Like many gardener , I ’m concerned about thedepletion of peat resourcesaround the globe . The independent fixings in many potting mix , peat comes from slow - forming peat bogs . It takes multiplication for the peat to form and the peat bog are home to diverse plant and animals . Helping continue those bogs is why I prove two peat option in my container plantings this retiring summer — with mixed issue . Here ’s what I tried , how it went and what I ’ll be doing going frontwards .
Two Peat Alternatives
Mostpeat alternativeson the market include either processed wood products or coconut coir to replace peat . In potting mixture , peat retains water , creates gentle wind pocket and helps plants access nutrients . Other common ingredients in potting mix are perlite or vermiculite , which lighten the mix and better drainage , and fertiliser , such as poultry litter , manure , compost or bat guano .
For my experiments , I made my own potting mix usingcoconut coirand also bought a commercial commixture that let in mostly graceful timberland products in extra to plant food , perlite and a belittled amount of peat . Other completely peat - free commercial-grade pick are usable but incline to be expensive .
For the coco coir mix , I bought coco coir brick at the local pet store . ( The product is used as bedding fabric for lizards . ) You immix the brick with lots of water to fluff them up . Then I added fertilizers and perlite . For seeded player starting , the intermixture was two parts coco coir , two region perlite and one part earthworm casting . For my outside containers , it was adequate parts coco coir and perlite and about half as much sue moo-cow manure .
As a seed newbie , thecoco coir mix work wellbut it required more frequent watering than standard peat - ground source starting mix . As a potting admixture , the homemade version do significantly better than the commercial wood - ground mixture .
Comparison and Results
With both peat alternatives , I had problem . For example , one type of tomato ( Cherry Falls patio tomato ) got aweird leaf diseaseon plants grown in both the homemade mix and the commercial-grade mix . I ’m still not entirely sure what caused the result but a fellow nurseryman commented that it might be a mineral inadequacy . So , I fertilized both of the plants with a tomato fertilizer . The one in the commercial mix die but the one in the homemade mix reclaim and went on to produce dozens of cherry tomatoes .
I also had problem with anew petchoaplant I was given to test . Petchoa is a hybrid of petunias and calibrachoa . In both the homemade and the commercial commixture , my trial flora really struggled . They did n’t acquire expectant or propagate much , and the flowers drop off apace . I cite this to a representative of the plant company and she graciously gave me three more flora to try . I put them in regular peat - based potting mix on my deck in August and as I write this in late October , they are still fly high .
Overall , plants ranging from begonia to live peppers seemed to acquire better in the homemade mix , which I attribute to the large amount of manure in the mix . That said , many of my plants struggled this year . Was it the mix ? The drouth ? Less Lord’s Day ? I ’m not entirely certain .
What Happens Next ?
Most year , I save my potting mix to expend again . ( Only the mix with really root - take a hop plants get jactitate . ) We moved in 2022 , which is why I needed so much potting mix this year . For 2024 , I be after to keep open both the coco - coir mix and the commercial intermixture and mix them together . Come spring , I ’ll add quite a little of compost to the mix and I may total a scrap more perlite or vermiculite , too , to keep the mixes light . We ’ll see how things go with the hybrid mix .
Here are a few things I determine from this experiment :
For more on peat option , jibe out Gail Brown Hudson ’s article in the Spring 2023 offspring ofNorthern Gardener .
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