For Peat's Sake - Don't Deprive UK Gardeners!
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- Опубліковано 17 лют 2022
- Bunny explains her reasons for opposing the UK Government's current proposal to ban peat in retail compost by 2024 and throughout the whole of the UK horticultural industry by 2029.
UK horticulture - both commercial and domestic - accounts for a MINISCULE 0.053% of total peat use in the UK.
But before your raise your spades in anger, Bunny IS a peat hugger - she just backs a postponement of the ban so that the UK horticultural industry - and all UK gardeners - can compeat (!) on a level playing field with our European competitors......Just until a suitable alternative to peat can be found.
Bunny explains why peat substitutes, such as coir, aren't the eco answer many people think they are, why peat is so very special when it comes to sowings, cuttings & potting on - and why finding a suitable alternative takes time and money. She also gives us some staggering stats. on the use of peat.
Bunny's braced for impact but determined to put the case, as have many revered and well-known horticulturists throughout the country.
#uk #gardening #deprived - Навчання та стиль
Thank you for sticking your neck out to clearly explain the rarely discussed side of this argument. That being said, I can't agree after seeing what people like Charles Dowding have achieved with home made compost. I'll be setting up my own compost bins in the spring and hopefully by next year will never need to buy compost again.
I've seen this in the coments from Bunny Guinness "Charles Dowding buys in compost mostly for seed sowing. He uses ‘Moorland Gold ‘ which does have some peat in it ( not from peat bogs but from a water company who sieve it out of water)". An interesting factor i'd not considered but altomatly my positions hasn't been shifted, though I apreciate the argument and additional info. I believe leaf mold and home made compost can replace peat. But if peat is from this sauce I fully stand behind it's use (I may or may not be part of the water industry).To me that is a different sauce of peat so a ban on peat bog is needed, not the use of peat. I am new to all of this so I'm aware, I may be misinformed.
Finally, an honest and practical story about peat. Of course it has many disadvantages
but the way in which it is now being banned is exaggerated and unnecessary. Thank you Bunny for taking a stand against the current ban on peat.
This may be false, but hey the food that we eat soon will be only a chemical cocktail. Look at it already it has changed and modified so badly. If you compost chemical concoction that looks like food you think that this will be very beneficial, but it will only make your healthy land worse.. I would be careful with all this supermarket food
He uses peat within his business model, admits it and remains unapologetic. Infuriates me!!
Or peat
I’m sorry but I can’t agree on a delay to the ban, this has been talked about for decades.
I’ve been gardening since I was a child, and Geoff Hamilton was advocating for this when I was a teenager. I’m now in my forties, so for 30 years the industry has dragged its heels, during which time I’ve been to university to study horticulture and worked at many nurseries and garden centres and seen no incentive to change til now.
The industry needs a deadline to go and look for this “holy grail”, or they’ll just sit back again.
There are some very good peat free composts out there but they are expensive because they aren’t mainstream. Let’s get making it in bigger quantities.
And let’s see all local authorities offering composted green waste. Mine does but the neighbouring ones do not. Mine also charges a lot more than other local authorities, so a level playing field for customers everywhere in U.K. would be good.
I live in a very rural area yet people still put food waste out, why not encourage people to compost their own waste?
Just because other countries aren’t following doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be proud to lead the way, innovate and maybe create a product they will want to buy?
And surely this should be highlighted to consumers so they actually support British growers instead of the Dutch.
And what about all the plastic bags compost is sold in, the pallets of compost are wrapped in more plastic, and plants in pots and trays that aren’t able to be recycled. I felt sick at the amount of plastic one small place I worked at sent today landfill. The industry has a very dark side and I have to say I’m appalled at the general overconsumption I’ve seen, including all the cheap, plastic tat now sold in the retail areas. It’s a long way from the garden centres I remember as a child.
Absolutely agree Helen. Whataboutery is a good way to postpone anything and this has been going on for so long. Bunny's argument puts so much unearned faith into the industry to be responsible...which it hasn't earned so far. Her main argument on companies allowing for regeneration of peat bogs depends on us believing the same companies will wait for decades to harvest from the same areas. Sorry that's magical thinking and probably nobody will hold them to account on this. Just a deflection strategy.
