Since the day we opened our shop in Monkstown in 2012, we have stocked peat free compost. It was never easy, as different producers struggled with consistency and quality. Time has moved on, and now there are several quality products to choose. We stock 100% peat free composts, but we do also stock peat-reduced composts. These are an interim product that contain a small amount of peat, but have the consistency and performance that is more in line with what customers are familiar with.
These days we sell almost as many indoor plants as outdoor plants, and all of our speciality indoor potting composts are 100% peat free, from cactus compost to orchid bark. Our indoor composts use coco coir as their base material, with additions of pine bark, activated carbon, perlite, grit, vermiculite, pumice etc, depending on the plants' needs. Alternatively, we sell New Leaf general indoor potting compost, which is a low nutrient version of their larger outdoor mult-purpose compost.
For outdoor plants, we sell New Leaf multi-purpose compost. It's a good general soil improver and potting mix, made from 100% compost organic material. We do feel that the addition of soil-based material makes it a better product. So, if potting up plants at home, add in a portion of garden soil of John-Innes potting compost (also available from us).
Peat free composts available from Howbert & Mays
- New Leaf multipurpose compost, 40L (Monkstown only)
- New Leaf houseplant compost 10L
- John Innes compost #3, 20L (Monkstown only)
- Coco coir
- Orchid compost
- Universal peat-free houseplant compost
- Cactus & succulent compost
- Specialist compost for Aroid, Alocasia, Ficus etc