Why being peat-free matters
Peat has always been much used for horticulture for its ability to retain water and nutrients, but the extraction of peat from the earth has taken its toll.
Peat bogs are very much the little know heroes of nature. Peat bogs act as a carbon store, so when the peat is extracted and breaks down in our gardens it releases CO2 which would have been locked up for tens of thousands of years. Peat bogs are also a fantastic habitat for wildlife, they play an active role in water management, and even preserve extremely well, making amazing finds for archaeologists!
The problem is that peat bog mass is being extracted at 60 times faster than it’s being laid down… Which makes it an unsustainable resource.
Dobies home grown plants are 100% peat-free
“We’ve switched to a 100% peat-free compost in our own nursery in Devon and are proud to be one of the first commercial growers to have achieved this milestone. This means that next year we’ll be growing close to 1 million plants in peat-free compost.”
“In addition, we’ve also worked closely with our growing partners to remove peat from all our value and garden ready flower plug plants.”
“So, this year 95% of the compost used to grow our plants will be peat-free and we’re talking to our partners to remove that final 5% as soon as possible.”
David Robinson,
Managing Director, Dobies.
How you can make a difference
You can help by buying peat-free compost for use in your own garden or allotment, and by encouraging retailers and the Government in their efforts to phase out the use of peat in gardening products. The best place to start is with our Grochar seed compost. Grochar was inspired by 2000 -year old Amazonian Indians who used charred plant matter to enrich their soil! This compost is 100% peat free so a great way to instantly positively impact the environment and not compromise on quality. To give you a helping hand, we’ve discounted our peat-free compost by 5% as a thank you for doing your bit. Click here to find out more.