Who would have thought that the humble plant pot would attract so much attention? But in recent years it has. On the one hand there was a major European debate on whether pots should be considered as waste. Under European law it was considered that pots used for house plants were not to be classed as packaging but pots used for outdoor plants would be considered as waste. This would only be applicable to growers of turnover over £2m.
But there has also been attempts to provide more biodegradable alternatives as the demand for the industry to become more environmentally friendly increases.
It would be fair to say the industry was ahead of the game on this issue as biodegradable pots have been on the market for commercial sale for four years now. At first growers were sceptical, as much for the actual concept of the idea than for the increased price they would have to pay, but in the last few years things have changed.
The biodegradable Jiffy Pot has witnessed a 20 percent increase in sales for the last year, a result that is expected to be exceeded during 2007. The company has sold 15 million pots into the UK market, and 60 million in the US to supermarket giant Wal Mart alone.
Jiffy Pots are manufactured from high quality raw materials, consisting of a minimum of 50 percent sphagnum peat, wood fibre and lime to adjust the pH levels. It provides a combination of excellent root penetration, good drainage and aeration. There is also a peat free alternative now available.
“It has been a challenge trying to get growers interested but I think we have succeeded,” says sales manager Richard Stevenson, at Jiffy. “It is quite difficult to convince them to take on a trial, but once we do our conversion rate has been good because growers have come to realise the benefits of what we are offering - it isn’t just a pot.”
According to Stevenson, the pot not only offers the ‘biodegradable’ factor but key benefits just as labour saving, a reduction in production costs, a reduction in waste costs and also helps the crop develop faster due to the way it enhances the root structure. “So the initial cost of the pots might be more expensive but the overall savings to be made are very significant,” Stevenson continues.
The big challenge for Jiffy, and one that it has so far failed to crack in the UK, is getting the product into the supermarkets. “All the major multiples have been very reluctant to commit, which is disappointing,” says Stevenson. This is mainly due to them being concerned over the cleanliness of the product once it is on shelf and also the potential problem of shifting suppliers from those who currently do not take the product to those who do. “It will remain tough to convince them but you only need to look at the Wal Mart example to show that it can work in store,” he adds.
A Sainsbury’s spokesman told Commercial Grower that the supermarket would ‘consider’ the option of biodegradable pots in the future. It is already a large user of biodegradable packing for its food in store.
That position was echoed by Tesco, which considered it ‘a good idea.’
Developments for the Jiffy Pot include further work on the peat free option, extending the overall range to incorporate different sizes and also to gain Soil Association approval for the pots. This would help aid usage by organic growers who have showed a healthy interest in the product.
An alternative product on the market that is also proving a success is the Fertilpot from Fertil International.
Fertilpots are biodegradable wood fibre pots composed of 80 percent long wood fibres and 20 percent peat moss, and are manufactured without the use of glues or binders.
Because water, air, and the roots will penetrate the walls of the Fertilpot so easily, there is no need for drainage holes.The natural root structure that develops helps to ensure a successful transplant.
Fertilpot is excellent for native material that can often be sensitive to transplant, since the plant is never removed from the Fertilpot. The product has been proven very successful in the production of vegetables, wine grapes, as well as a range of annual and perennial crops.
Fertilpot is available in a wide range of sizes and configurations including strips, trays, and preloaded trays.
New to the Fertilpot family of products is the Dioni tray.This design promotes air flow around the Fertilpot, encouraging a pruning of the root tips emerging through the wall of the container.
In addition the materials are sourced within Europe and the company runs two hydroelectric generators at its factory supplying ‘green’ electricity for drying the pots.
”The pots form a superb growing environment for plant roots.When potting on, large savings in labour are possible as no de-potting is required, a process which can hold back a potting operation,” explained Fetil’s technical sales manager David Roderick. Automatic de-stacking is also easily achieved with the correct equipment.
The company’s latest additions to the range are the Fertilpack (pots ready loaded in trays) and Polyfertil (pots filled with substrate ready loaded in trays).Although in commercial operation, these products are in their early stages and are still being developed, according to Roderick. The company also offers a range of both round and square pots as Fertilpack and Polyfertil, some as standard, some by special request for which a costing will be supplied to a grower.
Despite the interest in biodegradable pots, the plastic version is still by far the most popular option.
One company at the forefront of new development is Desch Plantpak. It has added the option of the ‘Y’ style of ‘three level’ base drainage to the GRC range two and three litre container pots. These two sizes fit more per Danish shelf than other types of container pots, according to sales manager Chris Breed.
The two and three litre deep flat base rose pots (GDC2 and GDC4) have now joined the increasing selection of slotted pots it now offers. These include the ‘Y base’ containers (from one to five litre), the K range square (7, 8 and 9cm) and the thermo-formed one litre square/round pot.
Thermo-formed 10cm 5 degree, 10.5cm 8 degree, 11cm 5 degree sided pots plus a three litre ribbed container pot have been added to the Desch ranges.
In addition the company also now offers pot labelling. This method of bar coding a pot avoids origination and set-up charges.
Breed sees the main trends in the sector as continuing to be a focus towards label slots in container pots. “This is for lock-in labels and has been mainly driven by the sheds and supermarkets as they attempt to provide more information to their customers,” says Breed.
“Large garden centre groups are also asking for them now. Growers are also increasingly looking for improved base drainage systems,” he adds.
According to Breed, in the houseplant/bedding sector, the trend is towards lightweight thermo-formed pots as the need to reduce costs continues. Breed says different colours and printing on pots is still a niche but is a good way of distinguishing ranges. There is also a trend for trading up from 9cm to 10.5cm diameter for pot bedding, he says.
Elsewhere in the sector Soparco continues to add to its range. The new Duo series that is made from thermoformed polypropylene makes it possible to produce very good quality pots at a more economical price than injected pots. They are available in black, white and black-terracotta.
Sporaco also produces the popular A1 and A3 series as well as the OVITO range of products. It also sells specialist containers for growers such as the chrysanthemum containers.
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