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Looks like it is one part peat to two parts garden soil.

 

I have no idea why people would want to use peat as a mulch: it contains no nutrients, and once dry is almost impossible to rewet.

 

Can't see where it says that, the garden centre I got the image from doesn't have an image of the back of the bag.

Wouldn't use it as a mulch, but I am interested in adding some to a compost mix.

 

That image is the back of an identical bag to the one you pictured. Top right it says one part peat, two parts garden soil, but rereading it, maybe they mean you should mix the contents of the bag with topsoil for use in planters.

 

I use own compost, Coir, Perlite & feed, It works for me.
I do understand some may not have enough space for a compost bin.

 

You'll have to excuse my old dim eyes, I can just about make it out. The front of the bag says it's peat, no mention of soil, do you think it's meant as a suggested 'recipe' for window boxes. Just a thought, otherwise it's deceiving buyers.

 

Ah, @Jenny_Aster, I just reread it and edited my post. I think they mean you to mix it with topsoil, rather than use it neat out of the bag.

 

Yes, that's what I used to use, but last year was a disaster, I could hardly get anything to germinate and put it down to a PH imbalance. But it could have been a bad year and nothing to do with coir. My garden is just starting it's 3rd summer, so composting isn't yet bountiful. I do buy coir though, my worms love it.

 

You used to be able to buy a base fertiliser to add to peat bales to turn them into potting compost. It contains no fertiliser and is pretty acidic in the raw state.

I think the suggestion of adding it to soil is to use it as a soil improver, which was pretty standard practice years ago when it was cheap.

 

Yes I remember those, used to buy them, one for seeds and one for transplanting. It was much cheeper to buy these packets and a bale of peat than bags of potting compost.

 

Peat is no longer used for burning to make electricity in Ireland, @Alisa . I don't know about the rest of the world.

As for harvesting peat here to sell to the UK, this seems very unlikely - perhaps the bags of Irish peat currently being sold are from previously-harvested stock. In 2021 the Irish Horticultural Peat Industry wrote: "The current legal position is that horticultural peat harvesting requires planning permission and a licence from the Environmental Protection Agency. No company in the sector (including Bord na Mona) has planning permission for the harvesting of horticultural peat and would be operating outside the law if they continued to do so." And though the government has back-tracked on this, and allowed peat extraction on a temporary basis until 2026 (because of the impact on the mushroom-growing industry and on rural employment), the peat is "for the Irish market and for production".

Last summer, once harvested peat stocks here had run out, peat was shipped in from Sri Lanka and Latvia, which is worse than digging it here, I reckon.

However, I agree with @Punkdoc that insisting on the use of peat in compost for amateur gardeners, to support our hobby, is unsustainable. After all, many seeds can be raised outdoors in a seed bed, in normal soil, just as our dads always did, and just as we do with many vegetables. And surely we can sieve big bits out of lumpy peat-free compost, and accept that we have to take a bit more care with watering...

 

Correct. The last watt of peat-fired electricity will be generated this weekend as the Edenderry power plant finally stops stripping bogs for fuel, that was December 2023.

Era of peat-fired electricity ends as Edenderry power plant switches fully to burning biomass | Irish Independent

However, peat burning is still a source of heat and they estimated that 1 in 7 households in Ireland was cutting peat to burn.

‘Like an oilwell in your back yard’: Irish people turn to cutting peat to save on energy bills | Ireland | The Guardian

As for harvesting peat in N' Ireland, the Irish government released a working paper to address challenges to the horticultural sector. Horticultural peat is still being harvested and will continue to do so, the rules in getting an extension on existing bog or for new bogs is more difficult and could take years before a license is granted. The only bogs that I know of that are not allowed to harvest peat are on unregulated bogs or where an (EIA) environmental Impact Assessment has been lost.

gov - Working Paper to address challenges related to peat supply in the Horticulture Sector (www.gov.ie)

Scotland plan to phase out peat extraction, but it will only imply to the horticultural sector. The drinks industry will not be stopped from harvesting peat to burn in the distilleries or will residential house holds in the Hebrides and other off shore islands, they will still be allowed to cut and burn peat to heat their homes.

Ireland has been importing peat from the Baltic nations but not from Sri Lanka, if they are importing from Sri Lanka it's more likely to be coir. It will become more difficult to obtain a Peat extraction in Ireland, I am 100% sure of that. But there is nothing on where the Irish government stands on the imports of peat. Prohibiting peat extraction in N' Ireland yet still allowing imports of peat will not go down well with the manufacturers based in N' Ireland.

Peat is still being harvested in N' Ireland, but I think you are referring to peat extraction from Eire?

 

You can still get them.

Chempak® Seed Base with Soluwet Wetting Agent | Suttons

Thompson-Morgan - Search Results for chempak compost base

Not a cheap way to make compost anymore now though, they use to retail a lot cheaper, as below, but they are sold out.

Chempak Potting Base with Soluwet Wetting Agent 750g – Sam Turner & Sons (sam-turner.co.uk)

 

I see the proposed banning of peat based composts by the retail sector will be discussed in the commons later today.

 

That could be interesting @gks.
I think gardeners are seen as an easy target. They're never going to ban it for the booze industry here. Too much money involved.