The short answer: peat-free growing media are blends of coir, wood fibre, bark, green compost and mineral aggregates such as perlite, mixed so that the finished substrate holds air and water the way a peat mix does. No single ingredient replaces peat on its own. Coir is the usual base for water holding and rewetting, wood fibre and bark open the mix up, green compost adds nutrients and buffering, and the blend is tuned per crop. Peat is being phased out because peatlands are the largest land carbon store on earth and extraction releases that carbon; policy in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands is pushing professional growers toward low-peat or peat-free production by about 2030, even where legislation is still unfinished.
Key facts
- Peatlands cover about "3% of the world's land area" yet hold "at least 550 gigatonnes of carbon globally", "more than twice the carbon stored in all the world's forests" (IUCN UK Peatland Programme).
- In the UK, peat's share of professional growing media fell from 56% in 2021 to 21.8% in 2025; a third of growers are fully peat-free (HTA Growers Growing Media Usage Survey 2026, reported by HortiDaily).
- Growers estimate fully peat-free media cost "around 10% more overall", with individual businesses reporting 5–15% (same HTA survey).
- The surface of peat-free media "dries out more quickly than peat", and peat-free mixes usually run at higher EC and pH than peat (Bedding and Pot Plant Centre, AHDB-funded).
Why peat is being phased out
Peat forms over thousands of years in waterlogged bogs. The IUCN UK Peatland Programme puts global peatland at an estimated 4 million km², storing more carbon than all the world's forests. When a bog is drained and cut, the stored carbon oxidises: the same source attributes about 4% of annual human-caused emissions to the roughly 12% of global peatland that has been drained and degraded. In the UK, peat covers around 12% of the land area and an estimated 80% of it is degraded; the UK government's 2022 announcement stated that only about 13% of its peatlands remain in a near-natural state.
Horticulture is not the only user of peat, but it is a visible one. The UK government noted in 2022 that bagged retail growing media accounted for about 70% of peat sold in the UK, which is why retail was targeted first.
Where policy stands (verified as of late 2025)
Dates below are only those confirmed in the named sources. Check the current legal position before writing it into a contract.
| Country | What was announced | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | Retail sale of peat to amateur gardeners to be banned "by 2024"; professional sector to follow after a transition | UK government press release, 27 August 2022 | The 2024 deadline passed with no legislation. In October 2025 the government said it will "legislate a ban on the sale of peat and peat-containing products when Parliamentary time allows", repeated in the December 2025 Environmental Improvement Plan (Peat-free Partnership legislation timeline) |
| England, professional | In 2023 Defra indicated professional growers would have until 2026, with specialist uses (such as plug plants and mushrooms) until 2030 | Peat-free Partnership legislation timeline | Not legislated; the industry is treating 2030 as the working end date |
| Northern Ireland | Strategy published September 2025 with a 2030 deadline to phase out peat in horticulture | Peat-free Partnership legislation timeline | Strategy, not yet law |
| Germany | Peat Use Reduction Strategy (2022): eliminate peat in hobby gardening by 2026; reduce peat in professional horticulture "as far as possible by 2030" | Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, via Climate Change Laws of the World database | A strategy with reduction targets, not an outright ban. Industry's voluntary commitment (IVG) is a 70% peat reduction in hobby potting soils by 2030 (Klasmann-Deilmann interview, 2023) |
| Netherlands | Covenant on the Environmental Impact of Potting Soil and Substrates: 35% renewable raw materials in professional substrates and at least 60% in consumer potting soil by 2025; remaining peat to be 100% RPP-certified | Wageningen University & Research, reported November 2023 | Voluntary covenant between 14 parties including the agriculture ministry. The 2030 professional figure had not been agreed at the time of the report |
| EU | No EU-wide ban on horticultural peat. The Nature Restoration Law sets targets to restore drained agricultural peatland (30% by 2030, 40% by 2040, 50% by 2050), with part of each to be rewetted | European Parliament press release, February 2024 | Affects peatland use, not substrate sales directly |
The practical reading: the legal end dates have slipped, but the market has moved anyway. The RHS stopped selling peat-based bags in 2019 (UK government press release, 2022), and buyers increasingly ask for peat-free stock. The HTA survey found around a quarter of growers still could not say when they would supply all their markets peat-free, so the switch is a multi-year project, not a product swap.
