This is an interesting read Garden Myths. I didn't check through the references, but most are gov't sources.
The summary from the bottom of the page:
The following are some summary statements about the use of peat in horticulture.
Using peatlands does have an impact on the environment, both on the local species and on global warming. The amount of peat used for horticulture is a very small part of this issue.
The claim that harvesting peat for horticulture is reducing either the amount of peatlands or available peat reserves is not supported by the data. Peat reserves are increasing faster than they are used for horticulture.
Canada and Russia, two of the top three produces of horticultural peat, have vast reserves and harvesting has little impact, except at the very local level.
One can certainly make the argument that any harvesting impacts the environment, and that the practice should stop. But we can make the same argument for just about any hobby, or interest that humans enjoy. If we stopped doing all of the things we like to do, including eating too much, the environment will be better off. That is not going to happen, and horticulture is not going away.
Will fuel peat sales also be banned? I read somewhere that twice as much is burned for fuel as is used in horticulture.
These types of things just get to me, sorry. I'm told to switch my kettle off before it reaches a full boil to save energy/environment.. yet BP jumps merrily from one major environmental disaster to another.. mainly through complete faults of their own. I am told to reduce my plastic consumption by using solid shampoo bars, yet Coca-Cola can create 2.9 million metric tonnes of plastic packaging per year (and that is just Coke, Pepsi is right behind).
I wish the gov't would step in and tackle industry and big business -those who have the largest environmental impact by a huge factor. Instead they take the easier token route of tackling individuals. Force Coke to take back every single bottle they produce and reuse it, force BP to get it's act together and properly maintain it's pipelines, etc or auction the business to a new owner who will.. and so on.
Yes, I will still do what I can for our household to help the environment.. but it all feels so insignificant compared to what damage is happily being carried out by big business. Unfortunately I do not have Chicky's optimistic outlook.
@Blue Onion - thanks for the link to the blog. The writer seems to completely miss the point though, working from the premise that peat is running out. He then goes to show how much is available in various parts of the world and what percentages are harvested. But the point is that peat locks in carbon and is as important for that as the rainforests. It is for that reason that we must wean ourselves off it. I agree that peat free isn't such a great growing medium as peat - and it does seem remarkably variable (I had a bag earlier this year that smelt to me rather like marijuana!) but how well my summer bedding does is of no concern to the planet so peat free it must be.
I think one of the reasons peat based composts are popular here is because there are no defined formulae like John Innes and Levington for consistency or nutrients so it can be a lottery. The ones I buy seem to be made from composted vegetation and can vary in consistency, even from the same supplier. I've found big chunks of woody matter in supposed seed sowing compost and always get free plants from weed seeds in the compost.
That said, I do check the labels so I can avoid peat products. Must remember to buy a compost sieve if I see one.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
I can't find any evidence that "peat reserves are increasing faster than they are used for horticulture" - and even if it's true that at 1mm per year deposition rate, there's enough "new" peat to supply the horticulture industry, the comments at the foot of @Blue Onion 's linked article strongly suggest that the peat used in horticulture is the "living" surface layer of sphagnum moss peat, which when stripped off leaves a barren substrate to dry out...
Anyway, surely we can't claim that because horticulture "only uses a little bit" of the total harvest of peat, we should be allowed to carry on digging up our little bit, destroying the delicate and complex ecosystem of the bog and releasing carbon dioxide? That's like saying I should be allowed to shoplift once every year before Christmas, because that only makes a tiny contribution to the total shoplifting figures.
@didyw excellent point about carbon.. but I feel like the article was agreeing that peat is not great, but that all our actions have an environmental impact and that gardening with peat isn't as horrible as it is sometimes made out to be. Would it be reasonable to use a bag of peat-included compost occasionally if one were vegan? Source “the meat and dairy industries create 7.1 gigatons of greenhouses gases annually—that’s 14.5% of total man-made emissions.” Meat and dairy has far more of a carbon impact than an occasional bag of compost.. but the gov't isn't banning beef and dairy to individuals.
