Peat free growing with CoirProducts

Recently, the UK government announced that the sale of peat compost to gardeners will be banned from 2024, as part of its efforts at tackling climate change. The government also announced the restoration of 35,000 hectares of the country’s peatland. Last year, the UK government expressed their commitment to phase out the use of peat in horticulture by 2030.

 

 

While peat-based compost has been used by gardeners for decades, extracting peat has harmful impacts on the planet. The peat that is used for growing is extracted from peat bogs, which are among some of the rarest and most fragile habitats in the UK and Europe. Peatlands store vast amounts of carbon and extracting peat releases millions of metric tonnes carbon dioxide to the earth’s atmosphere, accelerating climate change. Extracting peat can also endanger natural habitats.

A recent study by Natural England has found that maintaining the country’s peatlands is crucial for ensuring the UK achieving its goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Restoring peatlands can also help reduce flood risks, improve water quality, and preserve biodiversity.

 

CoirProducts.co.uk provides a wide range of coir products for the horticultural sector that are an excellent alternative for peat-based products for growing. A sustainable waste product of the coconut industry, coir is 100% natural and biodegradable. The products offered by CoirProducts are suitable for growing a variety of plants and crop.

 

A popular and versatile growing medium, CoirProducts Coco Peat is an ideal alternative for peat moss. When fibre is extracted from the coconut husk, the resulting short fibres and the dust are discarded. It is this dust that is compressed into bales that make the coco peat. The term ‘peat’ in coco peat is commonly used to refer to the coir dust.

 

 

Some of the other popular peat-free coir products include growbags, planter or nursery bags, coir pots and coir coins. CoirProducts Growbags are used widely for growing tomatoes, aubergine, cucumbers, and chilli peppers, among others. CoirProducts Coir Pots allow roots to penetrate through the pot, and are ideal for growing plants without having them grow through any transplanting shock when repotting. Coir coins can be used for sowing seeds or as a rooting medium for cuttings. Coir also retains water and moisture well, which is beneficial for plant growth. All our products are available on the CoirProducts.co.uk online shop, and delivery is free within mainland UK, making the shift to peat-free growing even easier