Environmental Myths about Peat Moss - Why You Should Keep Using It

[@cjudith465]

I don't believe many of those making negative comments here have actually listened to the whole video. You make perfect sense to me, thankyou for taking the time to inform us.

[@gregbluefinstudios4658]

LOL, I've been trying to discuss this for a while now. There's a HUGE difference between Peat in UK, and Peat in North America. A lot of people forget to look at the environmental costs of Coco Coir.

[@jeil5676]

Troofs. It has been used as fuel in europe for thousands of years. AFAIK there is no history of peat as fuel in NA. European sources seem to be declining while canada is covered in peat. Peat is regenerative but takes a long time, sure but theres so much of it here in NA. Peat sources in canada are likely able to continue to sequester carbon after harvest, trees and brush will grow there, if not more sphagnum. I also dont see how destroying forest for coco coir is a good alternative when so much of that type land is in vulnerable areas of rainforest, mangroves etc already under threat, when canada is a huge open expanse of peat. I call bs on the peat deniers.

[@brianseybert192]

Stopped using peat when the supply chain failed during covid, do not even mention coco coir to me. Switched to producing my own leaf mold with better results, I guarantee, fall leaves are very renewable. I know not everyone can make their own leaf mold, perhaps a chance for a young entrepreneur.

[@Bob-w2b8j]

I wish I could do leaf mold, but live in Florida where there is essentially no leaf litter because the trees are almost all evergreen. Then again, Florida is honestly kind of a terrible place for growing anything edible in the first place lol

[@debmacdonald1661]

As a Canadian I was convinced a few years ago that coir was not an environmentally astute choice for me. Thanks for confirming that choice.

[@madeinhinec]

I tell myself, where the coconut tree in canada? Haha

[@GARDENER42]

Same here in the UK. Plus it's also an incredibly poor quality alternative.

[@growingstuffs]

@@GARDENER42 I haven't found coir to be poor quality, I really like it for seed sowing and as part of a potting mix. There are professional growers who use 100% coir blocks for their crops, for example strawberry farms. It's used a lot by hobby hydroponics growers, too.

[@melsanderson7774]

Even if you don’t like gardening with coir, that doesn’t make it ok to use peat. Peatland is a natural sponge that holds lots of water and helps to prevent flooding. Floods are happening more and more all over the world, and it’s not just due to the rainfall; it’s also because the natural defences like wetlands are being destroyed. You can garden without peat!

[@GARDENER42]

@@melsanderson7774 I guess you didn't take in what was said in the video.

[@thereseboogades8498]

Fantastic video; you addressed so many questions & misunderstandings. 🎉 Thanks so much!

[@foodforestretirement2799]

It never made sense to me that they were saying peat moss was unsustainable. Thanks for pointing out that my impact is basically nil.

[@MyFocusVaries]

Try finding ANY other sources that support his claims. The only sources that agree with him are peat sellers and marketers.

[@MyFocusVaries]

I did a lot of Google searches to find research articles that backed up the pro peat statements you made. The only sites I could find that agreed with you were peat miners and distributers. Coir has a bad carbon footprint for those of us who don't live in the tropics, but there are other sustainable alternatives such as basic compost, composted wood chips, and composted leaves. Using those options diverts those materials from the waste stream.

[@arthurgibbons7401]

The Natives in Florida used to burn out sections of peat in the glades to make lake like areas for fish.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Sorry - I mention a video on coir, but it is not done yet.

[@JakobIlar]

Wondering if it’s a good choice for loosening up heavy clay garden soil (compost would be better, but just can’t get enough of it!). Really looking forward to the next video!

[@GrowCookPreserveWithKellyDawn]

Harvesting sphagnum peat moss is considered unsustainable due to the destruction of peat bog ecosystems, which are vital for carbon storage, biodiversity, and water regulation. As it's harvested, the carbon is released the carbon back into the atmosphere, contributing to a warming climate. Harvesting peat moss also destroys a native habitat essential to the survival of many birds, reptiles, insects and small mammals. Peatlands grow extremely slowly, taking thousands of years to regenerate, and when they're drained or harvested, large amounts of carbon are released, contributing significantly to climate change. Additionally, peat bogs act as natural sponges, helping regulate water flow and reducing flood risks, which is disrupted by extraction. There is substantial evidence that harvesting sphagnum peat moss is environmentally unsustainable. Peat bogs are important carbon sinks, storing more carbon than forests, and disrupting them through harvesting releases significant amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. Peatlands also play a key role in water regulation and biodiversity, and their slow regeneration rate-taking thousands of years to fully recover-means that peat moss is essentially a non-renewable resource on human timescales. While some regions like Canada practice more sustainable harvesting methods, the environmental impact of draining peatlands still poses a major concern globally. Here are just a few citations: www.actahort.org/books/982/982_1.htm onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gcb.13422 www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925857414005436

[@brianczuhai8909]

All contrary to what was presented in the video.

