Agree with Fire - I think the point is that amateur gardeners are a big part of the problem. We fuel demand and the demand has gone up in the past year, with more and more people turning to gardening. I guess what they're saying is that if we did our bit by asking more questions (what is it grown in), by buying peat-free compost when it is available (thereby fuelling demand) then we're part of the solution.
Two questions. Why did Monti mix leaf mould into his peat free, is it not good enough to grow in pots by itself? The guy who said we don't really need compost, just soil improvers, does he mean that my 30% of my garden in pots needs just improving not replacing? 🤔 I just ask because most of the compost I use is to replace used compost in tubs.
Two questions. Why did Monti mix leaf mould into his peat free, is it not good enough to grow in pots by itself?
Apparently it's pretty much devoid of any nutrients. It's good for creating a good, open soil structure. Woodland and woodland edge plants like leaf mould.
So why add to potting on Dahlias, they aren't woodland. And if that's so, buying peat free would also require buying nutrients to add to make it as good as peat? More expense? Now I'm really confused.
I haven't seen this week's GW yet but usually if buying any multipurpose compost (peat free or not), it will have fertiliser already in it - enough to feed plants for about three months. A MPC should have all you need in it to pot and go.
I imagine Monty might have added leaf mould to lighten the mix so that the dahlia tubers don't have any chance of rotting. The more free draining the soil is, the less standing water will have of rotting bulbs or tubers. He gets a lot of rain near the Welsh border, where he is, so is always concerned about drainage.
As I understand it, the primarily useful thing about peat is it's capacity to hold water - as it essentially bog or ex-bog. It can hold 20 times its own weight in water, acting like a sponge. As Jenny says, it doesn't have much in the way of nutrients, it more of a matrix that can be mixed with other things like loam or sand or fertiliser.
It was traditionally used in the UK because it was cheap and to hand (similarly to coal). It was burnt as a fossil fuel. The UK has 13% of the world's blanket bog - 60% of which is in Scotland. There is also a lot in Ireland. It was extracted freely, like coal and cannot be replaced (like coal).
So another question is does peat free hold onto water as well, if not that could be bad for our water supply, especially in regions where drought restrictions mean less watering allowed.🤔 The pros and cons seem to indicate much more research needs to be done.
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Why did Monti mix leaf mould into his peat free, is it not good enough to grow in pots by itself?
The guy who said we don't really need compost, just soil improvers, does he mean that my 30% of my garden in pots needs just improving not replacing? 🤔
I just ask because most of the compost I use is to replace used compost in tubs.