THANK YOU Helen ! Very on point.
My point is why are we not addressing the 77% of bogs that we have used for forestry and agriculture and other things and only targeting the 0.053% of bogs that are used for horticulture? Horticulture will suffer the rest carries on unchecked, but the public think the ban is a cure all but it wont even touch the problem.
@@bunnyguinness of course that is a huge problem that needs to be highlighted but I didn’t get that message from the video, it was lost with the focus being the impact on gardeners who frankly should be doing better already.
@@bunnyguinness Hi Bunny, I think that statistic isn't entirely correct. The main users of peat in the United Kingdom are amateur gardeners (66%), followed by industry (34%) and a small percentage by local authorities (
I'm in Australia Bunny, and we use coco-peat. We don't have peat bogs in Australia. You just have to do things differently. Yes, it takes some adjustment, but I'm also using my compost, leaf mould and the green compost from my local council. it is hard to adjust, and you will have some failures. But I'd rather my garden fail (more my pots) than to do more damage to your peat bogs.
I am with you Amanda. But we do have limited peatbogs in Australia at the Snowy Mts and Tasmania. We do our growing differently without relying on peat as so rare here. Do you UK people want it to be rare there in the UK too.
The issue with coco peat (made from coir) was discussed toward the beginning of the video.
@@jacksonlee619 yes but Australia also has a domestic coconut industry
I live next too the largest peat bog in Europe, can I suggest those that have entrenched views investigate what is going on without always using main stream media as their only source of information. You may see things that don’t quite fit the narrative you think you know. You may see how money drives both sides of the argument. Once again Bunny thank you for discussing these things. I have always found the wisest decisions would be made by people that seek both sides of an argument and can argue a case for either side without bias that come to the best conclusions. So hearing opposing points of view is a necessary part of this process. They call it a decision making wheel for a good reason as we should all constantly review our stances to ensure they are robust.
Thank u Kenny also for pointing out that alot of the time that can b true for other things too !
@@lindamurns1245 thank you for the comment. It saddens me to see first hand driving through the remote highland scenery I have enjoyed all my life being dug up for other reasons that deemed to be acceptable now for the benefit of the cities but peat for the gardens is vilified. I wish some people would take a more holistic approach to developing the fully picture of what is going on.
@@TheClashen you and me both brother !
I’m curious Kenny what your point of view is regarding the current use of peat bogs? Being so close to one I’m interested in your first hand experience and the pros and cons.
@@kgardennerd Hello Kylee and thank you for asking to hearing my point of view. Firstly my overall view is that like many things in life though people like to see things as in terms of Black and White. Things are never as straight forward and clear cut when you try to consider both sides of the arguement without intented bias.
First of all I would like you to understand my backgound I am from a farming background with my Father starting off as a shepherd in the Highlands and then developed his career to working for a government agency in the farming sector, I myself am a retired Chartered Enginner that worked in Enginnering science. So basically I have no financial benifit in my point of view but can emphathise with people that do. To me I would like tosee people being able to discuss things in a manner that shows how they themselves came to their conclusions after weighing up all the options that they know about. I dont think we ever see that these days as many see that as a weakness. Personally I see a balanced approach a strength. As it allows them to constantly re-assess their point of view as new evidence arrives from the different camps
First of all one of the quote Al Gore introduced me to a famous quote from Upton Sinclair (A very relevant surname for the area in question) "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on not understanding it". To me this serves both sides of this arguement as there are those whos salarys depend on the use/exploitation of the commodity and those thats salary depends on the commodity not being exploided.