[@wjm1319]

@@brianczuhai8909 Scientists say it's a problem. Random internet dude says it's not. I'll trust the scientists who have actually studied the issue, not the guy who just wants to feel better about using peat.

[@justinsenryu7308]

@@brianczuhai8909 So that should tell you something about the video!!! Trust the actual scientists on this topic, not this random internet man.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

You should have listened to the video!

[@dougburchfield7364]

@@wjm1319 Okay, for all of you ignorant folks out there, Robert Pavlis, has 50 years of gardening experience, is an award winning author of 11 gardening books, and holds a M.Science in chemistry and biochemistry. He's not some "random internet dude." Environmental scientists have an agenda. That agenda is to produce results that puts the food on their table. You need to do more of your own research.

[@sharonknorr1106]

This was very interesting. I am still debating peat vs coir, but coir does have its issues as well, as you pointed out. Usually nothing is as simple as people like to make it out to be, on either side of whatever debate. Trying to protect the environment on a personal level is complicated and it can be discouraging because if enough people don't participate, it doesn't really have much impact plus there is so much misinformation out there. Over the past years we have cut back a lot on consumption and use of plastic, but the plastic thing especially is so hard because it is almost impossible to get away from for the average person. I have both peat and coir in my gardening shed right now as well as my own and community compost. It is a balancing act for sure and I continue to search for new, and evidence-based, information to help me make decisions that I am comfortable with.

[@MyFocusVaries]

Composted leaves, wood chips and even basic compost are excellent and much more sustainable alternatives.

[@DavidMFChapman]

Thanks! Regarding uses of peat moss, an accomplished bonsai gardener I follow always puts a thin layer of sphagnum moss under freshly pruned roots when he repots his trees. The claim is that it stimulates new root growth. What do you think?

[@WhatWeDoChannel]

It’s hard to express how much I enjoyed that! I have done some research on this topic, so I know how well managed and regulated our peat industry is! Now rather than try to explain this to anti peat crusaders in the comment section I can just send them a link to this terrific video! I happily use Pro-mix for my vegetable starts, container growing, and micro greens!

[@JJLom777]

Link?

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

The link is the url when you watch the video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aWXamYyZmd-Mebs

[@doubles1545]

I use peat as bedding in my duck house. I started out using straw, but ducks are so wet and messy, the straw was always damp and it would mold/mildew very quickly. Very gross and unhealthy. Peat soaks up all their splashes and their wet poops without ever getting moldy. The only downside is it’s dusty, so I have to be gentle when I turn the bedding layers with a pitchfork.

[@rezkerry8809]

That is such a good idea! Ducks are SO messy.

[@PorchGardeningWithPassion]

Thank you for helping provide clarification! I have noticed the coco coir potting mixes just don’t hold water well in comparison to the peat based mixes 👊🏻💥👊🏻

[@robertgriffiths1570]

Stop buying pointless stuff! Stop on - love it 👌 What should be a consideration to anyone that give's one about the planet's future though, is how much CO2, methane, etc. is not being sequestered (a lot of numbers were highlighted, and I felt some crucial ones were missing) whilst these spaces are being disturbed for whatever purpose, by whichever sector, in whichever place. As for these alternative growing media, could they ever sequester as much as peat-lands do?

[@retockirtap]

In Ireland the peat we harvest is mostly used for generating electricity for the national grid. Only about 2% goes to Horticulture. Personally I think we've been put off using it so more of it can be used for producing electricity. I'm not sure how much of our peat lands (bogs we call them here) we've harvested but it is mechanically harvested at a very fast rate for the electric plants. Ironically the potting compost we buy here often use peat imported from Eastern Europe as its cheaper than harvesting and processing at home in Ireland and we're barred from doing so but not from importing it from outside the country. A broken approach to an honest problem.

[@retockirtap]

We do more harm to our bogs everyone we switch on a light or boil a kettle!

[@JamesColeman1]

It’s so great to see real analysis

[@leonorarenas1405]

Hello! I was hoping you could help me with something, I work with kids with autism and I’m making a garden bed for them. It has to be on legs (besides, there’s no grass in the area that we’re putting it) and I was wondering, what could I use in the bottom of the bed to allow drainage but keep the soil in? So far I was planning on using spaced out planks and covering that with weed barrier , but that was until I found your channel! I don’t know if it’s a great idea anymore. Also, how deep does it have to be to grow tomatoes? Thank you so much, your channel is wonderful and any help will be greatly appreciated ❤

[@tbluemel]

This information is why I watch as many of your videos as I can, not to mention reading several of your very informative and well-written books. Thank you for being so wonderfully fact-based!!! Except... when it comes to growing plants, CO2 is a big plus!

