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End of peat based composts: What will replace it?

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ACE:
45 years ago I was on an allotment and one of my neighbouring plotters  worked as a digger driver. He was on a gang laying some services and they had to go through a bog. Underground it was pure peat so he had a huge lorry load tipped on his allotment. It looked lovely spread on top, but nothing grew very well on it for a couple of years. It certainly dug well though. I'm just wondering if peat is just another conditioner with not a great deal of goodness. Back then we made our own growing mediums for starting plants off. I would always sieve the bonfire site add a bit sand a cup of hoof and horn, nip down the woods and get some really old leaf mold and mix it all together. perhaps some crushed limestone if it was for brassicas. We still used to have a good return of crops and not a bit of peat in sight.

saddad:
It's true a lot of peat is very low in nutrients and we have forgotten how complex making good compost for specific purposes can be... loam based "John Innes" is the best commercial option I know of at the moment.

Obelixx:
I thought the whole point of peat is that it is low in nutrients so ideal for seeds and seedlings and not likely to be full of random weed seeds.

The RHS has pledged to be peat free by 2025 and that includes its gardens, plants grown or bought in for sale in their plant centres and plant grown for any of its shows.   That involves a large number of nurseries so the pressure is on for them too.

Meantime, the RHS has been investigating a range of sustainable peat alternatives including farming sphagnum moss as coir, one of the best alternatives, has to be shipped from warmer climes and has implications for cost of processing and transport.

As for Ace and his comments on what goes into council compost heaps and isn't adequately broken down, yes!   Just look at the aminopyralid problems some people on here have had.  Imagine that compounded by Path Clear and glyphosate and stump killer.

lezelle:
Hi Ya, Since finding out about the peat ban I have been thinking of what to do. I thought peat free but looking online the cost is huge. I can make good compost on my plot so perhaps I could mix some of that with peat free. the council here take all green waste and as said it does contain some rubbish. I did go to a car park once where they were offering a free bag to each household, when i saw the state of what was on offer I walked away, it was terrible. It does say only garden centres will be stopped from selling it so I reckon the nurseries will still be able to get it and they are the ones using the most. Oh well if any any knows a good peat free compost please let us know as all the ones I have seen are poor. More thought to be given I think.

Tee Gee:

--- Quote ---It does say only garden centres will be stopped from selling it, so I reckon the nurseries will still be able to get it, and they are the ones using it the most.
--- End quote ---

If this is the case  then as Beersmith states;


--- Quote ---Same as always. Laws are only for the little people. Get your income tax wrong by a few quid and HMRC are on you like a ton of bricks. Trouser millions of taxpayer's money and no-one is remotely interested.
--- End quote ---

Although I agree that something must be done regarding peat usage, as I see it; this is another of those 'blanket' rules that has been introduced without (it would appear) any consideration for the ramifications it will cause to 'all users' in future.

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