The Hort2theFuture consortium continues to take important steps towards a more resource-efficient horticultural sector across Europe. As part of this work, new trials have been launched in south-eastern Spain to test innovative peat-free and peat-reduced growing media.
Led by RHP, Pindstrup and the Polytechnic University in Cartagena (UPCT), the trials explore fibre-based growing bags for sweet pepper production and loose substrates for lettuce transplants. RHP developed growing media test blends combining Pindstrup’s wood fibre with a wide range of renewable and alternative materials sourced from partners across Europe, including bark, compost, sphagnum moss, acrotelm, biochar, and miscanthus.
The sweet pepper trials are being conducted in UPCT’s greenhouses in Cartagena, a region characterised by high temperatures, strong light, and intensive fertigation. These conditions provide an ideal testing environment for assessing the test substrate blend’s performance. Structural stability is particularly important for long-cycle crops such as sweet peppers, while uniform moisture distribution and rapid root development are key requirements for lettuce transplants.
Results from these trials will contribute to Hort2theFuture’s objective of delivering evidence-based guidance to growers, researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders. Similar trials are under way in other regions of Europe, and the best-performing blends will be further validated with commercial growers under practical production conditions.
The Hort2theFuture consortium is testing new peat-free and peat-reduced growing media to support more resource-efficient horticulture across Europe. New trials in south-eastern Spain focus on fibre-based growing bags for sweet peppers and loose substrates for lettuce transplants.