Peat?...or not..

Hey guys just wondering what peoples views on using peat are.

I decided to go totally peat-free this year (mainly because thats what compost my housemate brought back..) and it seems to me like its just causing me a shedload more work in terms of watering, since a lot of my veg is in pots and bags. I water it, then check it again 10 mins later and the top layer of soil is bone dry and its all just fallen through the soil and collected in the dish at the bottom. (and we're talking pretty big pots)

I tried some of those upside down spikey bottle thingers to slowdrip some water in but they just empty in about 1hr due to the lack of pressure/water.

Since i work a lot this is a massive pain in the backside and sometimes my plants just look wilted and knackered even though its been raining a lot that day (and again, the top layer is bonedry when i get back from work)

Anyone have any good ideas about what soil mixes i could use to try and get a decent amount of water retention? I was thinking i could perhaps mix a bag of reduced peat compost with two bags of peat free...etc or something like that.
Im not 100% sure about the arguments for harvesting peat, since i know sometimes they only take it frmo sites that are already leaking Co2.

If anyone could give me some info/ideas on the topic they would be gratefully received.

yaco.

 

Have you tried water retaining gel or home made compost? There are even off the shelf composts that state moisture control on the bag?

I'm peat free and its no hassle to me and we use baskets and containers too here at home.

Steve...

 

It's worth investing in a good peat-free compost as some of the cheap ones are terrible. Last year a 'bargain' bag from the supermarket contained large lumps of wood as well as assorted ironmongery. The mix was either waterlogged or too dry; I found it impossible to grow anything well. I have learnt my lesson. You get what you pay for with compost, as with much else.

A while back on R4 a listener raised a very interesting issue. Apparently Ireland is replacing a peat-burning power station with ... another peat-burning power station. Obviously gardeners should be aware of the environmental costs of peat, but it does put the relatively small amount used by them into context. I imagine peat is a cheap source of energy for Ireland and that therefore things are not going to change any time soon.

 

I am all for using peat in the garden .... the amount I use will not make any difference whatsoever to the ecology of the world. Mix it with a good leaf mould and it will retain the moisture for you.
Mind you, peat is freely available over here, as is vast amounts of radio-active fallout from Chernoble and Japan, infiltrating out water, grass, vegetables, meat, poultry milk and our general food chain. So it is a matter of getting everything into a proper perspective in the first place.....

 

Try the New Horizon range of peat free products. I've used their multi-purpose compost and a product they call "Mulch and Mix" which is a versatile soil conditioner. I've had good results from both.

 

There was some dicussion on this recent thread http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/general-gardening-discussion/32448-petes-sake-peat-tax.html

But what I'd really like to know is why the soil based composts that everybody used before all the peat based stuff swamped the market aren't available at comparable prices to either peat or peat free composts.

 

Well, the amount an individual uses is negligible. But any sensible person knows that that is not the way it works, you have to view these issues on a scale that actually reflects reality im afraid; Millions of people using a tiny bit equates to millions of tiny little bits.

And as far as irradiation goes, the amount of radiation that has met you from Chernobyl and Japan genuinely is negligible. And there is only one amount of radiation getting to you, so by your own logic, you have nothing to worry about.

By definition, removing one square inch of peat would alter that ecosystem. Not to mention the environmental effects of large scale machinery tearing the habitat up to get at the peat, which then releases loads of carbon as gas.

You're correct when you say that this is matter of getting everything into a proper perspective, but knowing the facts before you attempt that is normally considered a prerequisite

 

Have you read the thread on Irish peat-burning power stations, Yacobian? I just wondered what you thought.

 

yeah i have, its a really dumb idea. But as i said on that forum:

The fact that one government has decided to use it to fuel a power station, against scientific advice, is nothing more than a display of their inability to be circumspect - and is NOT validation of the act itself.

 

.

A couple of weeks ago on Beechgrove Gardens they ran a trial using six different composts for flowers and vegetables!

The WORST by far was New horisons and Jim McColl remarked on it, the best by far was Levingtons with 80% peat.

.

 

I'm not really too clued up on this subject as much as I maybe should be but from what I can gather (and have been told) Horticultural usage of peat is tiny compared with the likes of peat burning power stations and many believe (at least large number of nursery's and people who grow commercially) that the Horticulture sector is being unfairly targeted. Now is there something different about the way Horticultural Peat is harvested which creates a far bigger impact on the environment? or is that horticultural peat is far better quality then the stuff they burn which means it would support more wildlife?

 

Oh please don't get me wrong, i think (based on nothing more than common sense) the amount used to fuel power stations would be massive compared to the usage from commercial/gardening. However in the world we live in, you can only be responsible for yourself. Its well documented that using peat gives you a really good quality soil, but its utilitarian purposes are not the only thing to consider.

Mainly in this thread i wanted someone to suggest some sort of ratio that works well with a little peat, and a lot of other stuff. Its just the indiscriminate use of peat that would result in really damaging ecological circumstances.

Little attempts to reduce the use would go a long way when applied to a large amount of people. For example ive cut my own compost with peat soil that i used over the past few years (mainly for water retention).

Using peat isnt a evil thing! but we've just got to use it sensibly really, and not just whenever it suits us (which will be all the time considering it makes most plants easier to deal with)

But saying this, the kneejerk reaction to nuclear power since the japan disaster has been astonishing, especially since we dont ever encounter the same geological issues. Aside from the refuse situation, there is little wrong with nuclear power. So to use peat just seems a bit stupid and archaic really :(

edit: The power suppliers should be taxed through the nose to reflect how much they consume also, not just the gardeners!

 

I'd just like to point out, we are still suffering from the effects of Chernobyl here on the island. Our hill sheep are still not allowed into the food chain because of the fall-out. Their ongoing radiation levels are now just about within safe limits, but probably will not be allowed back into the food chain for another couple of years.

 

Facts of life!

.

The island of Ireland North and South is one large peat bog,very acidy, even the parts that have proper soil needs lime to make plants grow.

If you want to see magnificent Rhododendron plants in flower go there at the flowering season!

There was no coal, gas or oil just peat to use for fuel, what were they to do, freeze?

There is large deposits somewhere in the North of Lignite, but those caring, sharing environmentalist made sure that it was not dug out and used for fuel in case it made the planet warm up!

These are the politically correct "I'm all right Jacks", who work in non productive jobs like councils who as long as they have jobs, houses and food don't give a toss for the rest