Soil Health, Plant Food & Profit: The Future of Plant Nutrition with Grass Gains & Empathy - Glee 2025

About this episode

The episode discusses advancements in plant nutrition and soil health, featuring insights from industry experts on peat-free products and marketing strategies.

The science of plant nutrition is moving fast, and it is reshaping everything from peat-free compost to profit margins on the shop floor. In this Glee 2025 special, Phil and Kate sit down with Steve Harper , MD of Grass Gains and Chair of the Responsible Sourcing Scheme , and then with Simon Taylor and Helen Thomas from Empathy, Plantworks , to explore what comes next for lawn care, plant feeds and bio-fertilisers in garden retail. Steve explains how Grass Gains is bringing professional-grade lawn products and a new peat-free specific plant food, Bloom, into the consumer market, why excess potassium is sabotaging plant performance in peat-free, and how challenger brands can use social media and TikTok lives to build demand and push back against “blocked out” categories on the shelves. Simon and Helen then lift the lid on Empathy’s latest bio-fertilisers and plant-specific feeds, from RootGrow to the new Green Room houseplant range, all designed with soil biology and peat-free compost in mind. They share how mycorrhizal fungi and beneficial bacteria are moving from agriculture into home gardening, how their virtual advice assistant Emily uses AI to support staff and consumers, and…

People in this episode

Hosts: Phil, Kate

Guests: Steve Harper, Simon Taylor, Helen Thomas

Topics covered

• plant nutrition
• soil health
• peat-free compost
• bio-fertilisers
• lawn care
• consumer market
• social media marketing

Keywords

• plant nutrition
• soil health
• peat-free
• bio-fertilisers
• lawn care
• Grass Gains
• Empathy
• social media
• consumer market

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Grass Gains, Responsible Sourcing Scheme, Empathy, Plantworks

Products: Bloom, RootGrow, Green Room houseplant range

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