October 2022
Welcome to our latest newsletter. As we move into Autumn the horticultural trade starts to plan, schedule and price new and current products for the coming season. Over the next few weeks we will be receiving information from all our manufacturers on product availability and prices. With this in mind and the likelihood we will see some significant price increases towards the end of the year it may be time to consider looking at your stock levels before any changes occur. We have detailed below some of the expected changes in the coming months.
Attached are our current price lists for immediate delivery orders. We will continue to update these lists over the coming weeks and months as new prices are issued from the manufacturers. Any orders placed for new year deliveries will be priced accordingly at the time of despatch.
Growing Media / Compost
We have reasonable stock levels across most products.
Clover – Have released new prices from October 1st. Some products are now reduced in price due to a temporary suspension of the fuel surcharges from hauliers. This cost is being absorbed by Clover until the end of the year, new prices will then be re-issued for January 2023 deliveries. There will be a new Peat-Free mix available later in the year that does not include green waste products. This will consist of Fybagro, bark and black soil, more details to follow.
Humax – We have been able to secure a final load of Humax Original (Peat-Based) Multipurpose 60ltr. This product has now been discontinued as the Humax range moves over totally to Peat-Free. Once this stock has been sold there will be no more. Those of you who have been Humax Original devotees, we would advise that you order this product ASAP. The Humax Peat-Free range continues to be the premier product among all peat-free composts. As these composts do not use green waste in their manufacture they are unfortunately more pricey due to the quality ingredients used. As there is currently high demand for coir and wood fibre products throughout the industry and beyond including Biomass we can only expect an increase in prices in the near future. We will keep you posted on any developments with Humax pricing and availability as we get them.
Green Leaf / Bloom & Gro – As yet no new season prices have been confirmed, this information will be passed on as soon as we receive the details. We have good stocks of Bloom & Gro and Bloom’n Magic multipurpose mixes available. Green Leaf are in the process of formulating new peat-free growing media to complement their already popular Organic Peat-Free product. More details on this will be available later in the year.
Gro-well – We have issued a pre-season price on both Gro-well Multipurpose and Gro-well Planters, reducing the cost until the end of the year. New prices will be issued for January 2023.
As I’m sure many of you will have seen recently in the press the proposal of a peat ban for retail horticultural products has been approved for 2024. The finer details of this ban have yet to be ironed out by the government and with other more concerning issues taking priority over the coming weeks it could be towards the end of the year before we finally get to see a picture of how the ban will work and be enforced. There are still issues to be addressed around the use of peat for commercial purposes, the impact on growth and yield of food crops and the continuity, supply and costs of viable alternatives for growers. There is also the question of how to police a ban that may only affect England & Wales as the governments of Northern Ireland and Scotland currently have no plans to implement an outright ban. We will keep you informed of the legislation and rulings that will affect us all as we receive the details. We will continue to maintain supply of peat-based growing media from Clover, Green Leaf and ICL for as long as possible and these products are available to all who wish to use them until advised otherwise.
Pelleted Chicken Fertiliser
We have received another trailer of Early Bird pelleted chicken fertiliser in from Holland in the last month. We now have sufficient stock available to take us through towards the end of the year. We do expect there to be increases in price later this year on future stock as again this product is being used in Biomass energy production, which will put a strain on availability and increase prices. We would advise that if this product is important to you that you look to top up stock while we have product available and before any surprise price shocks. Unfortunately due to shortage of raw material we have been unable to obtain any of the Vitax 6x pelleted chicken fertiliser range since early in the year. This situation looks likely to continue and we cannot promise a return of this product for the foreseeable.
Fertilisers
We have received new stock of fertilisers from Thomas Elliott in the last fortnight in order to maintain current prices for as long as possible. We do expect there to be some price increases across the range in the coming months as most fertilisers are very energy intensive in production and as gas and electricity prices are set to increase, this will inevitably lead to higher product prices later in the year.
Bamboo Canes
We have spoken to our importers to arrange our next shipment of bamboo canes from China. We expect to take delivery early – mid November. As yet no prices have been confirmed but we may be faced with substantial increases on last year’s prices due to the current uncertainty in the exchange rates between the pound and US dollar. Bamboo products and shipping costs from China are all quoted at the outset in US dollars. If you wish to take advantage of the last few bales of 8ft canes we have left over we offering a discount on these to clear (see details attached).
Spear & Jackson Products
We are now stocking a range of Spear & Jackson tools and gloves. With products known for quality and performance, Spear & Jackson have an enviable reputation within the horticultural industry. Our range offers spades, forks, hoe’s, rakes and hand tools from the Elements range. Featuring carbon steel heads and lacquered ash handles they are a firm favourite of the grow your own enthusiast. The range of gloves offered are also of high quality and perfect for all types of gardening jobs. Along with hand sprayers, secateurs and shears we hope these will be popular products with our customers and we hope to expand the range further throughout the year.
New year information and prices on all our products will start to arrive with us in the coming weeks. As yet we have no confirmed figures from suppliers on future pricing but can only assume that with increases in fuel alone over the last 6 months plus higher energy costs, we are bound to see some price adjustments going forward on all products.
We have recently sent out our seed potato details for 2023. Please remember it is essential to pre-order your stock before the end of November. We have already started to receive orders in from customers keen to guarantee their required varieties. As stated in our seed potato price list we only have limited quantities of each variety available so please order ASAP to make sure you secure your requirement. Closing date for orders, 30th November 2022.
Please keep an eye on your emails for further information and pricing updates throughout the rest of this the year. If you have any queries or questions on products, pricing and stock availability please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss.
Kind regards
Andrew, David, James & Darren
