RHS Peat-Free Workshops

A series of free workshops sharing insights from the RHS Transition to Peat-Free team and experts from across the industry

About the workshops

Welcome to the RHS peat-free workshops. Aimed at growers, these free workshops provide a forum to share knowledge and bring together industry experts to speak on various aspects of peat-free growing, along with insight from the RHS Transition to Peat-Free fellowship. These events are run by the RHS peat-free team in partnership with leading UK growers, growing media manufacturers and the Horticultural Trades Association.

Details of upcoming workshops will be published on this page. Resources from past workshops can be found here.

2025 Events

12 February RHS peat-free workshop
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Scotland



More to follow

Register for next workshop

Peat-Free Workshop | 12 February 2025 at RBGE

Now open for booking

Privacy notice: Your name and email will be used by the RHS to provide you with updates related to these events and the RHS Peat-Free Project. Your personal data provided for this event will not be used for any other purposes. It will be kept for the duration of the RHS Peat-Free Project, which is up to 6 years. Please read our full RHS Privacy Policy for more details on how we process personal data and how you can exercise your rights under the Data Protection Legislation.

Email us to book

The conference is free to attend. Please fill out the details in the pre-populated email to register.
Please note: this workshop is for growers only. Due to limited places, registrations will be vetted and any ineligible registrants advised of retraction of their booking.

Workshop agenda

12 February 2025 at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

09:00–09:30 Registration and refreshments

09:30–09:40 Introduction to the workshop – Prof. Alistair Griffiths

09:40–10:00 Introduction to the importance of peatlands and going peat-free – IUCN

10:00–10:40 RHS Peat-free Fellowship trials and findings – Dr. Raghavendra Prasad

10:40–11:15 Growing peat-free plants – Melcourt

11:15–11:30 Questions and break

11.30–12.30 ICL and Gavin McNaughton, Macplants

12.30–12.50 Stan Green, Growforth

12.50–13.00 Questions and wrap-up

13.00–14.00 Lunch

14.00–14.30 Transition to peat-free horticulture in Scotland

  • Scottish Government policy – Dr Rosalind McHugh, Peatland Policy, Scottish Government
  • ClimateXChange project: supporting transition to peat-free horticulture in Scotland – Dr Rosie Everett, SRUC, and Robyn Macdonald, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

14.30–14.50 Growing peat-free – National Trust for Scotland

14.50–15.30 Tour of RBGE, highlighting the range of plants grown peat-free

The RHS Transition to Peat-Free fellowship

Currently the largest peat-free research project globally, this five-year project led by the RHS convenes government, growers and growing media manufacturers to research sustainable alternatives to peat in large-scale commercial settings. The project is led by dedicated research fellow Dr Raghavendra Prasad. 

Areas of focus include peat-free plant production, new growing media technologies to replace peat, growing protocols, best practice use of the latest products, and developing peat-free solutions for challenging groups such as carnivorous and ericaceous plants. Onsite trials with UK growers are helping to inform peat-free approaches across a range of plant types, growing conditions and timescales within a commercial setting.

The following partners are supporting the project financially or in kind: Allensmore Nurseries, DEFRA, Fargro, Hillier Nurseries, Hills Plants, Johnsons Nurseries, The Farplants Group, Vitacress and Volmary.

The RHS peat-free team visits nurseries and growers to assist with peat-free trials


More about this project

Get a taste for what our events offer

Dr Raghavendra Prasad, RHS Peat-Free Fellow, says, “It’s truly remarkable to witness so many industry leaders and experts under one roof. Our events are a platform for growers, growing media manufacturers and stakeholders to exchange knowledge and stay abreast of cutting-edge developments around peat-free.

They’re a chance to forge connections, share experiences and collectively contribute to the sustainable transition to peat-free horticulture. Please come and join us at future events.’’

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