The main peat-free ingredients compared
Figures for total porosity, air-filled porosity and bulk density below are from a Premier Tech Horticulture technical article (published on HortiDaily, 2014) and are typical values; real materials vary by source, grade and age. Qualitative points are from Barrett et al. (2016), the University of Kentucky extension factsheet on soilless media, the RHS and the AHDB Bedding and Pot Plant Centre.
| Ingredient | What it is | Typical physical data | Strengths | Limits | Usual role in a blend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coir (coco peat) | Pith and short fibre from coconut husk, mostly from India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Indonesia | Total porosity ~80%, water holding ~40% v/v, air-filled porosity ~13%, bulk density ~0.08 g/cm³ | Holds water well and rewets easily (peat, once dry, is hard to rewet); light; renewable by-product | Low nutrient content; holds nutrients less well than peat (lower CEC); raw material carries salts (potassium, sodium) and must be washed; shipped from the tropics | Base component, often 50–66% of the mix |
| Wood fibre | De-barked softwood chips (spruce, pine) extruded under heat and pressure; often impregnated with nitrogen | High total porosity and air holding; low available water; compresses over time | Light, renewable, consistent when processed; opens up the mix | Nitrogen drawdown (immobilisation) as microbes break it down; dries fast; slumps; competes with energy uses for wood | Aeration component, commonly 17–30%; rarely used alone |
| Bark (aged or composted) | Softwood bark from sawmills, stockpiled or composted for months to stabilise and drive off terpenes | Pine bark total porosity ~80%, air-filled porosity ~22%, bulk density ~0.2 g/cm³ | Very stable and porous; good drainage; adds buffering | Limited water holding; needs other components for water retention; variable unless screened; nutrient tie-up if not properly aged | Structure and drainage, 17–50% |
| Green compost (PAS 100) | Composted garden and park waste from municipal collections, certified to the UK PAS 100 standard or equivalent | High bulk density compared with peat; heavy to transport | Supplies most base nutrients except nitrogen; higher buffering capacity than peat; some disease suppression reported | High pH and EC; variable through the year; risk of herbicide residues and contaminants; biological instability if immature | Nutrient and buffering component, typically 10–33% |
| Perlite | Expanded volcanic glass | Total porosity ~75%, air-filled porosity ~30%, bulk density ~0.1 g/cm³, CEC ~3 meq/100 g | Sterile, inert, neutral pH, does not decompose | Holds little water; floats to the surface; no nutrients; mined and heat-expanded | Aeration, 10–20% in propagation and container mixes |
For a focused comparison of coir and peat as single materials, see our coir vs peat comparison.
Why blends, not single materials
Barrett et al. (2016) note that few of the alternatives "perform on a par with peat or are available in such abundance", and that wood fibre is "rarely used as a stand-alone growing media component because it retains insufficient plant available water". Green compost on its own is too dense, too alkaline and too salty for most crops; bark alone drains too freely. Coir comes closest to peat on its own, and many soft-fruit and vegetable growers do use 100% coir in grow bags and slabs, but for pot and bedding production a coir-based blend usually gives better plug integrity, buffering and cost.
