SPUR Project

2010 winner (9 of 19)

Winter bedding growth trials to assess the performance of a range of peat diluents for growing media used in the horticultural industry

Supervisors: Mark Oxenbury, Dr Anne Coules (Horticulture)

The UK government target to reduce peat usage was set at 40% for 2005 and achieved that year. The new target has been set at 90% for 2010. Much of the peat reduction for soil improvers and growing media has been implemented in the retail sector of the horticultural industry with limited uptake from the commercial sector, this is due to the high level of confidence growers already have with sphagnum based growing media. This project seeks to provide quantitative data for use by commercial growers in reviewing their own current usage of growing media. As part of a recently agreed collaboration between William Sinclair Horticulture Ltd and Nottingham Trent University, the project will involve the student undertaking an eight week growing trial of 20 different growing media recipes, potting plants and providing the correct crop agronomy that would be expected in a commercial crop. The recipes will include composted green waste and the innovative trialling of five recipes of an ericaceous peat free growing media. The student will measure different parameters of successful growth, including through observations and lab analysis and will report findings.