Lets look at the wider highland ecosystem first before looking specifically about peat bogs. How much is as nature indended no matter how wild and remote you think it is? The answer is very very very little if any at all. For one we took out the appex predators in the area so there are no Lynx and Wolves left to keep deer populations in check and in the last couple of centuries high deer numbers meant shooting estates did well. This meant the natural regeneration of trees was decimated so in some areas now you have groups fencing off area from deer and to reintroduce wolves and lynx to allow the caledonian forsest to regenerate and in other areas groups have opposing points of view and are cutting down forestery as it is lowering the water table in peat bogs. Hence examples of different points of view making nature the way they want it to look by active intervention. Can I suggest you have a look into how practices have changed in Yellowstone park due to wolves interaction with elk at river sides and how the savanaha has benifited by clovenhoof cattle being concentrated by lions and how that has changed the local folora and fauna.
So you have different opinions of what the landscape should look like that only push their own agenda. I have driven through one hamlet in a remote part of the peat bog area and on the fences of houses and a hotel were signs against a well known bird charity saying things like "Go Home" or "not welcome here". It looked a very toxic environment and I think one of the contributing factors is these people see people from cities telling them how to live their lives in the countryside when it is ok for them to live in somewhere making loads of money after wrecking their own environement to their financial gain. They see the stance as very hypicrotical telling them they cant burn peat in their homes to keep warm whilst they can do what they like hundreds of miles away with a total disconnect from the immediate effects of the policies they place on local communities.
Then you just need to look at the developemnt of Wind and hydro energy, the green and enviropnmentally friendly type and needs road infastructes cut into peat covered hillsides is that ok but peat for the garden is not. Depends on your point of view and you can argue it both ways. Why dont they site them at sea which the structures can become articial reefs benifting marine deversity. One of the things I saw Bunny discussing was peat banks and the adverse effects on the water tables, in my travels I see very little of this practice going on and I cant see it having much impact.
Then there is the sitation with methane which can given off in the process of peat generation, is this neglegable compaired to the benifits of the carbon capture of the bogs?. Persoanlly I have been trying to weigh this up myself but not found the evidence so far. However look at the concerns of the peat in russia thawing out. Experts rarely discuss the down sides of their arguements as it could adversely affect their funding. Even though it often leaves people like me with a willingness to see the whole picture and are trying to weigh up the various varaible in their own arguements with facts rather that an emotional with a nagging doubt about the robustness of their point of view.
On a postive note I have been lead to belive there is alot of working going on in the baltic states on farming peat moss in a sustainable manner, which I hope can be carried out succesfully as we should be consider the carbon miles/energy usage associated with all the ingredients of our composts which are peat alternatives.
I am a STEM ambassador that goes around rural schools some which can only be accessed by sea they are that remote and always try to allow the kids to see their are differing opinions in a arguements and suggest they should constantly review they standpoint. Hence it is good to see videos like Bunnys that give opinions that some people oppose loudly but volume and intensity of arguement doesnt mean it is right and you have convinced people of its validity.
Hope that helps if you have any questions please feel free to come back and challange me if you think I am wrong.
Thank you for your clear explanation of the facts. The industry has had 30 years to find a solution to this problem and has been dragging its heels. We are never going to please all of the gardeners with your arguments but at least we will be better informed. Thank you for being brave enough to take the risk of putting your hard above the parapet. I hadn’t heard that Peter Seabrook had died recently. I loved his gentle, kindly presentation and I am sure I gleaned a lot of knowledge from him. In the 70’s I was a young Mum who enjoyed watching Pebble Mill to pass the time!
I totally agree with you and pleased you have the courage to speak out. The Dutch all but destroyed the Clyde Valley tomato industry as their government subsidised them (decades ago). I live beside a walled garden which was a cutting patch for a local florist in the 19th century. Today I regularly see Dutch pantechnicons delivering plants to Ayrshire florist shops ... as if flowers don't grow in Scotland. At this rate Scots will be buying heather from The Netherlands! Shipping is one of the world's biggest polluters and yet people advocate importing coir.
Perhaps this is an unecessarily binary argument? There are unexplored ideas here. We could tax peat grown products to make them less atractive to buyers. This would boost locally grown with less carbon footprint. Every climate damaging industry, coal, petrol, gas and peat must change. There will always be those who suggest that we can change more slowly or wait a bit longer. The truth, that we all know, is that change is long overdue and we will not find new solutions until forced. Deadlines force solutions. I love Bunny Guiness but she may be on the wrong band-wagon on this one.
