Why More Growers Are Moving Away from Peat — and How Van der Knaap Is Getting It Right
Why More Growers Are Moving Away from Peat — and How Van der Knaap Is Getting It Right
The shift away from peat isn’t coming “one day soon”. It’s already happening.
What began as a retail-led push has now reached commercial horticulture. More nurseries, professional growers and garden centres are actively reassessing what they grow in, and asking the same question: what really works once peat is off the table?
For most, the concern isn’t ideology. It’s performance. Peat has set a high bar over decades, and replacing it with something that behaves consistently, scales commercially and delivers crop quality isn’t trivial.
That’s where Van der Knaap fits in. At Creation Horticulture, we supply their full range of 100% peat-free professional growing media; substrates developed specifically for real-world production, not just good intentions. Years of research, trials and commercial use sit behind every mix, giving growers a genuine alternative without compromise.
Why peat-free is gaining traction
Peat has earned its reputation. It’s uniform, predictable and forgiving, which is why it’s been relied on across so many crops for so long.
The issue is how it’s obtained.
In the UK, much peat comes from lowland bogs — slow-forming ecosystems that take centuries to develop. These landscapes store vast amounts of carbon, regulate water and support rare plant and animal life. Once drained and harvested, they don’t recover on any meaningful timescale.
That reality is driving change. Retail pressure, policy direction and grower responsibility are all pulling in the same direction, making peat-free less of a future ambition and more of a present requirement.
A more measured approach
Van der Knaap is a family-run Dutch business that’s worked alongside professional growers for over four decades. Their approach is refreshingly straightforward: sustainability only matters if the crop still performs.
Their peat-free substrates are built around three fundamentals:
-
Performance comes first – every mix is trialled both in-house and under commercial growing conditions
-
Innovation with evidence behind it – developed and tested at their own R&D centre, de Kas, in the Netherlands
-
Practical sustainability – using renewable materials such as premium coco and certified peat alternatives, without sacrificing structure or consistency
These aren’t generic blends with a green badge attached. They’re engineered substrates, designed to behave predictably across a season and at scale.
The mixes we stock
We currently carry three peat-free Van der Knaap mixes, all supplied in 70L bags and pallet-ready for trade use:
Peat-FREE Propagation Mix
A fine, even structure with strong moisture retention, ideal for trays, plugs and small pots. It holds water without becoming heavy and drains cleanly, helping young plants establish quickly and evenly.
Peat-FREE Potting & Bedding Mix
A flexible, easy-to-handle option suited to bedding crops, flowering lines and retail pots. It resists compaction while maintaining structure throughout the growing cycle — a reliable choice for crops heading to garden centres.
Peat-FREE Nursery Stock Mix
Designed for longer-term container production, this mix offers excellent air space and durability. It’s well suited to shrubs, perennials and woody plants that need dependable drainage and support over time.
All three are fully peat-free, trade-focused and developed with commercial reliability in mind.
Evolution, not experimentation
Many growers have already tried peat-free and been disappointed. Early alternatives often fell short: inconsistent batches, poor moisture behaviour or mixes that simply didn’t hold up in volume production.
Van der Knaap’s substrates reflect how far things have come. These mixes have been refined through repeated commercial trials in the UK and across Europe, and they’re already delivering strong results; quicker rooting, stable growth and crops that finish well.
This isn’t a leap of faith. It’s a practical step forward.
Let’s talk
Whether you’re looking to trial a few crops or plan a wider transition, we’re happy to help you work through the options.
-
Speak to our sales team
If peat-free is on your radar, now’s the time to look at solutions that genuinely perform.
Share