Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Cultivation => Composts => Topic started by: Maggi Young on January 27, 2017, 03:01:41 PM
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I thought this report of her trial of peat free composts, written by Beth Otway on her blog, might be of interest.
http://www.pumpkinbeth.com/2017/01/peat-free-compost-trial-2016/ (http://www.pumpkinbeth.com/2017/01/peat-free-compost-trial-2016/)
The trail uses vegetables as the subject but results are nonetheless of interest I hope.
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I thought this report of her trial of peat free composts, written by Beth Otway on her blog, might be of interest.
http://www.pumpkinbeth.com/2017/01/peat-free-compost-trial-2016/ (http://www.pumpkinbeth.com/2017/01/peat-free-compost-trial-2016/)
The trail uses vegetables as the subject but results are nonetheless of interest I hope.
Results are fine if you are an amateur and sowing in spring - problems start when you are a commercial grower and you need to get things to germinate and grow in the depths of winter
https://conversation.which.co.uk/home-energy/peat-compost-peat-free-soil-gardening/# (https://conversation.which.co.uk/home-energy/peat-compost-peat-free-soil-gardening/#)
Had a very nasty experience with some peat free rubbish a few years ago and lost a huge amount of orchids - I had it tested and it had residual herbicide in it probably from the green waste. And some really nice pieces of glass
So when I buy compost in I always look at the peat content - and I always test a bag
I am yet to be convinced
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During the first years of the century the Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences, the German university specialising in green engineering courses, made experiences with peat-free substrates using minced wood instead. They found out that the addition of elemental sulfur makes them very good for plants that need acidic soil as do most flowers. Fine Sulphur powder ("Schwefelblüte") is not soluble in water, only soil bacteria can convert it to soluble derivatives, which can then be used by plants. These bacteria work only in the ph-region which is good for the plants, they stop when the pH-value becomes lesser. This makes elementary sulphur a very efficient additiv (and cheap too). The amount tested by the Weihenstephan scientists for petunias was 2,6g per liter. Elementary sulphur is also allowed in organic production of nutrition plants.
Unfortunately the report about this project is no longer availiable, but it was in German anyway. Who unterstands this language can drop me a note with an email address and I'll send a PDF-copy.
BTW Sulfur improves the efficiency of other essential plant nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus (Wikipedia).
Hannelore
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I can vouch for the Sylvagrow products, they are superb and a long way off the stereotypical peatfree mixes of the past or cheap green waste based variants available. I grow everything not in the ground in a mix of their products. Most alpine mixes are made up of the commercial variant of the one on test with added JI and I grow a large range of carnivorous plants in their composted pine bark products. There is no excuses in amateur horticulture to be ripping up peat when even the most challenging plants can be grown peat free. Viable alternatives do exist, they just need finding out and an open mind to make a change. The alternative is utterly depressing, seeing rare and fragile habitats eroded in order to allow folks to buy 3 bags for a tenner at their local supermarket or garden centre.
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Completely agree with Dave M - there really is no excuse these days to be using peat and there are products out there not just dodgy B&Q peat free (with added glass). Have heard good things about Sylvagrow products but can't use it because of the wool content (being a vegan). I can recommend New Horizon organic Peat free which we use for most of our potted plants.
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A National Collection holder of Galanthus - Margaret MacLennan - is trialling a peat free compost on some snowdrops - read more here - from the manufacturer - http://www.dalefootcomposts.co.uk/latest-news/news/2017/1/national-snowdrop-collection-trialling-dalefoot-composts.aspx (http://www.dalefootcomposts.co.uk/latest-news/news/2017/1/national-snowdrop-collection-trialling-dalefoot-composts.aspx)
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I wonder how gardeners ever managed to grow plants before peat was introduced to composts.
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Something new from supplier of wool compost ...
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=16839.msg405318#msg405318 (http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=16839.msg405318#msg405318)
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A National Collection holder of Galanthus - Margaret MacLennan - is trialling a peat free compost on some snowdrops - read more here - from the manufacturer - http://www.dalefootcomposts.co.uk/latest-news/news/2017/1/national-snowdrop-collection-trialling-dalefoot-composts.aspx (http://www.dalefootcomposts.co.uk/latest-news/news/2017/1/national-snowdrop-collection-trialling-dalefoot-composts.aspx)
A reply from Dalefoot about my question as to the progress of the McLennan's trial of the compost for their snowdrops :
Good Morning Maggi,
Thank you ever so much for your swift reply. Great news to hear you’ve heard of us and we are somewhat on your radar!