[@CD-kg9by]

That last sentence pretty much implies that you have ZERO education.

[@angelc4794]

I really liked your video! It was not only informative but you held my attention despite it not being the funnest topic. xD Thank you.

[@southafricanrhino]

I think harvesting sustainably is OK, and that amount needs to be determined by someone who's qualified. You quote "some people say....so and so about peat moss" isn't really correct. You should say instead "scientists whom have researched peat moss (for years if not decades) found that...". It would be great if you can include some scientific studies on your points, otherwise, how do you have the authority on this subject to be speaking about it publicly? Where are you getting these figures? Is it from scientific studies or is it from an economic site without looking at the biological and environmental consequences of harvesting?

[@MyFocusVaries]

The only sites I could find that supported these statements were peat miners and distributers

[@rauljimenez8132]

I buy as much as I can, part of my perfect Gary’s Top Pot mix.

[@dc13032]

I don’t buy the logic that it’s such a small part of the problem it’s ok. I do very well without needing to dig up peat in Canada, truck it to my store (how about the carbon footprint of that) and purchase it. Seems like a waste of money to me.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

did you compare the environmental cost to an alternative?

[@frodehau]

"slow renewable resource"? I've never heard of that as a label for anything, and a google search came up empty. Regeneration rate for peat is roughly 1mm/year or 1 meter every thousand years. Peat extraction can absolutely be a bad thing if particularly valuable habitat is destroyed.

[@JJLom777]

Yup. There are so many passenger pigeons they can't go extinct. Oh... They're extinct.

[@dac7046]

So the massive coconut palm plantations and wastelands created in storage, processing and disposal of brackish residue from coir production are destroying not particularly valuable habitat- thanks I get it now.

[@melsanderson7774]

Ever heard the saying ‘two wrongs don’t make a right’?

[@MyFocusVaries]

​@@dac7046There are many options besides coir.

[@MyFocusVaries]

​@@dac7046coir isn't a good option, but that doesn't make peat a good one. Use leaf compost or composted wood chips instead

[@Mastadex]

Fantastic video. Packed with info.

[@freezee-y4x]

In europe the situation is very different though. For example in Germany, we use 20 times the amount of annual peat growth, so definitely not sustrainable. If that ratio is the other way round in Canada, as you claim, good for you, but it's definitely not a myth.

[@Bob-w2b8j]

I would use something else but coco coir is a terrible alternative. It does not behave the same way at all, and in the U.S. at least near me, organic coir costs 3-4 times as much and comes from the other side of the world. Not a good alternative. There is one company called "beyond peat" that makes what is supposedly an alternative, but basically it seems to just be finely shredded mulch/mud. I have no problem trying different things, but there are always pros and cons to almost every choice in life...

[@aryafeydakin]

In the UK the horticultural sector (retail) is using 70% of the peat NOT 1%. Problems is that UK wetlands surface is small and fragile. The peat industry is destroying these habitats, and once these habitats are destroyed they do not grow back at all.

[@ebradley2306]

Import it from Canada then.

[@JJLom777]

​@@ebradley2306Great idea! Then, we can use all those carbon fuels to move... Dirt. I'm pretty sure there's probably a better solution.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

"In the UK the horticultural sector (retail) is using 70% of the peat NOT 1%" - not close to being correct, but willing to look at your references.

[@brianseybert192]

@@JJLom777 Leaf mold! Yay!!!

[@ben-fe3zy]

To do that we have to divert all the shipping from moving Canadian wood for UK biofuel plants. Now THAT is ridiculous!

[@pt2575]

Excellent presentation. Thank you very much.

[@trinidadscorpion3835]

Lots of good information that I've wanted to see answered, Many thanks!

[@jeffrydemeyer5433]

interesting, thank you

[@xyzxyzxyzxyzxyzxyz]

I think you were a bit too lenient when analyzing the impact of releasing carbon dioxide. The reason is that this is carbon that has been sequestered that is now being released. The carbon from alternatives, such as coconut husk, is already part of the carbon cycle and doesn't affect global warming in the long run (though only if run in a sustainable way, which is not always the case). Also, shipping material around the world is very carbon efficient, so it's still a better alternative than peat. If we are going to stick to a 2°C warming, we need to cut emissions by 90 %, quickly. When you realize how much concrete and livestock releases, and that we currently have no idea to solve those issues, you realize that we simply cannot afford peat being harvested, even in such a small scale. Sorry.