The AHDB project CP138 (Mulholland, 2019, reproduced in a Teagasc presentation) tested nine peat-free mixes for hardy nursery stock on commercial nurseries and found all nine produced plants statistically similar in quality to the industry-standard peat mix. Six of the nine used coir as the main component. The recipes give a good sense of workable ratios:
| Mix | Coir | Bark | Green compost | Wood fibre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 66% | 17% | 17% | |
| 2 | 66% | 17% | 17% | |
| 3 | 66% | 17% | 17% | |
| 4 | 50% | 50% | ||
| 5 | 50% | 50% | ||
| 6 | 50% | 50% | ||
| 7 | 100% | |||
| 8 | 33% | 66% | ||
| 9 | 66% | 33% |
The same report noted variability between species (lavender, vinca, cistus, griselinia and viburnum were tested) and that irrigation practice differed between nurseries, which is a reminder that a recipe only works together with the right watering regime.
How growers adapt when they switch
The HTA's 2026 survey ranked the hardest parts of going peat-free, in order: nutrient and fertiliser management, cost and profitability, consistency of the media, and irrigation management. The practical adjustments below come from the AHDB-funded Bedding and Pot Plant Centre demonstration trials (2021–2022), RHS peat-free workshop summaries (2024) and the North Carolina State University wood substrates group.
Irrigation
- The surface lies. Peat-free media, and coir in particular, dry at the surface faster than the root zone. The Bedding and Pot Plant Centre reports that "the surface of peat-free media dries out more quickly than peat". Judging water need by surface colour, which works for peat, leads to overwatering in coir-based mixes. Weigh pots or use moisture probes instead.
- Little and often. The same trials found that watering in smaller, more frequent doses and letting the crop dry back between cycles "seems to work well".
- Rewetting is easier. Barrett et al. record that coir "has a high re-wetting capacity" while dried peat is hard to rewet, so a dry-back is less risky than in peat. Wood fibre and bark, on the other hand, shed water quickly, so high-fibre mixes need more frequent cycles.
Feeding and nitrogen
- Higher starting EC. Peat-free media usually carry more soluble salts than peat (from green compost and, if poorly washed, from coir). The Bedding and Pot Plant Centre recommends testing every new substrate and the irrigation water before use, and names antirrhinum, primula, Begonia rex and poinsettia as sensitive crops.
- Nitrogen drawdown in wood fibre. Fresh wood has a high carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, so soil microbes consume nitrogen as they colonise it, taking it away from the crop. The NC State group found no significant nitrogen tie-up in peat mixes with 30% or less coarse pine wood chips when fed 100–200 ppm N, and recommends that range for such blends. But in 100% wood substrates, chrysanthemums "required an additional 100 ppm N" compared with a peat-lite mix (Wright et al., 2008, cited by Owen, Jackson, Whipker and Fonteno, 2014). Fine, fresh or unprocessed wood fibre immobilises more than coarse, extruded, nitrogen-impregnated fibre. Ask the supplier whether the fibre is nitrogen-stabilised, and budget a higher N rate for mixes above about 30% wood.
- pH drifts upward. The Bedding and Pot Plant Centre reports that "pH in peat-free mixes can be higher than targets for traditional peat-based mixes (5.5 – 6.0)", with iron chlorosis as the usual symptom. Reduce or omit lime in the mix, and use acidifying feeds or iron chelate where needed.
- Coir's cation balance. Coir arrives with potassium and sodium on its exchange sites and little calcium or magnesium. In fertigated crops, calcium and magnesium in the feed are initially taken up by the fibre rather than the plant. Washing reduces soluble salts; buffering with calcium nitrate swaps the exchangeable cations. Which you need depends on the crop and the system. Our article on buffered vs unbuffered coco peat covers EC test methods and when buffering pays.
Mechanisation, storage and trials
- Peat-free blends run through potting machines, but moister media fill more slowly, so flow rates need adjusting to avoid under-filled pots (Bedding and Pot Plant Centre).
- Store media cool and dark and use them promptly; wood fibre and green compost continue to break down in the bag. Keep a sample of every batch for analysis.
- The RHS advises running peat-free trials against your standard mix as a control, replicated and randomised, testing the media at the start and end, and judging the result on saleability and cost rather than on growth alone.
