How Green Nursery lets its peat-free plants do the talking

Key points

• One-stop-shop for top-quality plants.
• Smooth transition – 30% peat reduced (2022) to peat-free (2025)
• Improved nutrition package – delivering fast establishment & compact plants.
• Supplies Chelsea Flower Show top designers.

Husband and wife team, Simon and Cas Sutcliffe, are the second generation to run How Green Nursery, at Edenbridge in Kent, – a one-stop-plant shop for premium quality plants for designers, landscapers, professional gardeners and historic gardens from Cornwall to Scotland.

Producing a broad range of quality herbaceous perennials and ornamental grasses in-house, the nursery primarily trades with other UK nurseries to offer a diverse portfolio. Growing to high specifications, the nursery has worked with Chelsea Flower Show’s exacting designers for some 14 years and has four signed up for 2025.

Peat-free – the right thing to do

Following an organised visit to a growing media manufacturer’s Scottish peat bog some 10 years ago, Simon began exploring peat-free options. “We strongly believed it was the right thing to do, rather than just being seen to be doing the right thing,” he says.

“We took delivery of our first Levington Advance Sustain peat-free mix during the first Pandemic lockdown in 2020, at that time we were 30-40% peat-reduced and had worked with ICL for many years. Up till then, we’d had little success growing in the peat-free mixes we’d tried from other growing media manufacturers.

“Immediately impressed by its lightweight and feel, its performance was equally good.  The following summer we carried out a wide-ranging herbaceous trials, including Delphiniums, Rudbeckia, Geraniums, Lupins and Euphorbia. The Sustain worked really well, even with more problematic species. In a short space of time, this gave us the confidence to change our production – by 2025 we aim to be over 95% peat-free.”

Minimal losses

“The plant quality is great, and losses are minimal. Plants overwintered outside are performing better than ever, due to improved drainage.

In spring and summer, How Green relies on a single peat-free mix – 35% Fibagro Advance, 40% coir and 25% bark mix.  The winter mix is more open, with less coir and more Fibagro Advance.

“Not all woodfibre is created equal,” says ICL’s Technical Area Sales Manager, Steve Chapman. “Fine fluffy woodfibre products tend to slump in the pot.  ICL’s thermodynamic process, to produce our professional grade Fibagro Advance range, creates split-end fibres that improve the water and nutrient holding capacity of the growing media.”

In addition to base fertiliser and Micromax Premium (trace element package), to help compensate for any N-drawdown from the wood-based products, How Green’s mixes contain Osmoform High N.

“We’ve increased the rate of this 8-10 week slow-release N fertiliser to help boost establishment,” says Steve. “This takes into account the Osmocote Exact High-K controlled release fertiliser – which promotes quality flowering, compact growth and good leaf colour over an 8-9month period.

“This nutrition package is delivering fast establishment, so plants are saleable quicker,” says Simon. “With a 5-acre site, space is a premium. We grow pot thick and want fast rooting and slower top growth. We’re getting the same number of leaves and flowers, but shorter internodes and less apical dominance – helping reduce maintenance and aftercare. We’re always on the lookout for ways to simplify production, Osmocote High K has also reduced supplementary feeding.”

According to Simon, it’s been a smooth transition from potting to dispatch. “Our two new mixes work well with our potting machine, flowing through with ease and we’re not seeing any additional wear or tear.

“Up till now, when we’ve had issues, we’ve found it wasn’t due to the Sustain but to the plug quality. Relying on a single mix, with Hellebores – which are a very hungry crop – Steve helped tweak the extra nutrition and the crop has been the best ever.

Solutions for the future

“I feel ICL is looking out for the industry, working towards solutions for the future. In 2025 we’re going to trial Vitalnova TriBoost with more challenging species. It fits our ethos that prevention is better than cure.

“Steve’s strong growing background is extremely useful, and his advice is valuable. Growers can become stuck in their ways. It’s useful to have outside input, someone questioning why you are doing something a certain way.

“I’m always keen to get out and talk to other peat-free growers. Events such as ICL’s Hort Science Live 2024 have been instructive. Viewing trials is important and gives us confidence.  It’s taken us over 15 years to get to this point, and the next 3-4 years will be crucial.”

Steve Chapman, ICL (left) & Simon Sutcliffe, How Green (right)