[@jackson8085]

Very easy to figure out the beef issue, just dont eat it..

[@outwest100az]

Maybe if we stop using geo engineering to push the climate change agenda to enslave humanity we can start to, as you'll put it, heal the planet. There is so much proof and not one prediction that has come true since the days of we are all going to freeze to death to just have the elites come up with a way to make life better for all people and not the enslavers of mankind to bring about a one world order. Read Schwab's book covid 19 and the great reset and it will become very apparent what they have planned for us.

[@JakobIlar]

For starting seedlings, I make my own starting mix with peat moss, perlite and vermiculite, watered with liquid fertilizers. Whenever I’ve used coir instead of peat moss, mold has wiped out most of the seedlings, and growth is never as good.

[@comfortablynumb9342]

I've had pete moss from a bale sprout and start growing in the pot with other plants. It doesn't seem like it's hard to grow. I wonder if it could be grown locally for local use?

[@Richard-ck3jl]

Meanwhile I see influencers fearmongering about peat moss, and then peddling their particular coco coir product at exorbitant prices.

[@Bob-w2b8j]

Coco coir, at least where I see it, is probably 3-4 times as expensive as peat

[@louisdiedricks7110]

I remember seeing the news a few years ago how millions of acres in Indonesia were burning. So why not use it for horticulture, which is beneficial?

[@lksf9820]

They aren't burning peat, they're burning the forests which stood on top of it.

[@louisdiedricks7110]

@@lksf9820 It was an unintentional fire that burned millions of acres of Peet in Indonesia.

[@lksf9820]

@@louisdiedricks7110 an 'unintentional fire', wow really 😅

[@marvinbrock960]

Google the flight paths of private jets for the Super Bowl… Them tell me how serious the Government is about “Carbon Credits”… It’s BS

[@abuck5948]

Sand makes great potting mix. You can grow in just sand. SAND..

[@diegonegreb3948]

Hi Robert - what exactly is meant when you mention agriculture/forestry as the biggest users of peat? Are you referring to the peat itself or the land from which the peat was harvested? Thanks!

[@lksf9820]

They drained the peat bogs and put commercial forests on it.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

It is used to grow seedlings for forestry and amend soil for agriculture, but most of the use is when they drain bogs and use the land for forestry and crops.

[@melsanderson7774]

They could ‘amend soil for agriculture’ by using some of the soil improver that local authorities make from domestic green waste, so there’s no need to destroy peatland for that

[@jshkrueger]

​@@Gardenfundamentals1Very very few growers are using peat to amend soil in agriculture. Mostly small market gardeners and seed starters, which is a tiny segment of agriculture. I live in rural Nebraska. I'm surrounded by agriculture. My parents own a farm. Other family farms, as well. Absolutely no one, anywhere around here, is using peat to amend the soil. It's a ridiculous idea, and you should be ashamed to suggest it. Do you have any idea how big fields actually are? Do you know how much money that would cost? Farmers simply don't have the finances to spend on peat as an input. Absolutely ridiculous.

[@DaveDavid-n2o]

I really like your videos. Did you ever do a video about the soluable silicon that toughens up leaves and stem and retain water?

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

no

[@DaveDavid-n2o]

@@Gardenfundamentals1 I tried silicon armor on the Rose's this year and I believe there was a lot less aphids. Plus they're taller and the leaves were more shiny. Flower production was not great but got some. But my study is not very scientific. I want to get a good deal on some for trees and plant around my yard. Is that sand? Do you think that`s a good approach? To rake it into the surface?

[@Rainbowtonedsilver]

Thank you for the wealth of knowledge that is backed by science. It's very rare these days.

[@juneshannon8074]

@TheR3alRyanwow! You’ve certainly opened my mind. Compost and sand eh? I’d like to give it a go. Please tell me what ratio mix the two.

[@juneshannon8074]

@TheR3alRyan thanks for your reply and info. I’m in the Adelaide hills in South Australia so I’ll adjust ratios to my climate. It’s difficult gardening these days with the weather being so unpredictable. Best wishes to you.

[@richy7tube]

Now you just need to he convinced that global warning is a myth.

[@TidyWaste]

If something is not renewable, which the renewability of peat moss is dubious, then it should be replaced with something that is renewable. If there is no renewable replacement, its use should be cut down considerably across all sectors, especially if it is environment.

[@PorchGardeningWithPassion]

Watch the video. He addresses this clearly.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

So you are saying we should ban gardening in pots? There is no media for pots that does not have an environmental cost.