Specifying coir for a peat-free mix
Because coir is the base of most peat-free blends, its quality sets the quality of the mix. Barrett et al. observe that coir, as a by-product "not produced specifically for horticultural applications", can vary widely in physical, chemical and biological properties, and that coir washed in saline water "can release phytotoxic levels of sodium and potassium during use". When you buy coco peat blocks for blending, ask for:
- EC with the test method stated (for example 1:1.5 volume extract or 1:5), and the washing process used. A number without a method cannot be compared between suppliers.
- Washed with fresh water, not seawater. Specify whether you want unbuffered (suitable for organic systems and for blending where compost or feed supplies calcium) or calcium-buffered coir.
- Particle grade and fibre content. Fine pith holds more water; a coarser grade with husk chips or fibre adds air, which can reduce the amount of wood fibre or perlite you need.
- Maturity. Aged coir is more stable than fresh pith (Barrett et al. cite an aging period as part of normal processing).
- Compression ratio and moisture content of the blocks, so you can calculate the loose volume per tonne for your mixing plant.
CVM supplies washed, unbuffered 5 kg coco peat blocks in standard and custom grades, and can prepare custom blends of pith, husk chips and fibre to a specified ratio. Our coco peat is washed with water to reduce EC and contains no calcium nitrate or other added chemicals. For nursery-specific guidance see our nurseries application page.
Costs and availability
Expect to pay more and to plan further ahead.
- Cost. UK growers surveyed by the HTA estimated fully peat-free media at "around 10% more overall" than peat-based media, with individual businesses reporting increases of 5–15%, and that figure excludes trials, staff training and changes to production. Average crop wastage stayed around 9% in the survey, but variability in wastage rose as peat use fell.
- Availability of wood. Barrett et al. and Klasmann-Deilmann both flag competition with the energy sector for wood residues. Klasmann-Deilmann reported using 800,000 m³ of alternative components in 2022 and called the assumption that renewables can be scaled without obstacles a political myth.
- Availability of coir. Barrett et al. cite an estimate of about 50 million tonnes of coconuts produced annually with 25% ending as waste coir (Nichols, 2013), so the raw material is plentiful, but washing, drying and compressing capacity is finite and shipping from South Asia to Europe takes weeks, so forward planning is normal.
- Green compost quality. PAS 100 certification sets a minimum, but feedstock changes with the seasons. Growers using compost (10–50% in published trials) should test every delivery for EC, pH and herbicide residue risk.
- Consistency. Both the HTA survey and the RHS workshops list batch-to-batch consistency as a main problem. Fix the specification (ingredients, ratios, EC method, pH range, fertiliser charge) in writing with the manufacturer.
FAQ
What is peat-free growing media made of?
Most professional peat-free media are blends of coir (coco peat), wood fibre, aged or composted bark and green compost, with perlite or other mineral aggregates added for air. Coir usually provides water holding and rewetting, wood fibre and bark provide air and drainage, and green compost supplies nutrients and buffering. The ratios are adjusted per crop and irrigation system.
Is peat banned in the UK?
Not yet by law. The UK government announced in August 2022 that retail sales of peat would end by 2024, and in 2023 indicated that professional use would follow by 2026 with exemptions to 2030. The 2024 deadline passed without legislation, and in late 2025 the government said it would legislate when parliamentary time allows. Most UK retailers and many growers have gone peat-free anyway.
Can coir replace peat completely?
For many crops, yes. Soft fruit and other fertigated crops are widely grown in 100% coir slabs and bags, and 100% coir was one of the mixes that produced marketable hardy nursery stock in UK trials. For bedding and pot plants, a coir-based blend with bark, wood fibre or compost is more common because it improves buffering, structure and cost.
Why does wood fibre cause nitrogen deficiency?
Fresh wood has far more carbon than nitrogen. As microbes colonise and break it down they take nitrogen from the substrate solution, leaving less for the crop. This is called nitrogen drawdown or immobilisation. It is worse with fine, fresh wood and milder with coarse, heat-extruded fibre that has been impregnated with nitrogen. Blends with 30% wood or less at normal feed rates show little effect; higher proportions need extra nitrogen.
