Wyeplants advances its peat-free production

One of the UK’s leading climber producers, with a focus on 9cm production, Lincolnshire-based Wyeplants is forging ahead and transitioning away from peat-based growing media.  With production already 60% peat-reduced, the production team has been trialling Levington Advance Sustain peat-free mixes across its ranges – with the aim of completing the transition to peat free as soon as possible.

“With the goal posts regarding phasing out peat constantly moving, we need to be ready,” says Wyeplants technical manager – Mark Yates. “Transitioning to peat-free creates challenges along the way.  We’ve mitigated the risk by transitionally gradually to 60% peat-reduced and, following recent trials, by 2025 more than 50% of production will be peat-free.”

Wyeplants evolution

Having carved out a niche as an early pioneer of pre-pack clematis, Wyeplants has grown into a leading specialist climbing plants nursery.  Simultaneously, it has expanded and diversified into fuchsias, shrubs, perennials and, more recently, an impressive array of pre-pack soft fruit varieties.

Established by Dennis James in Spalding, the business started out producing houseplants and bedding in a one-acre glasshouse. When son David joined, he switched to growing nursery stock – plants better suited to the limited facilities. Wyeplants built its reputation on its 9cm pre-pack clematis, sold through supermarkets, before developing a 9cm tripod version for garden centres.  To this day the company supplies many leading UK supermarkets and garden centre groups.

With grandson Chris James at the helm – in addition to its Spalding production site at Mallard Road and main propagation site at Marsh Road – the company has expanded, purchasing Blackjack Nurseries, at Boston, and VP Nurseries, at Spalding.  With an area totalling 10ha, these busy sites produce an impressive 5million units a year.

Peat-reduced mixes

“Our transition to peat-reduced started some 12-15 years ago when supermarkets started to ask about it,” recalls Mark.  “Around the same time, wet weather caused a bad peat harvest leading to industry shortages. ICL offered us a peat-reduced mix, containing bark and woodfibre, and we saw some positive attributes.”

The Levington Advance 60% peat-reduced mix contains a fine grade peat together with pine bark and Fibagro Advance fine woodfibre. The shrubs and perennials mix contains a higher percentage of pine bark and 50% of the peat is a 6-12mm grade.  To create a more open structure for the larger pots, this mix also contains a coarser pine bark and buffered coir.  For the shrubs, perennials and larger pots, the mixes contain Osmocote 5 (8-9month longevity).

“Most of our crops are grown under protection with a low rate of controlled release fertiliser (CRF), supplemented by fertigation products from the Universol range – which can be controlled as needed,” says Mark. “With ICL’s 20-30% peat-reduced mixes, we saw very little difference in crop management. At the 50-60% level it required some adjustments to the watering and, with peat-free, adjustments are needed in the recipes and crop management.”

Embracing peat-free  

“Across all our ranges we’re growing a proportion in Levington Advance Sustain peat-free,” says Blackjack’s grower manager – Aaron Howells.  “Fuchsias is a core line, we grow 1.3 million units in a 9cm starter plant format, as well as hanging baskets.

“The pots are grown on sand beds and hand watered with lances, with drippers in the hanging baskets.  With peat-free, pots can look dry on the surface, yet be wet underneath, which makes watering a little more challenging.  We follow a little and often watering regime – if you overdo it then the problems can start.  Peat is a little more forgiving in relation to watering – peat-free requires more grower expertise. In general, I’d say you need more monitoring and reactivity to what is happening.

“In our peat-free production we’re seeing less liverwort, weeds and moss – which some years can be challenging,” says Aaron. “Sometimes we’re also seeing better rooting.  We’re still learning, we very much want to make it work and a little part of me is enjoying the challenge.”

“We’ve developed three bespoke Levington Advance Sustain peat-free mixes for Wyeplants,” explains ICL technical area sales manager, Carl Mason. “The Fuchsia mix contains buffered coir, Fibagro Advance Fine and 0-8mm pine bark, while the mixes for the large pots and climbers also contain a 5-12mm pine bark, to open up the structure.

“Working closely with Mark and Aaron we’ve developed mixes that perform well for the crops they are growing and the growing systems in place.  To aid water management, the mixes contain H2Gro liquid. Together with a base fertiliser, the recipes include Osmoform High N, which releases Nitrogen over an 8-10 week period. This helps compensate for any Nitrogen lockup by the wood-based products.  The recipes include Micromax Premium, to provide all the vital trace elements and, for the longer-term crops we include Osmocote 5 CRF – with 8-9month longevity.”

Delivering what we want

With so much going on at this busy nursery, Mark admits that trial peat-free beds can get lost within the site.  “We generally treat everything the same,” he says.  “Our plants are perfectly happy grown in peat-free – Levington Advance Sustain is delivering what we expect and want.  Our products are going out of the door when we want them to – and are not coming back. The major challenges we’re having this season have been weather-related.

“Supermarkets are very cost-conscious. This can cause conflict, as peat-free potentially costs more.  Transitioning gradually to 60% peat-reduced, and now to peat-free, has helped us to absorb the cost over several years.  We’ve made big advances becoming 60% peat-reduced, with a view to taking it further next season.”