[@melsanderson7774]

@@Gardenfundamentals1 so what do you think the environmental cost is for using leaf mould? And peat free compost that doesn’t contain coir? How do they compare to draining wetlands which support numerous rare species of wildlife?

[@solastephen4447]

What is the difference between the peat used in agriculture and that used in horticulture, considering that agriculture accounts for 50% of the total peat usage?

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

In agriculture it is used to amend soil, but more importantly bogs are converted to farm land.

[@lksf9820]

@@solastephen4447 they use it to bed animals on in some countries.

[@colbykinney5633]

Nothing is perfect.. to everyone saying coco is more sustainable just remember the collection of it is very labor intensive in places that don't care about human rights. Then it takes a tremendous amount of rinsing in places that fresh water is at a premium. Then its shipped halfway across the world on container ships that uses basically unrefined crude oil for fuel. There is always a trade off .

[@MyFocusVaries]

Just because coir is bad doesn't mean peat is good.

[@thomashutt3924]

People are so panicked about everything nowadays that just to mention ANYTHING at all with something we are doing wrong will set off a stampede over the Cliffs edge.

[@bluewolf4915]

Hope this video goes viral. Thanks for exposing the lies.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

You can help by sending a link to your friends. Thank you.

[@GrowCookPreserveWithKellyDawn]

Harvesting peat moss is considered unsustainable due to the destruction of fragile ecosystems, slow regeneration of peatlands, the release of stored carbon contributing to climate change, and the disruption of natural water regulation. Most scientists that study this advocate for reducing or eliminating the use of peat moss in favor of more sustainable alternatives in gardening and horticulture.

[@arthurgibbons7401]

@@GrowCookPreserveWithKellyDawn : My personal observations of a micro bog that I used to take peat from doesn’t seem to match your observations. The debris from upstream seemed to replace what I used, but then I was only taking out two or three wheelbarrows a season.

[@EricMickelsen]

I see - we should do a small harm because others are doing a greater harm, and I can trust this because of all the sources that were cited...

[@slaplapdog]

Segragating horticulture from agriculture and tropical uses seems suspect at best.

[@kennethbarta3477]

Sometimes not available in New Jersey. Now cost about $25/ 2 cf. Probably Canadian gov. at work. Before C, was $8/3 cf.

[@G0F15H]

More likely your New Jersey government. I'm in Indiana and it's readily available @ $10.50/2 cf

[@kennethbarta3477]

@@G0F15H Thanks, good to know.

[@lksf9820]

This is a very distorted and biased point of view, I don't actually have the hours needed to point out all the parts of it which are clearly wrong. You start off with telling us it's been banned in the UK, as I live there I can tell you it definitely hasn't. Your pie chart at 4 mins in claims current horticultural usage at 1%, well of course it's going to be low, we all but stopped using it years ago because we know it's wrong! Are you saying we should start using it again to bump up our % to match the other morons? The loss of the peatlands is also very wrong, but we can't turn back the clock. We all need to stop using it as it's a huge carbon store, bigger than the rainforests. It doesn't matter what percentage of the total gardeners are. I haven't used it in years, there is no need to. Lead by example. Did you tackle the loss of habitat for thousands of species of wildlife? I dunno, I switched off. In 2022, The Wildlife Trusts published analysis that revealed the policy failures to stop peat extraction has caused up to 31 million tonnes of CO2 to be released since 1990. That is equivalent in emissions terms to 15 million return flights from London to New York or the annual emissions produced by over 7 million cars. That's peat extraction only, not using the peatlands for other uses as per your chart.

[@JJLom777]

Thank you.

[@brianseybert192]

I personally stopped using peat several years ago, do not even get me started on coco coir. I replaced peat with leaf mold with fantastic results, I even posted a comparison video between seeds started in peat vs my leaf mold. Most people have no idea what real leaf mold is. The leaves need to be fungally broken down to the point you can not even recognize a stem from a leaf. I do use unfinished leaf mold as bedding for my worms, and at times even to cover direct sown seeds in the garden. For my potting mixes, seed starter, and for mixing with my heavy clay soil, finished leaf mold, in my opinion is far superior to peat.

[@BrendanD-mp4xg]

Nonsense, climate alarmists, you tuned out before commenting your own distorted, bias view. Try listening.

[@GrowCookPreserveWithKellyDawn]

@@brianseybert192 I love leaf mold. I have begun making more and more of it. I use compost and leaf mold for seed starting now and it is such a superior product.

[@lksf9820]

Apparently worm compost is a great addition to your home made blend too.

