Is horticulture really still using polymer fertilisers?

When we go to collect or buy new plants, and lower them into the garden, hundreds of small polymer-coated prills fall out and remain for many decades, long after the plant has died or been replaced. Polymer has been used in growing plants for many decades now. This makes me wonder: at what point does sustainability come before profit or convenience?

If you haven’t spotted this yourself, you’re not looking hard enough. It’s a huge issue, and it’s hard to believe that horticulture hasn’t found a better alternative (it has of course). Is handling a beautiful plant enough of a distraction for us to accept plastic consumption on a gigantic scale worldwide? And more to the point, why are so many blind to these goings-on? I think I have the answer.

Horticulture is green, very green in fact, but for every great story, there are hidden secrets, some would prefer not to talk about. And changes in horticulture are slow. Changes anywhere are slow, given the goings on in todays crazy world. Decision-makers change, trends change, job titles change, and because of these changes, not enough gets done quickly enough. How long has it taken to remove peat extraction? It seems like forever, but why so long?

People looking for real change often have answers before critiquing what’s wrong, but those people are often not at the forefront of policy change. That’s often someone with less green fingers if you know what I mean.

So, can growers and horticulture perform better? Well, there are many sides to a story, and of course, commercialism and profits have to be sustainable too, and I get that, but we have better feeds available these days than polymer. It’s quite abhorrent that this is even a ‘thing,’ but do growers look? Do they talk to new enterprises? Or are they immersed in the drive for profit over sustainability?

Plants are at the forefront of gardening but can such a little innocent entity be at the centre of such controversy? If you are thinking about how to be more sustainable, what stops you from really making a change

About the Lawn Association: The Lawn Association is a leading educational platform dedicated to promoting sustainable lawn care practices and dispelling common misconceptions within the industry. Through advocacy and education, the association seeks to foster environmental stewardship among lawn enthusiasts across the United Kingdom

Go to the @LawnAssociation Facebook page to join the Lawn Enthusiasts Group, and get free association membership via the website, www.lawnassociation.org.uk