I rang and spoke with David McLennan yesterday for their feedback to date as its been a 2-3 year trial now. He advised they began the trial with the more commercial John Innes compost Vs Dalefoot Wool Compost & Lakeland Gold. The kept the same variables to ensure a true comparison. The outcome is that Dalefoot has produced bigger bulbs, bigger, stronger and healthier plants and that with our compost they didn’t need to feed for the whole of the three years. We advise a no need to feed for 12 – 24 months depending on product and the plants going in it, so for them to not feed for 3 years is amazing. With this a much more natural crop is produced. They are now looking at using our products elsewhere in their garden. David also gave this feedback at an Alpine conference in February when the topic was Peat Free and is happy for me to share it with you as they are members of your society.
In regards to our Alpine mix we started this for Plants with Altitude. It was a collaboration between Neil and ourselves and since other people take it such as Kevock when we have made a batch as it’s not a standard product more of a special mix.
We have just placed a bulk order for the grit etc and will be making a batch up in the next few weeks should that be of interest.
If you have any other questions at all please do not hesitate in letting me know.
Many Thanks,
Shona
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For those people interested in learning where they can source plants grown in peat=free compost, there is a list here :
https://dogwooddays.net/2019/09/18/save-our-rainforests-the-peat-free-nurseries-list
- there are a good number of amiliar places listed there - it's not an exhaustive list, so do get in touch with Nic Wilson (dogwooddays@yahoo.com) at "Dogwooddays" to let her know of any missed out.
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Hi Maggie,
This was a really interesting article. I wish they would do a trial using alpine plants to find the best alternative to peat compost. I always used to used peat free regardless of the plant performance, but alpines really don't seem to be a fan, so I have swallowed the love of my peat bogs for the love of my alpine plants.
Michelle xx.
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As someone who has been subjected to a very badly cut finger from a sizable piece of glass in a peat free compost - thanks LeXXXXtons - having complained all I got was an e-mail to say our screening process was broken, so we just stuffed anything in the bag, here have a £30 voucher.
I have seen telephone wire - pieces of plastic - cable tie bits - glass chunks that look like they have come from a broken windscreen - half a log - fresh twigs - stuff that looks like brown wool/wood pulp, etc. etc.
I also lost a lot of plants a few years back when the batch of compost I had bought had a very nasty residual commercial weed killer in it
Luckily my brother is an industrial chemist with access to state of the art testing facilities - looks like they had put in composted grass cuttings or other rubbish that was contaminated
So if you were a grower who bought a bag from a supplier and your plants died you would think it was you - I had a pallet load, and we tested a couple of bags, and they were all contaminated
I contacted the manufacturer who at first said it was rubbish - until I provided them with the chemical analysis - then they said I had contaminated the bags - I confirmed I did not hold a licence for the chemical and therefore could not buy it - then when I threatened them with legal action they compensated me and sent a lorry to recover the pallet of compost.
(I presume the rest of that batch of compost would also have been contaminated)
So give me peat compost any day - I now order directly from the producer in Ireland
If you are happy to put up with substandard rubbish which seems to have no quality or quality control then you are welcome to it
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If you are happy to put up with substandard rubbish which seems to have no quality or quality control then you are welcome to it
Hear, Hear. The quality of most peat-free composts is abysmal.
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By coincidence, a request has just been received to invite participation in a survey on growing media - see all details here:
https://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=18019.0
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I think that like everyone, I decided to give up on peat composts " to save the planet". I tried just about every make I could get my hands on. Strangely enough, I initially found Aldis and Lidls to be the best with very little"extras" in the way of wire or bits of logs. However, I only used it in the garden, digging it in to improve texture for rhododendrons. A year later I started to get a crop of large fungus which I could not identify. These I dug out and dumped. They have not reappeared and plants in the same area seem to be quite happy.
I tried a bag of the wool compost, which was expensive but seemed to work OK for pots. For a peat-free compost I use various grades of Melcourt composted bark. I never use it straight from the bag but mix it with some peat, sharp sand and 3mm grit. I don't have a formula but play about with the amounts depending on what I am planting and it seems to work OK. At least the plants are still alive.
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Posting this on behalf of Neil Huntley of Hartside Nursery:
An earlier post had mentioned us under our "Plants with Altitude" banner as using Dalefoots peat free compost for our plants as well as reference to the Maclennans using it for their Snowdrop collection.
We have now been using the Dalefoot Compost for at least 3 whole seasons - it is actually longer now, but we started using it with some other compost mixed in as well - we are very happy with the compost we get from Dalefoot which is made out of Sheeps Wool and Bracken - and very happy with the quality of the plants we are offering - and most importantly from the feed back we receive - happy with the subsequent growth and establishment of the plants in our customers gardens. We do mix some Melcourt Potting Bark and Horticultural Grit to the compost for our plants.