[@Lettering-Ink]

By this logic, also don't bother going to vote. Statistically speaking, anyone's vote is a drop in the ocean - stay home and doom scroll. 😶 Alternatively, if preservation of these areas is important to you, NOT buying the product is your vote. ✌️😎

[@ebradley2306]

If preservation is your goal stop consuming anything period. Statistically speaking.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Not relevant at all. Every vote counts. Every scoop of peat moss does not.

[@Lettering-Ink]

@@Gardenfundamentals1 -- 1 vote is an infinitesimal 0.0000595% of total votes in my country - each one matters. Also, a "single scoop" of peat moss per garden\per season?? ✌️😎

[@mandersson6754]

I think we should strive to replace peat moss with faster renewable alternatives if available though. Carbon kept in the ground as much as possible should be our top ambition in most circumstances until we have the climate crisis under control.

[@C3Voyage]

Is it? How about reducing the major factor that's causing all of it--US. We should start educating people on the impacts of our overpopulating the planet. WE do the damage through consumption of resources. We farm, we deforest, we litter, we create harmful materials, and we fill in all the spaces with sheer numbers. All other forms of "renewables" can only last so long. It doesn't fix the problem. Educating properly can lead to smarter choices by our youth in how big of family we desire. There is no need to go extreme. Through attrition, we can get better, reduce OUR collective footprint and let earth heal. We have doubled our worldwide population in the last 50 years. It's gotta stop.

[@buffalo7810]

Lol...good luck with that

[@mandersson6754]

@@buffalo7810 I'm sure you know what to do. It is not hard to do your part really.

[@buffalo7810]

@@mandersson6754 I laughed because you can't control the climate. I try to do "my part" mostly, but "my part" won't make or break us. The richest 10% are responsible for 50% of the carbon emissions in this world. Until you end greed and the over consumption of the west nothing will be controlled. You really think they will give that up to save the future? You have more faith in man than I.

[@ralfnuggs165]

And if anything that 1% that is disturbed and going to horticulture is just moving carbon back into the soil into that area if the practices are right. It’s hard for me to see the problem especially when you’re adding it to your garden and hopefully making your local soil healthier for years. Idk man.

[@CD-kg9by]

Your garden is a wetland?

[@ralfnuggs165]

@@CD-kg9by sometimes

[@ShughaKane]

So if compost is better than peat in raised beds, why is it not better for potted plants? From my experience composted plant material tends to repel water if left too dry on the surface, but peat seems to do the same.

[@lksf9820]

It doesn't.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

100% compost is not better in raised beds. But 80% soil + 20% compost is a good choice. The problem in pots is that nobody wants to use soil. So you have almost 100% peat, or a substitute.

[@jackson8085]

wtf is this nonsense pie chart... how do you break down peat use by the "tropics", what does that even mean? This guy really is losing his mind.

[@GARDENER42]

The UK has banned the use of peat moss for everything except commercial micro plug trays. This just means I go & extract my own, at most 150kg/330lbs a year. The alternative products, mostly coir, have to travel halfway round the world to get here & TBH, they're very poor substitutes. It would have been far more sensible to manage peat production in the UK & bring it in from responsibly managed peatlands in nearby Europe.

[@Bob-w2b8j]

People make it seem that coir is a drop in replacement for peat moss. I don't see that at all, they behave completely differently, definitely agree with you also on the environmental impact coir has. It's definitely not a good peat moss alternative

[@kenshinhimura9387]

Coco coir is superior to peat moss in every way. It doesn't start rotting when it gets soaked. It doesn't hold so much water than it will kill a plant. It holds more oxygen in the medium even when it's soaked. You can literally grow in 100% coco and not drown your plants. You can't do that with peat. Peat also turns hydrophobic if you let it dry out completely making it a pain in the butt to water again. If you use peat moss, don't use so much of it. Use it for the fluffiness and to hold moisture. I personally like a mixture of pine bark fines, peat moss and perlite. You want majority pine bark fines, enough peat moss so it will hold some moisture and a lot of perlite for drainage. With this mixture you can water every single day and not overwater. The excess water will run straight through but the medium will hold enough moisture to last until the next day. Change your mixture based on your environment. I live in zone 9B/10A in Florida. It's hot and sunny 365 days a year down here. I can water my plants twice a day during the summer. In fact right now it is the end of September and I have pineapples growing on my plants and a rack of bananas growing on one of my banana plants. I also have sweet potatoes flowering right now.

