Beyond Peat

Grower’s Perspectives on peat use in professional horticulture – Teagasc would like your opinion.

We welcome you to take part in this survey as part of the Teagasc project Beyond Peat (funded by DAFM) on peat-alternative growth media, by clicking the link below:

SURVEY LINK

It is being circulated amongst key sectors of commercial horticultural producers (Ornamental Plants, HNS, Fruit, Vegetables, Mushrooms) and other growth media users in Ireland.

Your feedback as professional growers is crucial not only to understand what specific properties of growth media are important for individual production systems/crops, but also offers an opportunity for you to highlight what opportunities and impacts you envisage for your business in the potential absence of peat-based growth media and also to collate your experiences to date with peat reduced and peat free growth media.

Project background and objectives

‘Beyond Peat’ will assess current, available alternative growth and casing materials across five key sub-sectors of horticulture while also developing advanced growth media utilising new technologies to transform organic wastes into materials with favourable physical characteristics for plant and mushroom performance.

Peat has become an essential component in the production of plants and mushrooms in professional horticulture, due to its favourable physical, chemical and biological characteristics.

However there is a pressing need to evaluate and develop alternatives which have a favourable environmental profile while also maintaining crop yield and quality.

To underpin the materials assessed and developed, life cycle assessments of the proposed peat alternatives will be conducted to ensure they have the necessary favourable environmental characteristics.

Independent assessment of the agronomic and economic implications of alternative growing and casing materials will inform national policy while supporting the professional horticultural sector transition from peat, where achievable in a sustainable manner.

Email: Michael.Gaffney@Teagasc.ie, Eoghan.corbett@teagasc.ie