Dümmen Orange supplies 100% peat-free rooted poinsettia young plants

Last season saw breeder and propagator Dümmen Orange switch to a new, improved version of the Targa Tray for rooting poinsettia young plants. Young plants from the Targa Tray were already top quality, but the new version has yet another advantage: the substrate used in them is 100% peat-free. The young plants supplied are, therefore, highly sustainable and enable low-peat and even peat-free production along the supply chain – and to the highest quality standards.

The entire range of 53 varieties is already supplied as peat-free young plants. "As we have had very good results from the Targa Tray and the peat-free substrate, we have decided to switch over our entire range and deliver all young plants in peat-free substrate," product manager Ties Klapwijk explains.

Dümmen Orange has been testing the cultivation traits of its varieties in various substrates for many years. The new varieties were selected for easy cultivation and suitability for growing in low-peat and peat-free substrates. The Noblesse and Imperial varieties produced particularly good results. They performed extremely well in peat-free substrate, delivering an outstanding finished product that fully meets both retailers' and consumers' requirements.

The fact that criteria such as sustainability and reducing peat use are playing an increasingly prominent role in horticulture is also confirmed by the number of trials going on in this area. The Versuchscentrum Gartenbau in Straelen (Germany) recently published its results on growing Euphorbia pulcherrima in peat-free substrates. This research institute for horticulture concluded that this form of cultivation can reduce water usage by around one-third. "We were once again able to demonstrate that good plant quality can be achieved in peat-free substrates. […] In general, therefore, it is possible to save water when producing peat-free poinsettias. The plants stay more compact and require fewer plant growth regulators." (Peter Tiede-Arlt | Versuchscentrum Gartenbau Straelen, Cologne-Auweiler)