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Yesterday, the HTA and RHS collaborated to convey a peat-free workshop to the RHS Backyard Hyde Corridor. The free workshop supplied a discussion board for growers to share their information and introduced collectively business specialists to talk on numerous points of peat-free rising, together with perception from the RHS Transition to Peat-Free fellowship.
Matters lined analysis and growth of peat-free propagation supplies, vitamin for peat-free propagation, and insights from growers and researchers. Audio system included Stephen Godfrey of Jiffy, Harry Downes of Wyevale Nurseries, Dr Raghavendra Prasad of the RHS, and Steve Chapman of ICL.
In the course of the workshop, growers, rising media producers, and business friends mentioned the newest insights into these areas and the way they are often factored in to optimise peat-free propagation.
After lunch, the attendees additionally then had an opportunity to hitch a guided tour of WD Smith and Son Nurseries, Battlesbridge with Mike Smith.
Mike Smith, WD Smith and Son Nursery mentioned: “Decreasing and eliminating peat use in horticulture has been on the agenda for so long as I can keep in mind. We have participated in some extremely disappointing peat-free trials over time, the place poor-quality mixes produced very poor outcomes. Nonetheless, within the final 5 years, the standard and consistency of the peat-free rising media have dramatically improved. As soon as assured we couldn’t solely supply the fabric but additionally that it will run by means of our machines, we determined to maneuver our completed product to a peat-free combine. We’re about three years into the training curve and are nonetheless tweaking as wanted, however I’m usually very happy that the change has been profitable. This yr, we moved all our propagation, each seed-raised and unrooted cuttings, to peat-free mixes. This has gone properly, and with the ability to produce 100% peat-free merchandise is nice.”
Wayne Brough, Technical Horticulture Supervisor, HTA, mentioned:
“The HTA has at all times been dedicated to supporting its members of their transition in the direction of peat-free plant manufacturing, and right now’s workshop at RHS Hyde Corridor and WD Smith and Son (and the extra in-depth RHS Fellowship venture) emphasizes the significance of sharing information throughout the business. A lot of our members are conducting peat-free trials, very similar to WD Smith and Son, and the sharing of this info and knowledge with others within the business helps generate a collective information base, avoiding any pointless repetition of labor, minimizing the cycle of creating the identical errors and underpinning an knowledgeable coverage place, which is essential to a profitable transition. Alongside the RHS, we’ll proceed to offer workshops for our members, advocate for sustainable practices, and assist them by means of their peat-free journeys, guaranteeing a sustainable future for British environmental horticulture.”
Professor Alistair Griffiths, RHS Director of Science and Collections mentioned: “The RHS was happy to have partnered with the HTA for our newest grower’s workshop, discussing the optimization of plant propagation and institution in peat-free rising media. As a part of our peat-free marketing campaign, the RHS helps the business’s transition to peat-free horticulture. This transfer will assist preserve our treasured peatlands, which can positively impression nature and the local weather. We need to thank all of the audio system for sharing their information and serving to create a profitable occasion.”
All of the assets from this workshop and all earlier RHS peat-free occasions might be discovered right here.
For extra info:
Horticultural Trades Affiliation
www.the-hta.org.uk
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