25 april 2022
RHP, the knowledge centre for substrates, is organising a webinar (in Dutch) on May 31th about the facts and fables of potting soil and growing media. The webinar starts at 14:00 CET and is intended for growers, their culture specialists and sales persons and sales and purchasing employees of trading companies. If the Dutch version is a success, an international (English) version may follow later.
Growers and their sales persons are more often being asked about the specifications of their substrate, with the main interest in the peat percentage of the mixture. More and more retailers are making demands of this, with a number of retailers even having the ambition to no longer have peat on the shelf. Not in the pots of the plants they sell and not in the bags of consumer potting soil and garden soil. There is a perception that peat extraction releases a lot of CO2 and that nature reserves are affected. Experts of RHP explain this topic in a webinar. The development and use of renewable materials in potting soil and growing media are also discussed. With this information, growers and sales and purchasing employees can better have the conversation with their customers about this theme.
“Without potting soil, no plant. It's as simple as that,” says Raymond Hedges, the new director of RHP. “Our sector is already working extensively with renewable materials, ranging from coir to compost. In noticed that there is still a lot of ignorance in the chain about potting soil and substrates. Growers and their sales persons are increasingly getting questions about the percentage of peat in the pot. Retailers prefer to be supplied with peat-free products.” It’s not as easy as it sounds. According to Hedges, the time has come to put an end to the existing ignorance. “End customers are going to ask for peat-free products. We must answer that question. And sometimes we have to explain that peat-free isn’t possible, just as we also have to explain that more and more peat is harvested responsibly. Retailers look at the CO2 footprint of plants, including that of potting soil and growing media. The sector needs to educate itself quickly, before making unrealistic or unachievable demands.”
The webinar (in Dutch) is specifically intended for Dutch growers, their culture specialists and sales persons and sales and purchasing employees of trading companies and will take place on May 31th. You can register here. Shortly before the webinar you will receive the link by e-mail.
