Every year on December 5, World Soil Day gives growers a moment to slow down and think about the foundation of everything we do.
Whether you work in greenhouses, high tunnels, containers, vertical farms or home gardens, soil health shapes your success more than almost anything else. The United Nations created the observance to spark more awareness about how soil functions and why it needs care.
For growers, this day is really an invitation to look beneath the surface and think about how the choices you make in substrates, inputs and growing systems impact both your crops and the natural resources around you.
At Jiffy, we see this day as an opportunity to talk openly with growers about what we are doing to support more sustainable and resource-smart growing.
Why Soil Day Matters in Real Growing Environments
If you grow professionally, you already know soil is alive. It holds water, moves nutrients around, supports microbial activity and stores carbon. When it is healthy, plants respond. When it is stressed or depleted, everything becomes harder.
It can take a millennium for 2 to 3 centimeters of soil to form, but sustainable soil management has the potential to raise food output by up to 58 percent. That increase matters as agriculture prepares for a 60 percent jump in global food demand by 2050.
The UN also highlights several pressures on soil, including erosion, compaction, pollution and loss of organic matter. Most growers have seen at least one of these challenges firsthand, whether in greenhouse floors, outdoor beds or surrounding landscapes.
World Soil Day is a chance to think about how improvements in growing systems, substrate choices and raw materials can help lighten the load on soil. Even when you grow in controlled environments, the materials you choose still connect back to larger soil ecosystems.
How Jiffy Solutions Support Growers and Soil Health
Growers often tell us they want consistent performance without losing sight of sustainability. That balance has shaped the development of products like the Jiffy Growbag.
Growbags have become a staple in crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, berries, cannabis and ornamentals. They help growers:
- Maintain predictable moisture and air levels.
- Improve root performance.
- Work around local soils that may be saline, compacted or low in organic matter.
- Produce high-value crops even where field soil conditions are difficult.
They give growers control, and that reduces pressure on native soils by shifting production to a managed substrate environment. Retailers and distributors also appreciate how easy the Growbags are to store, stack and ship.
Looking Forward: Reducing Peat Use and Expanding New Raw Materials
Peat has served growers well for decades because of its structure and stability. At the same time, the entire industry is moving toward a more diverse mix of raw materials. Growers ask about this at nearly every trade show we attend, and the interest is real. Jiffy has been expanding its raw material portfolio so growers have options that support strong results while relying less on peat. A new development we are especially excited about is the Jiffy Gel.
Jiffy Gel
Jiffy Gel introduces a very different, revolutionary approach that growers are already testing across propagation systems. The Gel is plant-based and arrives dry. Once hydrated, it becomes a clean, stable rooting environment.
Growers appreciate that it is lightweight, tidy and easy to store. Distributors and retailers like that it ships without added moisture. It opens the door to new propagation methods while leaning on renewable inputs.
These kinds of materials help diversify the industry and give growers more flexibility as sustainability standards grow stronger each year.
Jiffy’s Broader Sustainability Work
World Soil Day also reminds us that sustainability is bigger than any one product. Jiffy’s latest commitments are outlined in the 2024 Sustainability Report, which details new actions across sourcing, manufacturing, carbon footprint reduction and partnerships with environmental organizations.
A few ongoing efforts include:
- 94% of Jiffy’s European peat bogs are now RPP certified, and 89% of all peat used in Europe came from RPP-certified sources last year. In Canada, 77% of peat used was Veriflora certified, up from 21% the year before.
- Jiffy is expanding peat-free options, including plugs made with up to 100% sustainable raw materials and carrying a 35% lower carbon footprint than traditional mixes.
- Packaging materials now use higher recycled content. Jiffy Growbags, for example, contain 40% recycled plastic, and several components have transitioned to renewable or biodegradable materials.
We know growers care about these efforts because you tell us so during product trials, distributor meetings and events. Soil health is a shared responsibility, and we want our products to help you grow successfully while respecting the ecosystems that support us all.
A Soil Day Message For Growers Everywhere
Whether you grow at large scale or in smaller specialty operations, your work influences soil systems directly or indirectly. Every substrate choice, irrigation adjustment and propagation decision plays a role in how efficiently resources are used. World Soil Day is a reminder that growers have always been stewards of the land. The entire team at Jiffy is grateful to be part of your work and to support growing practices that protect soil health today and in the future. On December 5, we invite you to take a moment to think about the soil that makes every harvest possible. Jiffy will continue developing solutions that help you grow strong, consistent crops while supporting a more sustainable relationship with the natural world.
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!