Yup, Monty Don being one of the main offenders! :/
I don't care if there isn't a suitable alternative yet, I've been buying peat free for a while now, 'Sylva Grow', and will be buying another wooden compost bin this year.
The bigger picture is that obviously its not only gardeners, it's farmers, nursery growers and it's also used for fuel etc. so looking at the problem as a whole using even just a little peat is too much. Peat 'grows ' only a millimetre a year.
A loss of only 5% of UK peatland carbon would be equal to the UK's annual greenhouse gas emissions.
I can't stress enough, this problem really should be treated with the utmost urgency!
I totally agree with you!!!
Yes!
Every single industry who has abused resources for comercial gain wants to delay change, and every single one screams "But our industry! Just a few more years." And then nothing ever happens. We're still using gasoline/petrol, we're still drilling for oil, we're still using platics at an incredible rate, we're still emitting greenhouse gasses and polluting because these industries said "Just a little longer. We have to think about our industry!" There will be no industry or future if change doesn't happen. No industry is important enough, to justify what we know is wrong.
Fantastic response :)
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton How can that be a good response, being so judgmental? Don’t forget you are no vegan, you fly at times and you use a smartphone! I don’t. I don’t use a smartphone nor fly/drive, etc. But I DO use peat when I grow in my organic garden.
My point is: everyone helps the environment in a different way. Those of us who grow are capturing carbon & recycling kitchen scraps.
Try not to encourage people like Troy, who may scream out their own virtues, whilst condemning others, please, Joel. Show me a Just Stop Oil protester who use medications (almost always made with petroleum by-product coating) or use a smartphone & I’ll show you a self-righteous hypocrite, all right?
And what about all those eco-green infrastructure motivated by corporate greed that we green conscious people promote here that polluted the poorer countries’ environment where we mine their RARE metals to keep our own backyards green. We poo on other countries so we can keep our backyards green. Shame on us. And especially on you, for encouraging those like Troy, who sees the speck in others’ eyes but not equally, the corporate greed of our own green companies.
Read Harvard International Review on Not So ‘Green’ Technology and also on the toxic secrets behind your mobile phones, solar panels, electric cars, wind turbines, etc. And leave Bunny alone.
Why is Canada able to make peat renewably? Why isn’t that an option in the UK/EP? Would love to see a video on that. I’m in the US, but I use peat quite generously. Peat is the base for the “permanent” potting soil as described and sold by Gary Matsuoka at Laguna Hills Nursery. He has quite a few UA-cam videos on the topic as “Gary’s Best Gardening”. The other reason I use it here in Southern California is that our water, and therefore our soil, is very high pH (8.5-9) and the peat along with soil sulfur helps to mediate that. Interestingly, many gardeners here erroneously believe that Canadian peat suffers from the same issues as those in the UK.
I think what matters is the size of Canadian peatlands compared to the amount of peat that is extracted. And thats exactly why sustainable peat is a myth for the UK, because the peat consumption is just too big compared to its own peatlands. Instead, the UK, but also countries like the Netherlands, import peat from other countries in eastern Europe. Unfortunately in these countries swathes of peatlands are being destroyed just to make a quick buck.
I hate to say this but it can't. They say about "renewable peat" in the UK too but it's a myth, it takes 10 years to form 1cm of peat. So at the rate that people are consuming it for horticulture but also for power and other things it can never regenerate quickly enough to keep up with supply. Also it is a massive carbon sink and a really important habitat.
@@hodgeheghan absolutely this!!!
I'm in Canada (BC) and I never see peat used by the recreational or trade gardener. We have a massive variety of zones and growing environments in our country and just choose plants that are appropriate for our climate. I'm only 3 hours from Vancouver but in a much drier/warmer climate. I can't grow 75% of the plants that thrive there, and I don't try.