[@GreenCanvasInteriorscape]

Fun fact Coir when dry slow burns and smolders, I threw a cigarette out in a pot with it in my driveway without thinking about it years ago. Came home a half hour later and the full pot of coir had burnt to the driveway and was still smoking. If you're not using Styrofoam peanuts yet in your potting mix you might enjoy the results. Perfect aeration with roots penetrating into the styrofoam peanuts, don't use biodegradable. I just did a video on my how to with peanuts on my channel. Agreed with you on the peat. I use sphagnum Moss occasionally with terrific rooting benefits and also grow it in a bowl on a window sill. I'm sure it's growing on your trees because of the Florida Factor. It's also antibiotic and was used in wound dressing in world war I

[@ogadlogadl490]

What about saving the water? You’re happy about watering twice a day? That’s wasteful in itself.

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Good to know you don't care about the water supply for the poor people in India!

[@kenshinhimura9387]

@@ogadlogadl490 It's not wasteful when the plants are absorbing all of that water. I'm talking about when it rains heavy. The excess water will flow through and not drown your plants. Watering more often is better for the plants. They grow faster when they can get a drink then dry out. Doing that 2+ times per day means the plants will grow twice as fast. This is basically outdoor hydroponics in a pot. My plants are all on a timer. They only get watered for 5 minutes at a time. I also live in Florida where we get daily rainstorms in the summer. my plants would die from overwatering if I didn't use an ultra fast draining potting mix taht I make.

I've got eductaed. Thanks!

[@alexv8279]

Can't be bothered to watch the whole video but peat moss excavation in small countries is bad. Scotland now has problems creating peaty whisky because it has been over farmed. It's not for me but lots of people love it. An awful lot of peat moss comes from Canada (exported worldwide) and as a land mass it's huge but is it sustainable? I try to avoid it but but it does have benefits no other substance has.

[@PorchGardeningWithPassion]

If you don’t watch the video, your questions will not be answered. If you do, you will learn some things.

[@CSWRB]

Can’t be bothered to read the rest of your comment after you said you didn’t watch the video. 😆

[@BioHazardCL4]

Dry peat releases a lot of carbon dioxide even if the moss regrows. Peat bogs should be kept wet and compost is good enough. We need to restore peat lands and tackle the climate crisis

[@bluejay3945]

U failed to identify the unique habitat peatlands are. In many cases they are home to rare or endangered plants and animals…pitcher plants and salamanders for example. There is absolutely no reason to destroy critical habitat especially when alternatives organic sources are available. In addition harvesting peat releases significant carbon dioxide. There is a reason why actual horticulture professionals discontinued peat moss years ago. You should contact institutions like Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania and see what their stance peat moss is. U do not need peat moss in the same way u don’t need leaded gas or paint

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Perhaps you did not view the entire video. It clearly points out that after harvesting the ecosystem is returned to a normal condition in a few years.

[@bluejay3945]

@@Gardenfundamentals1 u mean after I have destroyed the pitcher plants or wiped out the amphibian population? Do u think u can destroy the grasslands in Africa then expect the elephants to somehow magically return? It’s a false narrative. Once u destroy an ecosystem it will not renew itself in a timely manner

[@cbryanto]

Did you comprehend the infinitesimal component affected and 1/20th of the annual growth?

[@sergejhrustic6462]

@@Gardenfundamentals1 What is your source for that? Peat bogs regenerate at an extremely slow rate, milimeters a year. Where in the world did you read that they "return to a normal condition in a few years?"

[@oldcogs]

The price of compost in the UK has rocketed, and the quality of alternatives are terrible. If you spend an hour potting up it takes 15 minutes to wash the black from your hands. Most composts contain large bits of woodchip and half rotted green waste, the government went ahead and banned peat but never pushed for a good alternative. I'm 70 and have been a gardener since 15 years old, nothing in British gardening has had a detrimental affect on gardening like this.

[@Bob-w2b8j]

This is what the government does in the U.S. too haha. They ban first, then think about the consequences later. Your politicians in the UK seem just as bad as ours in the US

[@valstormkaaos]

55 years gardening, that's a lot of experience! Could you offer any good advice for making your own sustainable compost at home?

[@willanderson5088]

This is like women’s math for shopping. Nothing is sustainable when it’s being shipped all over the world. The fuel used to move it isn’t renewable yet that not part of the equation. We just lie to everyone including ourselfs to make it sound better but if it’s not local we shouldn’t use it. Means we go without if it’s seasonal but we can’t do that our greed is to much. Me included

[@wardroland270]

How did the earth survive before peat bogs removed all that CO2 from the atmosphere?

[@Bob-w2b8j]

EVERYBODY DIED. That's why we're still here. Get it? 😂

[@BlackJesus8463]

Coconut coir is a waste product. 👍👍

[@BlackJesus8463]

@TheR3alRyan Exactly!

