Potting mix pioneer dies at 88

Boodley, along with Cornell University colleague Raymond Sheldrake, developed the Cornell Peat-Lite Mixes – which came to be known simply as Cornell Mix – that transformed the greenhouse industry in the 1960s.

 

The pair based their soilless mixes on peat moss and perlite and/or vermiculite combined in various proportions with limestone, fertilizer and other ingredients to match the needs of different greenhouse crops. From poinsettias to potted bulbs and orchids to tomato transplants, these lightweight artificial soils provided good drainage, were free of weed seeds and reduced disease problems for growers.

 

“Cornell Mix revolutionized the industry by providing a uniform and consistent soilless substrate that made plant care and handling much easier,” says Neil Mattson, associate professor and greenhouse specialist in the Horticulture Section of Cornell’s School of Integrative Plant Science. “The Peat-Lite recipes formed the basis for modern potting mixes that are still widely used by the commercial greenhouse industry and consumers today.”