I know several other Nurseries who use the Dalefoot Composts and other well known Nurseries who use the Melcourt Peat Free Composts and get good results, so whilst I cannot comment on every manufacturers peat free composts I cannot agree with David Nicholsons generalisation that "the quality of most peat-free compost is abysmal", there are plenty plants being offered by Nurseries which are grown in peat free products with very good results. The shame is that not many Nurseries are as open as they could be about what growing medium they use. We cannot claim we are completely Peat Free as some of the "plugs" we get in - not a lot, and mainly things that are micropropagated for us as they are very slow to propagate by conventional means - or they are new and we are trying to bulk them up quickly - or they are things we wish to be able to sell to our customers that are protected by PBR's - some of these things are grown in peat plugs, so some plants we sell have a small plug of peat based compost in the middle!
I hope the above may be of some interest to people looking for a peat free compost in which to grow their Alpines.
Kind Regards, Neil
Neil Huntley
01434 381372
www.plantswithaltitude.co.uk
Hartside Nursery Garden
Alston
Cumbria
CA9 3BL
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The UK Government has agreed that the use of peat in composts should not be allowed for home growers after 2020 and commercial growers after 2030.
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Hi Ian,
Unfortunately these dates were only a target and the phasing out only voluntary. A visit to any garden centre shows how far we still have to go to achieve this. The government has so far shied away from actually banning the use of peat in composts and as far as I have been able to find out, their current position is still only that they remain "committed" to achieving the cessation of peat usage but with no actual plan as to how they intend to get there.
Despite an increase in interest from the public in going peat free, a large number still buy peat products. My guess is that this has partly to due with pricing but also that many - as Graeme describes below - continue to have bad experiences with poor quality, lack of consistency and sometimes herbicide contamination. I keep coming across statements from respected organisations exhorting gardeners to switch to peat free composts saying that the quality and consistency has improved enormously - see for just one example https://botanicgarden.wales/peat-free/ (https://botanicgarden.wales/peat-free/) - but rarely do they present any evidence for this. Undoubtedly there are some good peat-free composts out there (I have only really tried Sylvagrow to any extent and found it consistent and reliable so far) but bad experiences related by growers are still all too easy to find. It seems the industry still has work to do to deal with these issues and even more work to do to convince us growers that these problems have been solved.
Paul
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question - is there enough sheep's wool and bracken to replace all the peat based composts - will we then end up with people wanting to protect bracken?
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....... and is the bracken tick free?
https://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/practical-guides/ticks-in-woodlands-and-lyme-disease/#
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Two bi-products of humans can be used for compost. Straw and sewage.
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Without effective and thorough sterilisation (-which is costly and would require tight “quality control”) the use of sewage in any gardening product Is fraught with dangers.
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and is the bracken tick free?
David, that gave me the creeps having hosted the little b****rs on many occasion. I have been down to the doctors on several occasions for an antibiotic fix rather than risk it
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Peat based composts are soooo last century! ;D
I think Australia went peat-free sometime in the 1980s and I remember finding it strange to go back to peat when I was in the USA in the late 1990s.
Peat for gardening use in Australia is very hard to find now and "coir peat" made from coconut husks is actually more common.
There are Australian Standards for potting mix and most of what is available in garden centres is fine for pot plants. The main ingredient is composted bark. For Alpines and bulbs I find I have to add more coarse sand or grit. Sometimes I have to sift out the larger pieces of bark.
cheers
fermi
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Peat based composts are soooo last century! ;D
Hear, hear Fermi! It speaks volumes that UK manufacturors are so sluggish to develop consistent quality products, and our governments so sluggish at enforcing their development (environment is devloved so this is a matter for Scottish and Welsh Governments too). For all the fine words about sustainability, this is a clear area where concrete progress could be made.
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....... and is the bracken tick free?
David, ticks are not particularly associated with bracken - they can occur in all kinds of rural vegetation, including in peatlands.
I think using bracken for compost is a great idea - it helps utilise an otherwise more or less useless vegetation type, should reduce the useage of Asulox for bracken control, could reduce upland fire risk, could help protect rare butterflies which live in this kind of habitat, and could find a use for two waste products. Plus it avoids some of the quality issues raised by Graeme.
I really don't know if there is enough sheeps wool and bracken to replace peat, and maybe that's not the point. It could at least pick up some of the slack whilst reducing wastage, and that has to be a good thing.
I've not tried this compost sadly - the supplier is a long way away and there are no local stockists - but maybe will get around to placing an order sometime. If there are any other potential users in NW Wales that might be interested in splitting the carriage, please pm me.