[@arhimedia]

You can greatly improve hard compacted clay soil much, MUCH faster (and cheaper) by using peat moss than by any other means, while you're waiting for the compost to do its slow magic. And the notion that the peat moss in the garden contributes to "global warming" is just ridiculous and absurd, but works when you want to ban people from making their own real food.

[@79PoisonBreaker]

I heard there's studies that animal manure is faster then peat to change heavy clay soils in to clay loam. "Gardening in Canada" YT soil scientist did a video on this subject if he hasn't done one here on this channel yet. I have heavy clay soils so I paid attention and am seeing results after 2 years so far .

[@arhimedia]

@@79PoisonBreaker Manure is not much different from compost, it is actually preferably used to amend sandy soil; to use it on clay would be kinda wasteful. Also, finding quality manure at reasonable price is not very easy nowadays, at least where I live. As for what is faster AND cheaper, nothing beats peat (plus some perlite maybe) - I did the testing myself in two side by side garden beds. The peat one was looking quite good in 3 months, and grew amazing tomatoes the same year. Anyway, the result is what matters, not the means🙂

[@79PoisonBreaker]

@arhimedia yes we are talking 2 different things I think. What I said was manure will change heavy clay into a loam faster, still taking years to do , other compost and peat amendments will measure decades to change the heavy clay. The mixed portions are ready to grow in manure or peat right away but the surrounding ground will stay clay and not drain any better then pure clay. Manure will fix that changing it to a loam faster then any other .

[@melsanderson7774]

I can get free soil improver from my local authority, made from domestic green waste, and it’s doing a brilliant job of improving the clay soil that I grow vegetables in.. and no peat bogs are being destroyed in the process!

[@arhimedia]

@@melsanderson7774 What is your point, except bragging?

[@BillsCountrysideAdventures]

Think this peat free crap is getting out of control, I've not stop using it, getting it in Ireland 😊 shared your video on allotment fb group

[@Gardenfundamentals1]

Thank you for sharing the video.

[@icemage21k]

Like most hysteria its about stealing your money.

[@SpidermanandhisAmazingFriends]

I still won't be buying peat moss, I prefer to make my own inputs

[@CD-kg9by]

It's a rather bad approach to claim that you will look at the "facts" and then skip the most important of those facts. The beginning of the video already makes me angry. Claiming that doing something is ok, because other people do it more is a very flawed logic. If you think about it, that logic is the driving force behind things like climate change denial ("...but China!!1"). By that logic, burning down a few more hectares of rainforest would be completely ok, because other burn down much more. The amount and size of peat bogs also varies a lot, with various countries or parts of those countries slowly killing their entire peat bog ecosystems. There also has been no information about the importance of those peat bog ecosystems in regard of biodiversity and also climate change. And the bottom line should always lead to the question if we really need peat moss as a material in gardening or similar. Just think about it - we spend hige amounts of effort and energy to harvest, process and ship this stuff across the world, but in the end it just ends up in some flower pot or garden bed. Noone really needs that stuff, there are more than enough viable alternatives. And no, I don't mean coco coir. This whole video feels like a presentation made by the peat industry...

[@jf3457]

Peat moss is basically banned from gardening stores in the EU.

[@kohlenkurt3155]

I can buy peat and peat-based soil mix everywhere in germany

[@bluewolf4915]

I thought that was just local peat. Can't they still get imported from Canada?

[@lksf9820]

Peat compost isn't banned in the EU, it isn't banned in the UK either, that's a gardening myth.

[@kubaistube]

Absolutely not true.

[@BiteOffYourFingers]

Thank you! I love this video so much. The amount of misinformation in the houseplant community especially, blows my mind. Mindless repetition of false information abounds. As a Canadian who lives in a swamp, I am forever shaking my head at people crying over peat.

[@ericfarrand5534]

I agree! There is massive misinformation in every subject of concern on earth.

[@GrowCookPreserveWithKellyDawn]

Harvesting peat moss is considered unsustainable due to the destruction of fragile ecosystems, slow regeneration of peatlands, the release of stored carbon contributing to climate change, and the disruption of natural water regulation. Most scientists that study this advocate for reducing or eliminating the use of peat moss in favor of more sustainable alternatives in gardening and horticulture.

[@jarnevanbec2886]

Fake news! Stop using peat please.

[@ebradley2306]

Good to know. I don’t subscribe to the global warming myth so I will use peat moss guilt free.

[@watty9297]

Don't buy into the CO2 narrative.

[@56243G]

"Global Warming" LOL

[@onegrapefruitlover]

I’ve had enough nonsense from this channel Do not recommend