Thankyou Bunny for discussing this issue, it would be great if more people talked about this imo. I am very concerned that all that is taken away from us was good for us/is replaced with something harmful to us or the planet/is replaced with an inferior alternative/is not replaced at all!
In compost bags now they have some sort of moisture-retaining gel in them. What is this stuff? Is it also harmful to us and harmful to our gardens, the soil, insects and birds, the environment? That is what I would like to know.
Please keep talking about this topic Bunny, I am so glad you have had some knowledge passed on to you by Peter.
So sad to hear about Peter Seabrook.
Though I appreciate you having the courage to speak up against the mainstream school of thought on this, with cancel culture being what it is, but I could not disagree with you more. There is no point to setting goals without setting deadlines. The horticulture industry has dragged its heels long enough looking for viable alternatives for decades, perhaps the deadline is exactly what the industry needs to bring about change expeditiously. Change is never easy, but anything worth doing seldom ever is.
And just think of the missed opportunity for someone to potentially revolutionize the horticulture industry by solving this problem for us all. There is money to be made in finding a more sustainable alternative. Surely that should be enough of an incentive to get the think tanks off of their 🍑‘s.
So well said Kathy, absolutely couldn't agree more! So disappointing.
Maybe the reason why no suitable alternative has been found to date is because there isn't one, have you thought of that?
It’s the same issue with oil and gas and they are never ready for a oil spill, but they always say oh it’s not going to break until you see how old spell you will never believe it... The same way with Peat ,Put a deadline on it and then cut it off is the best way look at how long climate change has been going on it’s totally ridiculous there is no reason for eco-friendly oil and gas no more plastic bags no more plastic is just ridiculous
@@mypointofview1111 in there lies the answer my friend. If no solution can be found simply because it doesn’t exists, as you say, then CREATE one.
The COVID 19 vaccine didn’t exist 2 years ago either. Smarter people than you and I thought it through and today, more than 4.94 billion people worldwide have received a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. That’s about 64.4 percent of the world population.
The rest of the world isn’t folding their arms in defeat, with their tails between their legs, simply because it doesn’t exist. Innovations, new developments, progress, forward movement breakthroughs are happening in every facet of our lives. I remain hopeful that the same can be said for the horticulture industry.
Thank you for a respectful, reasoned and eloquent critique. Fundametally, I entirely agree with you…..however, short of giving up container gardening alltogether, at present the peat free alternatives for hobby gardeners are often deeply frustratring, often expensive, and entirely hit n’miss endeavours. Whilst we like it - the plants often don’t. I lost more plants ( houseplants, established container plants, new seedlings, etc) in the last 5 years from peat free compost than over all my lifetime. Plants gets bacterial diseases, fungal diseases, they get water logged causing the roots to rot and/ or in hot weather the roots will steam in this “hot compost”. A dilemma. Plus, there is absolutely NO manufacturing consistency WITHIN the same brand - one batch might be great, the next completely appaling. Which isn’t surprising since a lot of the peat free compost is simply our own garden waste being sold back to us! If you could share some peat free alternatives on the market with a consistent quality, this would be helpful & most appreciated.
all the eco ness aside. i dont find peat to be any good. it dries out quickly, and becomes hydrophobic
Try Melcourt sylva then .. way worse. Best is Peat 60% and loam 30% with some sang and coarse sand/grit
I make all my own compost from the weeds,clippings etc.and add garden soil and hort sand to it.It takes about two seasons to get the right texture but it then works just as well as peat right across the board.We need to stop using peat and show gardeners these easy methods imo
I think you talking about the use of peat on the garden. Your creating the equivalent of farm yard manure. Not potting compost. There is a big difference between the two.
I mix John Innes potting compost to pot cutting and plants into pots.
Your making a different thing all together. My John Innes mix is 7 of loan 3 of peat and 3 of sand. Very much different to what you are creating to incorporate into your land.
Overe here, peatmoss is practicly gone from the stores, and that was since 2000, so I dont understand why UK would still cling to it when it is clearly possible to find an alternative.
