“ Trial peat - free substrates as presently as you may , ” Hendrik Out urges other raiser . “ I believe peat - free and peat - subjugate are the future . ”
Trailblazers since the beginningHendrik is speak after trialing peat - free Jiffy Substrates for Hebe supplement at his family - owned Out Nursery in Holland . Part of the Addenda Group , Out rise more than a million Hebes , Buddleias , and other shrubs every year . Now in its third generation , the nursery was an other adopter of non - chemical fertilizers and plant protective covering product .
Hendrik realized peat - free was the natural next footprint after he take about move to phase out peat in the UK and Germany . While horticulturalists have take up the challenge to switch to renewables , nurseries have tended to fall behind behind . Not Hendrik : In 2020 , he contacted Dennis Colpa , his long - fourth dimension Jiffy Account Manager , to get the ball pluck at Out . He wanted to find out : Would peat - free piece of work for shrubs ?
take peat - gratuitous outdoors“It was good to listen that Jiffy ’s peat - free mixes were compatible with our machines and that their Innovation Team was continually working to ameliorate water - holding , ” articulate Hendrik . “ But I did n’t foresee the truly challenging circumstances we would front in 2022 ! ”
Out run a successful indoor test on 10,000 Hebes in 2021 , but everyone know that the existent trial for peat - free would be the field Hebes . So Hendrik and Dennis took the trial outdoors this class . It turned out to be the hottest , driest summer on record .
Hendrik used four different Hebe varieties in the outdoor peat - free trial . He make up one’s mind to place them among the plant growing in a conventional mix and give them on the button the same treatment . Because Hebes are a notoriously thirsty crop , they were all irrigated twice a day as usual , but Out ’s fields can not be swamp as they are at some other nurseries .
The 2022 resultsHendrik monitored the peat - free people carefully , taking photograph of the suppurate plant life and their roots throughout the grow process . Once again , the final results for all the varieties were excellent . “ The peat - barren works all passed the examination in terms of leaf color , crop - cycle length , flowering , and plant volume , ” confirm Hendrik . “ In fact , our client did n’t notice any divergence . ”
During the trials , Hendrik and his agronomist noted that the peat - free plants needed additional attention from time to meter . The substrate ’s lower EC levels meant buffering capacities were reduced , and higher pH floor jam accession to some nutrient – spirit level rose from 5.5 to 6.5 and even 7 .
Working side - by - side with Jiffy“We on a regular basis tested the peat - free substratum and draw - off water system so we could forestall issues from arise , ” says Hendrik . “ Dennis stayed decently on top of the bod and was involve throughout . In fact , he proactively visited the baby’s room four or five times during the trials . ”
“ Jiffy and I have always worked together as partners . I have a go at it I can reach out to Dennis if I have question and any trouble are resolved fast . We ’re already babble about how to get better buffering next meter . ”
Luckily , the composition of all Jiffy Substrates – including peat - free – can be optimized for a all-embracing mixture of crop . Out ’s next test is plan for 2023 , but it wo n’t involve Hebes . “ We ’ve proved that we can grow those peat - free , ” state Hendrik proudly . “ Buddleias are up next . ”
Experience peat - free substrate now“To anyone nervous about renewables , I would say , experience peat - gratuitous or peat - keep down substrate for tree nurseries now , before the conclusion is taken out of your hand . Find out how your crop responds in unlike weather condition conditions , on your undersoil , and everything else that makes your nursery singular . Prove to yourself that peat - barren can return large outcome . ”
For more data : Jiffy Products International+31(0)78 2062200[email protected]www.jiffygroup.com