I completely agree with everyone that peat extraction is bad for the environment.. and we should all be doing what we can to reduce our consumption of it (along with our consumption of plastics, energy, water, beef, etc). BUT my feelings are that big fish (with big lobby powers) happily do their polluted thing without issue (and often gov't support, as in the case of dairy in America -“the dairy industry received $43 billion in 2016 and $36.3 billion in 2017”).. while I am asked/expected to do my part and not buy my yearly (single) bag of has-a-bit-of-peat compost for repotting my house plants.
@Liriodendron I enjoyed your link, it was extremely well written and I was impressed by the deep understanding of 14 year old they interviewed. Your shoplifting analogy made me chuckle. Maybe a better one is that you should be able to enjoy your occasional Sunday beef roast with a bottle of imported wine without worrying overly much about the carbon footprint and environmental impact of each individual thing on your plate.
I don't like how they are only pushing the carbon angle. I understand that peat bogs are a valuable ecosystem, I understand that extracting peat makes beautiful landscapes into wastelands. And I make some effort to use less of it for these reasons. But carbon... Let's put it into perspective. Some googling later - 1 60l bag of 100% peat apparently "could be responsible" for releasing "up to" 50kg of CO2. Not a small amount but compost bags usually aren't 100% peat, John Innes is 7 parts loam, 3 parts peat, 3 parts sand. Other composts are probably more peaty, so use whatever number you want... 20kg? 30kg? Now, some common activities: A full tank of a petrol car - 173kg A new iphone - 105kg A takeaway meal - 1-6kg, depending on the meat content A load of laundry - 2.1kg A flight to your favourite holiday destination in Europe and back - 500-2000kg
I don't like how they are only pushing the carbon angle. I understand that peat bogs are a valuable ecosystem, I understand that extracting peat makes beautiful landscapes into wastelands. And I make some effort to use less of it for these reasons. But carbon... Let's put it into perspective. Some googling later - 1 60l bag of 100% peat apparently "could be responsible" for releasing "up to" 50kg of CO2. Not a small amount but compost bags usually aren't 100% peat, John Innes is 7 parts loam, 3 parts peat, 3 parts sand. Other composts are probably more peaty, so use whatever number you want... 20kg? 30kg? Now, some common activities: A full tank of a petrol car - 173kg A new iphone - 105kg A takeaway meal - 1-6kg, depending on the meat content A load of laundry - 2.1kg A flight to your favourite holiday destination in Europe and back - 500-2000kg
and what is the impact in the production, harvesting, processing , transporting and distribution of alternatives like coir?
Posts
The following are some summary statements about the use of peat in horticulture.
https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/broads-authority-wins-peatland-restoration-discovery-grant-8563164
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I agree that peat free isn't such a great growing medium as peat - and it does seem remarkably variable (I had a bag earlier this year that smelt to me rather like marijuana!) but how well my summer bedding does is of no concern to the planet so peat free it must be.
That said, I do check the labels so I can avoid peat products. Must remember to buy a compost sieve if I see one.
Anyway, surely we can't claim that because horticulture "only uses a little bit" of the total harvest of peat, we should be allowed to carry on digging up our little bit, destroying the delicate and complex ecosystem of the bog and releasing carbon dioxide? That's like saying I should be allowed to shoplift once every year before Christmas, because that only makes a tiny contribution to the total shoplifting figures.
I found this article an interesting read:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20201203-peat-the-decline-of-the-worlds-dirtiest-fuel
But carbon... Let's put it into perspective.
Some googling later - 1 60l bag of 100% peat apparently "could be responsible" for releasing "up to" 50kg of CO2.
Not a small amount but compost bags usually aren't 100% peat, John Innes is 7 parts loam, 3 parts peat, 3 parts sand. Other composts are probably more peaty, so use whatever number you want... 20kg? 30kg?
Now, some common activities:
A full tank of a petrol car - 173kg
A new iphone - 105kg
A takeaway meal - 1-6kg, depending on the meat content
A load of laundry - 2.1kg
A flight to your favourite holiday destination in Europe and back - 500-2000kg