Back to loam is okay. But say using a John Innes mix of 7 loam, 2 river sand an
then it still needs 3 peat.
I remember the introduction of the first soiless compost - Levington in 1965. That was what started the usage of peat.
So instead of 3 x parts of peat out of 12. It was now 12 x parts of peat.
Of course I see nothing wrong with a 7-2-3 mix of John Innes using only 3 parts peat.
But like my local Councillors in regard to our Parks - the government take any populist idea. Especially if it comes from a jeweller TV presenter/pundit.
Jesus that was a difficult watch, this read more like a paid advert from the compost manufacturers than an actual well reasoned argument. No garden plant is worth the use of peat, and the industry has known about the problem for years, they need a harsh deadline otherwise they'll just keep dragging their heels. This video will be used in horticulture lectures in about 15 years time to demonstrate how bad our attitudes were in 2022 towards peatlands.
Although you vociferously disagree with her, I appreciate that you weren't disrespectful of her on a personal level. I like to think us horticulturalists are a civilized lot.
I agree. This is a shocking attitude and I remain appalled at how many people still buy compost with peat in it.
A well reasoned and thought out argument - brilliant Mike :)
I wonder how many shares she inherited in David Austin Roses who appear to be very silent on their use of peat. Smells like shameless self interest.
I thought that peat was banned years ago and that Geoff Hamilton had found a sustainable alternative in coir. Seems I was wrong on both counts. Everything is more complex and nuanced than either side tell us. I don't know the solution. I'm just a pottering gardener now so not affected but it's difficult for professional growers.
Peat bogs are NOT renewable, no matter how you reflood them. The bogs In Ireland and other places are from a long gone forest that died and rotted away, never to return. It would require Ireland being a forested land again and then an ice age. Sadly we grew up cutting turf for the fires and peat was great in the garden but so is seaweed and we have plenty of that too.
Fantastically written :)
Digging up the peat, even if you "reinstate" the bogs, means all the carbon in the peat dug up is eventually released into the environment. The climate crisis will cause gardeners much more difficulty than the lack of peat. Yes, I know it's only a small contribution to global temperature change, but it is very visible, and "every little helps". Also buy bare rooted plants in season from responsible British growers, saves peat, plastic and fuel in transport.
What a fantastic and sensible reply!
Others using peat cannot be the excuse to use peat further in gardening! There are alternatives, so have a look at peat free gardening soils. Yes, this has been discussed for decades, the discussion was fairly ignored by the industry which could have acted earlier. And now, waking up, everybody is surprised about the „rush“ of the government.
When other countries are looking at doubling the production of peat you have to ask why is our government not supporting our own peat bogs to be managed better? Just banning something because it doesn't agree with our often misguided view isn't a proper basis for legislation
Thank you Bunny - good to hear the facts
I am so glad you have taken up the cudgel with regard to this subject and explained it so succinctly. I listened to Peter Seabrooks podcasts on this subject and he certainly convinced me too. If this goes through we will be throwing out the baby with the bath water.
His death is a great loss to the gardening community and I enjoyed listening to his in depth interviews with the scientists and horticulturalists with regard to this subject and it was fascinating.
It is a sustainable crop if managed in the right way which other countries have been doing already very successfully.
Thank you for putting your head above the parapet, who cares and dares hopefully will manage to convince the powers that be to think again and if nothing else
the cost to other nations of their precious water resources to deliver a less than perfect product across the world….
Go girl ……
It takes 10 years for 1cm of peat to be formed how is this ever going to be sustainable!
Thank for your honest appraisal concerning Peat. I believe that uses a very small of the peat lands available and then reseeds the area that was cultivated. I believe the alternative lies within trees either composted wood, or bark.
another bout of madness. The European horticultural industry will be very grateful.
I presume experiments have been done to try and quantify the production losses in using a peat-free compost. What are those results? Thanks for setting me a bit straighter in this argument. I'm a Libran and believe in fair's fair.
I lost 50% of my stock in 2 seasons hanks to peat free !
