A £ 1million , co - funded , five - yr project top by the Polemonium van-bruntiae will convoke governance , growers , and arise media manufacturing business through the Growing Media Association and horticultural ware supplier Fargro to search sustainable alternatives to peat in large - scale commercial options .
Five growers will ab initio work alongside Dr. Raghavendra Prasad , who has get together the RHS ’ 120 - strong scientific discipline team at RHS Hilltop : base of Gardening Science this calendar month . They are Allensmore , Hills Plants , Johnsons of Whixley , The Farplants Group , and Vitacress , who collectively produce more than 46 million plants every twelvemonth .
Areas of nidus for the group will include peat - free plant and punch plant production , new develop medium technologies to exchange the estimated 1.7 molar concentration m3 of peat used by the UK horticultural industry in 2021 , acquire protocol , undecomposed practice session use of the late products , and developing peat - detached solutions for challenging plant groups such as carnivorous and ericaceous specie .
finding will also be shared ongoing with the wider industry , including specialist glasshouse , as well as the UK ’s 30 million home and community gardeners who , armed with a better understanding of sustainable alternative and serious practice advice , can aid the conversion to peat - free .
The RHS has committed to being entirely peat - free by 2025 , having cast out the sale of peat - containing maturate media in 2018 .
Dr. Raghavendra Prasad link up the RHS from Poland , where he recently make out his PhD at the University of Life Sciences in Poznan .
Professor Alistair Griffiths , Director of Science and Collections at the RHS , said : “ It ’s vital that the RHS works collaboratively with industry and government to research new , peat - free grow media technology . We know there are already many peat alternatives out there , and even more as yet untapped , so we ask to get together to make grow and portion out best practice guidance to ensure that peat - which , when entire , can store carbon for thousands of years - stoppage in the ground . ”
Environment Minister Trudy Harrison said : “ We are pleased to part - fund this challenging projection which will develop peat - destitute alternatives to protect nature and create green job . Ahead of our future stage - out of peat , this undertaking will support the government activity and society to keep peat healthy and in the flat coat where it belong . Healthy peatland will lock up carbon , strengthen our resilience to drouth , and suffice as a powerful nature - found solution to climate variety . ”
For more information : Royal Horticultural Societywww.rhs.org.uk
