For professional growers, choosing a growing medium involves more than selecting a product. It needs to suit the crop, work with the irrigation system, deliver consistent quality, and be available when needed. As the horticultural sector explores alternatives to peat moss, growers need confidence that peat-free growing media can meet the demands of their production systems.
Norwegian horticulture distributor LOG AS set out to find such an alternative. Through its partnership with Jiffy, LOG has introduced peat-free Jiffy Growbags to tomato, cucumber, and strawberry growers across Norway.
Helge-Morten Eikeskog, who works in sales at LOG, shares the company’s experience. After four years of collaboration, he reports positive customer feedback and an increase in the area cultivated with Jiffy Growbags.
A Norwegian partner with roots in horticulture
LOG supplies professional growers throughout Norway, including greenhouse vegetable producers, berry growers, and flower growers. Its product range covers growing media, seeds, fertilizers, plant protection products, packaging, and other essential supplies. Local sales representatives support customers across the country's main growing regions.
Founded in 1929 as a cooperative of growers, LOG has a long history of working closely with the horticultural sector. That background continues to shape its approach today: helping growers find solutions suited to their crops and growing conditions.
LOG and Jiffy began working closely together four years ago. Eikeskog explains: “We wanted to offer growers a peat-free alternative that fits their crops and production systems. Consistent quality and reliable supply were important parts of that decision.”
Why look beyond peat?
Peat has long been valued in horticulture for its water-holding properties and predictable performance. Harvested from peatlands and peat bogs, peat moss is a common ingredient in traditional growing media and potting soil. Finding alternatives, however, requires careful consideration of how different materials behave.
Peat-free growing media can offer suitable options for certain crops, but replacing peat is not simply a matter of swapping one raw material for another. Different substrates retain water and air differently, and growers may need to adapt their irrigation and fertilization practices.
The Norwegian research institute NIBIO reports that growing media with partial or complete peat replacement can support several crops, including strawberries grown in plastic tunnels. Results vary by crop, and irrigation and fertilization must be adapted to the growing medium.
For LOG, the priority was a peat-free option that growers could assess against their own requirements for consistent quality, reliable supply, and crop performance.
Getting to know Jiffy Growbags
Jiffy Growbags are peat-free growing bags made with coconut coir, a material derived from coconut husks. Coir is increasingly used as an alternative to peat in professional horticulture, offering growers another option when selecting growing media for their crops.
The composition of a coir growbag matters. Coir pith helps retain water, while coarser coconut husk chips create additional air space and support drainage. The right balance depends on the crop, irrigation strategy, and growing conditions.
Jiffy offers different blends of coir pith and husk chips, along with two preparation options. Finesse contains pre-washed and buffered coir, while Essence is supplied untreated for growers who prefer to manage preparation themselves. Different bag formats and configurations are also available to suit various cultivation systems.
This flexibility helps growers and their advisers identify a specification that fits their production needs rather than treating every coir growbag as interchangeable.
For LOG, the product itself is only part of the equation. “For us, it matters that Jiffy has control over its own production processes. Together with the close contact between our teams, that gives us confidence in the growbags we supply to our customers.”
What LOG and its growers have experienced
Eikeskog reports positive results with Jiffy Growbags in cucumber, tomato, and strawberry production. Growers particularly appreciate consistent product quality, reliable growing conditions, and good crop results. The availability of a peat-free alternative backed by dependable supply is another important consideration.
“The feedback from our cucumber, tomato, and strawberry growers has been positive. They value consistent quality and good crop results, and we have seen more hectares being cultivated with Jiffy Growbags over time.”
Eikeskog reports increasing adoption, repeat demand, and positive feedback from customers. These experiences point to growing confidence in Jiffy Growbags among the growers using them.
What should growers consider before changing growbags?
Every growing operation has its own requirements. Before switching to peat-free coir growbags, growers should consider the crop, the characteristics of their current growing medium, their irrigation and drainage systems, and any preparation required before planting.
“Changing growing media is not just about choosing a different bag. You need to look at the crop, irrigation, and growing conditions together. Our role is to help growers find a suitable option and assess it in their own production,” says Eikeskog.
This is where the partnership between LOG and Jiffy adds value. LOG understands its customers and the Norwegian growing market, while Jiffy brings expertise in growing media and product development. Working together, the teams can help growers identify suitable options and evaluate how they perform in practice.
Other Jiffy grower stories highlight similar considerations. In the Netherlands, tomato grower Varekamp de Zeeuw, for example, discusses oxygen availability, water behavior, and consistency when selecting growbags. Although every operation is different, these factors illustrate why choosing the right growing medium involves looking beyond the product alone.
Building on trust, quality, and cooperation
Asked to describe LOG’s partnership with Jiffy in three words, Eikeskog chooses trust, quality, and cooperation.
After four years of working together, trust comes naturally. Quality is important to both companies, particularly when it comes to providing growers with reliable, consistent products. And cooperation is what keeps the partnership going: staying in touch, sharing experiences, and finding the right solutions for customers.
Looking ahead, LOG hopes to reach more greenhouse tomato and cucumber growers, while also expanding its work in strawberry production. Just as importantly, the company wants to keep supporting the growers it already works with.
For Norwegian growers considering peat-free growing media, the partnership offers local knowledge and practical advice, backed by Jiffy's range of growing solutions. Together, they can help growers find a growbag that suits their crop and growing conditions.
As interest in peat-free alternatives continues to grow, LOG and Jiffy will keep building on their partnership, learning from growers and sharing solutions that work in practice.
Let’s work together
Jiffy is a leading global supplier of premium growing media and solution thinking. We aim to serve you, our customers in plant propagation and cultivation, to achieve better results with fewer worries. We do this by continually improving, innovating, and working toward our common goals, based on scientific research, teamwork, and decades of experience. Let’s develop sustainable plant growing solutions together: Let’s start today!