Wow someone else seems to understand the argument. I won’t use coir as the impact of the washing and shipping is so horrible. Give me a proper alternative to peat and I’m in there, but until them I’m using peat. Thank you Bunny well said.
I couldn't quite believe the title of this video when it appeared on my feed. Had to stop by and see what reasons we should continue to deprive our country and planet of the vital habitat that peat bogs provide. 3% of the world’s land surface is peatland, and 5% of that is found in Scotland. Whilst damaged peatland releases CO2, once restored, peatlands can actually CAPTURE carbon dioxide. If there were little alternative I think I would still struggle to find a valid reason to continue to use peat-based composts when there are clearly alternatives, and most that can be done in our own gardens. If we continue to destroy these peat habitats we will ruin a vital part of our natural heritage, lose dozens of rare plants, animals and insects too - this in itself should ensure that we cease using peat-based compost, and if that has to start with the horticultural industry then so be it - we can't continue to use it just because "they" are, an example has to be set and evidence provided that it CAN be done without destruction of our planet.
I appreciate your point of view! The last thing we want to do as gardeners is deplete a natural resource. You have put things into prospective for me. Thanks 🌱💚
Troule is i cant seem to find any compost with peat in ? UK
Unless it SAYS peat-free then it WILL contain compost. It’s not the time to clearly label as you might imagine
interesting viewpoint, its got me thinking.
Hiya Bunny i am with you on this. However can I ask 600 times what amount? the 0.053? for conifer forests? I am a tad confused with that calculation, felt it just jumped in to the vid quite randomly 🤔🤷♀
Apologies I did more in depth pieces in Telegraph will find figures and get back to you 🐇
I have seen the pillaging of Irish Peat bogs in my youth. Otherwise know as the moss. These are ecosystems we should be leaving in peace for all our sakes and the sakes of all our children. If you want an alternative Johnson-su compost is the future is even restoring semi arid desertified soils in the US. Results are stunning. Fungal dominant soils and composts are the future NOT PEAT!!
It's interesting that she mentions Britain just using a tiny amount of their peat bogs in the garden industry, but fails to mention that it is in fact the Irish peat bogs that are supplying Britain with their peat. Glad to hear there will be a stop to this ravaging of Irish bogs coming soon. Maybe then the Irish bogs will be re -wetted and brought back to their former glory!
Truly, the industry has had 40 years to invent effective alternatives and have not bothered. Deadlines focus minds.
I think manufacturers spending millions of pounds trying to find the perfect alternative may take great offense to that, they have been bothering a lot..
We have all had the wool pulled over our eyes over peat usage in horticulture! Much like the Beeching railway cuts in the 1960s: The 'Beeching Report' is one of the most notorious government reports of the 20th century. Many closures went ahead; some sensible, others far less so. The report often adopted an overly-simplistic analysis of the economics of the routes, failing to recognise how the branches contributed traffic to the core network. The Beeching closures failed in their attempt to eliminate BR's losses, and led to the belated recognition that the railways serve a social role which should be financially acknowledged.
I fear that the DEFRA info and its one-sided consultation will be the same for this century! The questions in the consultation were worded with no option of keeping peat, and so the majority of results from it were treated as a "yes, ban peat now"!
I could go on for hours about this but I will spare your viewers 🤣
Totally agree and why are we shipping cocoa husks as a substitute from St Lucia etc when they need them to mulch their cocoa trees? 🐇
@@bunnyguinness Just made my own video about peat, Bunny. I'll to your video the description 🙂
I make my own compost and make up the shortfall with green waste compost,works well for me.
If or rather when peat gets banned in England will i still be able to import irish peat, 'clover peat' for eg?
Fantastic 🤗 thanks for the information 👍
I stopped using peat compost years ago and I can’t say I noticed much difference. I’m in Wales where we have no problems with soil/compost retaining water! It rains nearly every day!
make your own compost and the rest use peat free. leave the peat alone it’s not hard. if you can’t grow all the things you want and they need fertiliser and more water then maybe don’t grow them? choose things that suit you and are easy to grow and become a better gardener .we garden from love wisdom and caring
A response full of common sense - thanks Dennis :)
@@WildYourGardenWithJoelAshton 🙏🏻
I can only assume you do not work in a nursery.