Do I need to water peat-free media differently?
Yes. The surface of coir and wood-fibre mixes dries faster than the root zone, so pots can look dry while still wet below. Growers who water by eye tend to overwater. Weigh pots or use probes, water in smaller and more frequent doses, and allow a dry-back between cycles. Coir rewets easily, unlike dried peat, so a dry-back is lower risk.
Is peat-free growing media more expensive?
Usually. UK growers surveyed in 2026 estimated that fully peat-free media cost around 10% more overall, with individual businesses reporting 5 to 15% increases, not counting trials, training and production changes. Costs vary with the blend and with transport, since green compost is heavier per cubic metre than coir or wood fibre.
Should coir for peat-free blends be buffered?
Not necessarily. Washing with fresh water removes most soluble salts and is enough for many blends, especially where compost or the feed supplies calcium, and for organic systems that cannot use calcium nitrate. Buffered coir is chosen for salt-sensitive, fertigated crops in pure coir. Whichever you choose, insist on an EC figure with the test method stated.
What is the difference between peat-reduced and peat-free?
Peat-reduced media still contain peat, often 30 to 70%, diluted with coir, bark, wood fibre or compost. Peat-free media contain none. Many growers have moved in steps, first reducing peat and then removing it, because each step changes irrigation and feeding behaviour and is easier to manage gradually.
Whether you are trialling your first peat-free blend or need a consistent coir supply for an established peat-free line, contact us with your target ratios and EC requirements and we will quote the grade that fits.
Sources
- IUCN UK Peatland Programme: About peatlands (web page, accessed 2026)
- UK Government (Defra): Sale of horticultural peat to be banned in move to protect England's precious peatlands, press release (27 August 2022)
- Peat-free Partnership: Legislation timeline (web page, accessed 2026)
- German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture: Peat Use Reduction Strategy (2022), as summarised in the Climate Change Laws of the World database
- Klasmann-Deilmann: Turning point in the substrate industry, interview with Moritz Böcking (February 2023)
- Wageningen University & Research / HortiDaily: Parties around the table about the use of renewable raw materials for growing media in 2030 (November 2023)
- European Parliament: Nature restoration: Parliament adopts law to restore 20% of EU's land and sea, press release (February 2024)
- Horticultural Trades Association: Growers Growing Media Usage Survey 2026, as reported by HortiDaily, "UK growers continue to reduce peat levels in plant production" (August 2026)
- Barrett, G.E., Alexander, P.D., Robinson, J.S., Bragg, N.C.: Achieving environmentally sustainable growing media for soilless plant cultivation systems – A review, Scientia Horticulturae 212 (2016)
- Mulholland, B.: AHDB Project CP138 End of Project Report (2019), as reproduced in Teagasc, "Reducing and Replacing Peat in Irish Horticulture" (2021)
- Bedding and Pot Plant Centre (AHDB-funded): Management of peat-free growing media in bedding and pot plant propagation and production, HortNews (2022)
- Royal Horticultural Society: Workshop summary, practical management of peat-free growing media II, RHS Bridgewater (February 2024)
- Royal Horticultural Society: Peat alternatives (web page, accessed 2026)
- Owen, W.G., Jackson, B.E., Whipker, B.E., Fonteno, W.C.: Pine wood chips as an alternative to perlite: fertility requirements, Greenhouse Grower (July 2014)
- Jackson, B.E.: Challenges and considerations of using wood substrates: biological properties, Greenhouse Grower (December 2018)
- Surrage, V., Carlile, W.R.: Development and storage properties of a green compost-based peat-free growing medium, Acta Horticulturae 819 (2009)
- Premier Tech Horticulture / HortiDaily: The essential features of greenhouse growing media (November 2014)
- Ying, Q.: Selecting growing media for soilless systems, University of Kentucky Center for Crop Diversification (2025)