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Alternatives to peat moss
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Michael Pawelek on
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Years back when pine bark in my area was much cheaper than peat I started amending my soiless mixes with more pine bark and less peat moss where in the last 15 years or so the organic part of my standard mix is about 50/50 peat and pine bark. Over the years pine bark has become more expensive so using it in the mix no longer saves me much money and this last year the great State of Texas gave out permits for the building of two electrical generation stations in East Texas that will burn pulp wood exclusively for the generation of electricity. Some of you may not know but the eastern end of Texas is on the western end of the great pine forest that covers many southern states and there is a huge logging industry here in Texas. I assume these two new generation plants will burn anything "wood" that can be pulverised so pine bark may skyrocket in cost also. We shall see! Otherwise, I have not found any other economical substitute for peat in my area.
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Permalink Reply by Delilah Onofrey on
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Thanks! So growers may get squeezed on both wood and peat.
Michael Pawelek said:Years back when pine bark in my area was much cheaper than peat I started amending my soiless mixes with more pine bark and less peat moss where in the last 15 years or so the organic part of my standard mix is about 50/50 peat and pine bark. Over the years pine bark has become more expensive so using it in the mix no longer saves me much money and this last year the great State of Texas gave out permits for the building of two electrical generation stations in East Texas that will burn pulp wood exclusively for the generation of electricity. Some of you may not know but the eastern end of Texas is on the western end of the great pine forest that covers many southern states and there is a huge logging industry here in Texas. I assume these two new generation plants will burn anything "wood" that can be pulverised so pine bark may skyrocket in cost also. We shall see! Otherwise, I have not found any other economical substitute for peat in my area.
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Permalink Reply by Steve on -
I suspect the problem is a shortage of "Canadian Peat" There are Peat bogs in the US. And I will be using one of those sources for the peat in my Nursery Mix. (By the way it is close enough to me to receive it in bulk so I do not need a bale breaker to make it useable.) It may take some getting use to this source's peculiar idioscracys but at the price I am getting it I can afford to deal with that. As far as the peat shortage goes we have already locked in our price on our greenhouse mix and it is being shipped to us shortly. So I do not see it affecting us next year.
s.
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Thanks, Steve. Glad you're all set. :)
Steve said:I suspect the problem is a shortage of "Canadian Peat" There are Peat bogs in the US. And I will be using one of those sources for the peat in my Nursery Mix. (By the way it is close enough to me to receive it in bulk so I do not need a bale breaker to make it useable.) It may take some getting use to this source's peculiar idioscracys but at the price I am getting it I can afford to deal with that. As far as the peat shortage goes we have already locked in our price on our greenhouse mix and it is being shipped to us shortly. So I do not see it affecting us next year.
s.
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Permalink Reply by Hap Hollibaugh on -
While we are specialty growers (cacti, succulents and CA Natives) we use coir and composted rice hulls for the organics in our mix. To buffer we add Humic Acid and Grape Seed Pomice as needed. Coir is great long lasting peat replacement and the rice hulls are local!
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Thanks, Hap. :)
Hap Hollibaugh said:While we are specialty growers (cacti, succulents and CA Natives) we use coir and composted rice hulls for the organics in our mix. To buffer we add Humic Acid and Grape Seed Pomice as needed. Coir is great long lasting peat replacement and the rice hulls are local!
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Permalink Reply by Richard Salas on -
I did some extensive trialing with coconut coir (Mexico source) and ended up with very good results. Trials were done using 100% coir with amendments.
Callas and garden mums were done on a very large scale and I was very impressed with the outcome. Erwinia was virtually non-existent in the callas. Mums needed some p.H. adjusting ( coir is 7.0) through the crop cycle but overall things went smoothly.
I know of another grower that blended coir and peat (40/60 if I remember correctly) for a geranium trial and results were very good.
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Thanks, Richard. :)
Richard Salas said:I did some extensive trialing with coconut coir (Mexico source) and ended up with very good results. Trials were done using 100% coir with amendments.
Callas and garden mums were done on a very large scale and I was very impressed with the outcome. Erwinia was virtually non-existent in the callas. Mums needed some p.H. adjusting ( coir is 7.0) through the crop cycle but overall things went smoothly.
I know of another grower that blended coir and peat (40/60 if I remember correctly) for a geranium trial and results were very good.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Whitt on
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Eco-friendly Alternatives Peat Moss
Several natural products with the environment can be used in your garden or potting mix instead of peat.
Coconut fiber. The product which is similar to peat comes from the fibrous husk of the coconut and is known as coconut fiber. Before use as a soil amendment, coconut fiber is considered a waste product of industry coir as long chains favored producers of coconut strong shorter, smaller pieces.
Coconut fiber, which can also be called coco peat or coir, is starting to grow in popularity among gardeners and farmers who seek a non-renewable alternative to peat. Coconut Fiber has many benefits as a growing medium including significant amounts of phosphorus and potassium, a micro-sponge effect, which improves water holding capacity, and an optimal range of pH 6 to 6.7.
Coir bricks often comes in tablets or discs need to be soaked in water before use. Once rehydrated, coconut fiber can be added to potting mixes, or used to amend garden soil. Coconut fiber greatly improves soil retention and aeration of water, helping create a healthy environment for root growth. 100% natural and biodegradable, coconut fiber is also a beneficial addition to your compost pile to help aerate the compost and control odors. You can find bricks of coconut fiber growing in nurseries and garden centers or through online retailers like Amazon.com.
Clippings. If necessary, add organic matter to your soil, do not forget the grass clippings as a resource that you probably already have on hand. Grass clippings are high in nitrogen and can be mixed into garden beds to prepare for planting.
Compost. If you have your own compost to add to your garden or shopping bags, compost adds valuable nutrients and organic matter to your garden beds.
Mulch. Cover crops such as straw, newspaper, and sawdust can help keep your garden beds of water loss by evaporation. Mulch after the plants are established in your garden beds.
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Coir by itself or as a major soiless componant will not work for those of us with extremely alkaline water at our nurseries. I already buy 93% sulfuric acid in 55 gallon drums to counter the sometimes 8+ MEQ's of alkalinity in my well water and start many of my crops at a soil pH of 5.0-5.1 knowing that the pH is going to climb very quickly in the crop cycle even with moderate pH adjustment of the water. The last thing I need is the extra hassle and expense of starting out with a soil amendment that already has a pH where I want my crops to finish 6 months to a year from now. :)
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Permalink Reply by Melissa J. Martin on -
We have explored the use of a sustainable soil media that we can produce on-site. Through research with Auburn University and the USDA, we have implemented a process transforming an entire shoot of pine, including needles into a soil substrate. We use the substrate alone with 20-50% of Canadian sphagnum peat moss, depending on the product.
Check out this article: http://www.youngsplantfarm.com/wp-content/files_flutter/1282061432a...
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Thanks, Melissa. :) Young's has definitely been the leader here. :)
Melissa J. Martin said:We have explored the use of a sustainable soil media that we can produce on-site. Through research with Auburn University and the USDA, we have implemented a process transforming an entire shoot of pine, including needles into a soil substrate. We use the substrate alone with 20-50% of Canadian sphagnum peat moss, depending on the product.
Check out this article: http://www.youngsplantfarm.com/wp-content/files_flutter/1282061432a...
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