Jacs is obviously not bothered about using peat, 2nd time she’s mentioned it, but as long as she has a couple of baby squirrels and a ‘foxie’ in her garden she’s doing her bit for the environment and wildlife. The intensive mining of peat has adverse effects on the climate, and destroys valuable ecosystems. Many rare and endangered species live in and around peat bogs and these are having their way of life threatened. Species that live around the bogs include dunlins (a rare species of wader), dragonflies and butterworts rare carnivorous flowers. The uk has used up 94% of the natural peat bogs, you’d better stock up while you can get it because it won’t be on sale for much longer.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
John Innes No 3, peat, and horticultural sand improves drainage. I remove part of the low level soil and then mix in the top soil with a good mix of these. Has worked for me always.
The other thing I do is add garden worms which you can buy. They dig into the soil and work plant material into it with their deposits. And then I layer the top with farmyard manure which the worms work into the deep soil.
Also, I plant annuals, which send roots down into the soil and then die. Their roots decompose in place and add compost as well as allow water to seep down into the space of their roots and fertilize the soil. Every time, deeper and deeper they go and they improve a deeper layer of soil.
Horticultural sand is very gritty sand made from substances such as crushed granite, quartz, or sandstone. Horticultural sand for plants is often known as sharp sand, coarse sand, or quartz sand. ... Although the substances may not be exactly the same, all can be used to improve soil drainage
To non-peat compost sometimes they add lots of wool to give the same look and feel. But wool does not decompose well at all. The solution to is to go with green plant material compost.
Did you actually read Lyn's post about peat bog habitats? Yes, sales of peat are going to be banned because of the impact of depleting bogs both in terms of habitat loss and carbon emissions (they're huge carbon sinks and disturbing them releases CO2).
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The intensive mining of peat has adverse effects on the climate, and destroys valuable ecosystems. Many rare and endangered species live in and around peat bogs and these are having their way of life threatened. Species that live around the bogs include dunlins (a rare species of wader), dragonflies and butterworts rare carnivorous flowers.
The uk has used up 94% of the natural peat bogs, you’d better stock up while you can get it because it won’t be on sale for much longer.
The other thing I do is add garden worms which you can buy. They dig into the soil and work plant material into it with their deposits. And then I layer the top with farmyard manure which the worms work into the deep soil.
Also, I plant annuals, which send roots down into the soil and then die. Their roots decompose in place and add compost as well as allow water to seep down into the space of their roots and fertilize the soil. Every time, deeper and deeper they go and they improve a deeper layer of soil.
Horticultural sand is very gritty sand made from substances such as crushed granite, quartz, or sandstone. Horticultural sand for plants is often known as sharp sand, coarse sand, or quartz sand. ... Although the substances may not be exactly the same, all can be used to improve soil drainage
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/what-is-horticultural-sand.htm
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...