ( and the more in - depth RHS Fellowship project ) emphasizes the grandness of divvy up noesis across the industry . Many of our member are carry peat - free test , much like WD Smith and Son , and the sharing of this selective information and data with others in the industry is helping engender a collective knowledge stem , keep off any unnecessary repeating of work , minimizing the cycle of spend a penny the same mistakes and underpinning an informed insurance position , which is important to a successful conversion . Alongside the RHS , we will continue to bring home the bacon workshop for our members , urge for sustainable practices , and bear out them through their peat - liberal journeying , ensuring a sustainable future for British environmental gardening . "
Professor Alistair Griffiths , RHS Director of Science and Collections suppose : " The RHS was proud of to have partnered with the HTA for our latest cultivator ’s workshop , discussing the optimisation of works propagation and organisation in peat - free growing spiritualist . As part of our peat - free political campaign , the RHS supports the industry ’s modulation to peat - free horticulture . This move will help conserve our precious peatlands , which will positively impact nature and the mood . We want to thank all the speakers for sharing their cognition and helping create a successful event . "
All the resources from this shop and all previous RHS peat - free events can be foundhere .
For more info : Horticultural sell Associationwww.the-hta.org.uk
