One of the problems of going ‘peat-free’ has always been the raising of seeds and cuttings. Gardeners all knew how to get the best results using peat, and there’s no denying that it is a really reliable and consistent growing medium.
In contrast, peat-free products tend to be variable in terms of their ingredients and consistency, and getting the same results as in peat can be hit and miss.
Last year I did my own little homespun peat-free trial on the blog, and got pretty good results. This year, there are two very pleasing big steps forward to report.
The first is that the company New Horizon has formulated the first specific peat-free seed and cutting compost that I’m aware of. I managed to pick up three bags at a garden centre last week.
And the second is that the Royal Horticultural Society has done some proper tests, which they report on in the February edition of The Garden magazine. In it, they show that coir-based composts are probably best for seed sowing, but are improved even further if vermiculite is added, one part to every eight parts of compost.
They also showed that coir-based or green waste-based composts, with one part in ten perlite added, make great cuttings composts.
With seed sowing season looming, here’s to us all having the most successful peat-free year yet.