“Peat replacement is a big issue”

Dear Christian Günther, a responsible approach and sustainability are key themes that are shaping spoga+gafa 2024. To what extent does your company occupy itself with these aspects or which further topics are of special importance for you?

Peat substitutes are a major theme that has accompanied us and our industry colleagues for several years. The political requirements namely foresee that peat is no longer used in soils for the specialised trade from 2026 onwards. This requirement is now being further reinforced by the trade: Large wholesaler and food chains have set themselves the goal of not offering any products that contain peat by 2025. This not only applies for soils, but also for potted plants. For us and our customers in the horticultural trade this means that products have to be manufactured that are cultivated in peat-free soils. Overall the development is moving in the direction that peat is to really only be implemented in emergency situations, even though there are not any complete alternatives yet.

What consequences will this have?

Peat is a very simple raw material: One added limestone to alter the pH value and added fertiliser. But as soon as I start replacing peat, whether it be with clay, wood fibres, compost, bark humus or coconut - I start changing the simplicity of the components and have to combine two, three or more components with each other. Every single raw material has certain positive and less positive characteristics. Our task as manufacturers is to combine the raw materials in the right proportions and with the right characteristics. The same applies for the fertilisers that we add to produce a usable soil.

Do you consider the interest and demand of the consumers merely from an environmental point of view or because it is necessary?

I think there are several sides to it. On the one hand there are customers, who are selectively looking for peat-free products and know what they are talking about - they come to the garden centre with a clear idea. But there are also a lot of customers, for whom peat-free soil is not an important issue. The specialised trade is more our contact partner on this theme and we are also already drawing their attention to the topic. We explain the situation and hold training courses – after all it is also a sales argument if you can claim to be peat-free today. Hence, many dealers are already offering peat-reduced and peat-free substrates nowadays. There are hardly any classic, pure peat substrates on the market today.

Can you predict the development over the coming years? How are you preparing for this?

Due to the change-over to peat-free soils the demand for the individual components will increase strongly. But these will also be in high demand in other branches of industry too. This competition will of course also have an influence on the prices and on the availability. For example, compost is not only used in the agricultural sector as fertiliser, but also in biogas plants to produce energy. The same applies for wood fibres, which are used both in our production and for the production of pellets.

What does that imply for your products?

The product organisation is also affected by this development. We now require more diversified mixing plants and more storage space, because we have to stock several raw materials. At the same time, the availability of raw materials like bark humus depends strongly on how many trees are felled and occurrences such as bark beetle infestations. In times of high pest infestation, there is not enough bark, which further complicates the organisation of the production. Although alternative raw materials like nettle straw, hemp straw or miscanthus exist, these are currently not a sufficient option for the entire industry. According to a survey by the IVG, only around ten percent of the nine million cubic metres of substrate produced annually can be replaced by other raw materials. The complete replacement of peat is presently not possible technically speaking, because not enough alternative raw materials are available.

Which new products have you introduced to your line-up and what is special about them?

We have launched a new product for the indoor sector onto the market: A peat-free indoor plant soil without organic fertiliser and which doesn't contain compost. This soil is more stable in terms of fungus gnats, which compost tends to attract. Furthermore, we offer a completely peat-free natural soil in our product range that is exclusively organically fertilised. A further new product is a top layer material as an alternative to mulch that reduces water evaporating from the ground.

Does a trade fair like spoga+gafa help you master the current challenges?

On the one hand, the trade fair is very good for grooming existing contacts and presenting new products. On the other hand, the networking is important to establish contacts to other suppliers or visitors from abroad. For instance, at the last spoga+gafa I spoke to several suppliers that offer interesting components or raw materials or who are interested in our products. Particularly this networking, these personal discussions at trade fairs are very valuable and achieve much more than an e-mail or a telephone call. It enables the customers to explain conswhat they need more precisely. As such, trade fairs like spoga+gafa are of extreme importance to us.