Using the Diffusion of Innovations Theory to Explore U.S. Horticultural Industry Stakeholders’ Adoption of Alternative Substrates

Peat is commonly used in container substrates; however, concerns about reliance on imported products, inconsistent availability, and environmental sustainability are increasing growers’ interest in transitioning to alternative soilless substrates. Several studies have explored growers’ perceptions of alternative material use in greenhouse and nursery settings, but less is known about how stakeholders in the horticultural industry evaluate the adoption of peat-alternative substrates. Therefore, this study used the five perceived innovation attributes of Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory to examine horticultural industry stakeholders’ considerations related to peat-alternative substrate adoption in the U.S. Three focus groups involving 35 horticultural industry stakeholders, including specialty crop growers, research scientists, crop consultants, and professionals in other horticultural industry roles, were conducted in Ohio and Florida. The focus group data were first analyzed inductively to identify themes, then analyzed deductively through DOI’s five perceived innovation attributes: relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability. Findings indicated participants frequently discussed compatibility and complexity concerns, while relative advantage reflected considerations of substrate performance, economic viability, environmental sustainability, and supply reliability. Relative advantages were discussed predominantly positively, whereas complexity was discussed predominantly negatively. Trialability and observability were described as potentially reducing uncertainty through small-scale testing, demonstration trials, and observing others’ successful adoption. Overall, the findings suggest that economic feasibility, compatibility with existing production systems, and opportunities to observe and test peat alternatives were important considerations among participants and may inform future extension, applied research, and industry efforts related to peat-alternative substrate adoption.