When it comes to growing healthy, productive plants, not all potting mix is created equal. A great potting soil does more than just fill a container; it creates the ideal environment for roots to thrive. At Gammans, we’ve been making potting mix in Tauranga since the 1970s, and over the decades, we’ve learned exactly what it takes to craft a blend that gets results.
The Key Ingredient: Hauraki Spagnum Peat Moss
At the heart of our mix is screened Hauraki spagnum peat moss, sourced just 98km away from the Hauraki Plains in Ngatea. This locally harvested peat is prized for its excellent moisture and nutrient retention, making vital elements readily available to plants. It encourages strong root development and supports healthier, more vigorous growth.
As Kerry Gamman says, “Peat moss is the pinnacle of a great potting media.” Its unique structure holds water naturally while maintaining air-filled porosity, creating the ideal environment for root health. Peat also retains and releases nutrients effectively for consistent plant uptake. With a naturally low pH that’s easily adjusted using lime, it offers adjustable pH control across a wide range of plant species.
More Than Just Peat: The Ideal Potting Mix Blend
A high-quality potting mix is all about balance. At Gammans, we blend our mix using:
- Hauraki peat for its unique ability to make moisture and nutrients readily available for plants
- Nitrogen-stabilised composted bark fines, which provide drainage, added air filled porosity, natural trace elements and support plant health
- Screened and washed pumice to ensure excellent drainage and aeration
- Top-tier slow-release fertiliser that feeds plants gradually over time and helps reduce nutrient loss
The result is a growing environment that balances airflow, moisture, and nutrition, giving your plants a healthy and robust media to thrive in.
We don’t just make one blend either. We can custom blend over 200 different mixes with varying ratios of bark fines, peat, pumice and nutrients to suit the needs of your plants – whether that’s vegetables, citrus, trees and shrubs, growing on lines, ornamentals, natives and the like.
We invite you to try our trusted, locally made potting soil. Bulk potting mix is available by delivery, sling bags or by trailer load (with complimentary trailer hire), and for smaller garden projects, we also offer convenient potting mix bags.
Our potting mix has been the growing medium generations of gardeners and nurseries have relied on for decades. At Gammans, we’re proud to have supplied premium potting mix to Tauranga and the wider region for over 50 years. As a family owned and operated business, we’re always happy to share guidance and help you find the right mix for your garden. Come in for a chat, we look forward to seeing you!