This document (prEN 17733:2025) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 223 “Soil improvers and growing media”, the secretariat of which is held by NEN.

This document will supersede CEN/TS 17733:2022.

prEN 17733:2025 includes the following significant technical changes with respect to CEN/TS 17733:2022:

— The title has been revised;

— Redundant information has been removed from the Introduction;

— An applicability statement has been included in the Scope;

— Clause 2, Normative references, has been updated;

— The ISO and IEC terminology databases have been removed from Clause 3, Terms and definitions;

— Requirements for sampling and sample preparation for microbiological analyses have been added to Clause 4, Sampling and sample preparation.

This document has been prepared under a Standardization Request addressed to CEN by the European Commission and the European Free Trade Association.

Introduction

Different product functions warrant different product safety, quality and quantity requirements adapted to their different intended uses. EU fertilizing products have therefore been divided into different product function categories (PFCs), which are subject to specific safety, quality and quantity requirements as specified in the Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 [1].

An EU fertilizing product consists solely of component materials complying with the requirements for one or more of the component material categories (CMCs), as specified in the Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 [1].

1.0 Scope

This document specifies references to methods for sampling of soil improvers and growing media and sample preparation of soil improvers and growing media for subsequent determination of quality and quantity.

This document is applicable to the fertilizing product blends where a blend is a mix of two or more fertilising products belonging to the categories of fertilizers, liming material, soil improvers, growing media, inhibitors and plant biostimulants, and where soil improvers and/or growing media are the components with the highest percentage in the blend by mass or volume, or in the case of products in liquid form by dry mass. If the soil improvers and/or growing media are not the components with the highest percentage in the blend, the European Standard relevant to the component with the highest percentage in the blend applies. In case a blend is composed of fertilising products mixed in equal quantities, the user of the standard decides which standard to apply.

NOTE A soil improver or a growing medium consists of a single bulky (volume-building) component or a mix of bulky (volume-building) components (for example peat, wood fibres, coconut coir, compost, expanded perlite).

2.0 Normative references

The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.

EN 12579:2024, Soil improvers and growing media — Sampling

prEN 13040-1:2025, Soil improvers and growing media — Sample preparation — Part 1: Sample preparation for chemical and physical tests, determination of dry matter content, moisture content and laboratory bulk density

prEN 13040-2:2025, Soil improvers and growing media — Sample preparation — Part 2: Sample preparation for microbiological examination

prEN 17732:2025, Soil improvers and growing media — Terminology

3.0 Terms and definitions

For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in prEN 17732:2025 apply.

ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:

— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp/

— IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/

4.0 Sampling and sample preparation

4.1 Sampling

Samples taken for quality and quantity control purposes shall taken as described in EN 12579:2024. EN 12579:2024 specifies methods for sampling soil improvers and growing media for subsequent determination of specific quality criteria and quantity. It outlines the principles to be taken into consideration when taking the sample and ensuring an adequate quantity is available for testing. EN 12579:2024 applies to material in solid form, including pre-shaped growing media, and liquid form. For microbiological examinations, five segment samples shall be taken as described in EN 12579:2024.

4.1.1 Sample preparation

Sample preparation shall be carried out in accordance with prEN 13040-1:2025 in case of chemical and physical tests, determination of dry matter content, moisture content and laboratory bulk density. Sample preparation shall be carried out in accordance with prEN 13040‑2:2025 in case of microbiological examination.

Bibliography

[1] Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2019 laying down rules on the making available on the market of EU fertilising products and amending Regulations (EC) No 1069/2009 and (EC) No 1107/2009 and repealing Regulation (EC) No 2003/2003