Spot on. So much peat is squandered because in the general public are never educated in how to use it. Peat is NOT a quick route to a good crop or a healthy pot plant - if you've ever visited a peat bog you might have noticed that almost nothing grows - they are bleak sterile and water logged. That's what can happen when you don't realise its purpose is to improve water retention when added to soil that is too sandy or fast draining (such as most peat-free composts!). We should have better education not more ignorant laws.
I’ve been trying to reduce my peat use and planted about half of my seedlings with coco peat as a replacement and am having to water them about 3x more than in the mix I made with peat. I expected to disagree with you when I opened the video, but I totally see what you mean.
Coco peat is terrible, my seedlings do fine in normal compost/soil mix.
How about luzurne, alfalfa pellets. I use these in my garden. It contains water and is a good furtelizer, for me the best furtelizer. And I use my own Bokashi as firtelizer. Bokashi in the ground and the moist of the bokashi I use as direct firtelizer. Because the alflafa pellets takes 2 months to be firtelizer. And I use green hennep pellets , hold water as wel en is a good firtelizer. Aswel for mij veggies as for my garden. I use cocos peat as wel in the seeds and cuttings pottings, with alfalfa and hennep pellets. It works very wel , and reduces diseases in plants and veggies.
Would love to know if you ever used these ingredient. 🥰😍🤩
So you explain how the little damage is limited and mitigated by the way the industry works and get a load of comments that ignore your arguments and the facts. I suppose all these people blame farmers for climate change too. Perhaps when they stop taking holidays abroad, driving cars and heating their homes I'll have more respect for their opinions.
Please forgive me for jumping in in the middle but I don't understand why they're banning peat. Is it a water thing?
Congratulations! Finally someone who has got balls to tell the truth! Best video so far Bunny!!
Absolutely disagree. Would prefer to fail in my garden rather than continue to wreck our natural environment. The industry has had years to work on alternatives to no avail. An absolute deadline is required to force people to change.
Would you also be happy to starve because the alternatives that also use plastic in some form or other is harmful to animals & insects. Please read my response above
@@mypointofview1111 This is whataboutery.
Well put Ellis. Fully agree.
I love my garden but protecting the planet is far more important. I have been using peat free compost for many years with no problems, if an amateur like me can manage professionals can too, even if I couldn't garden without peat I would not use it. Peat takes thousands of years to be created, it is not a sustainable crop. Peat bogs left should be protected, what is damaged should be restored the best we can. Rather than trying to continue in harmful practice try leading the way in finding alternatives. It's a no brainer to protect the planet we all need to be able to live.
Well said Nadine
I totally understand the sentiment but comparing a residential garden with an entire industry dealing with the large-scale growing of crops isn't very realistic. There is no easy solution.
I like using a coir mix for my seed starting because it's very fine, and I like using a peat mix for potting up. It's longer strands I think help the roots get stuck in. Both materials have their pros and cons, and I think both have their place.
Thank you for explaining the issues so clearly
They are carbon stores. When cut it releases lots of co2
Totally agree👍👍
👏👏👏👏👏
Well said!
You need Pete. I noticed many people lost there plants last year when this was pushed out last year. One nursery lost an entire stock of plants.
I’d be happier banning products which have been grown in peat too. We are a big market for the Dutch and others, they would soon start innovating.
Monty Don seems to be doing just fine without peat...guess he isn't being paid to feel 'deprived' 😉
He is useless garner and fraud! He lies all of the time about pants and species and growing conditions ... ps he doesn't grow plants in pots for 3-10 years as real nursery growers have to - to produce mature saleable plants and trees ! He just potters and indeed most of the work isn't done by him. Santa's little helpers doncha know
I'd agree to continue the use of peat if knew when the Holy grail of compost would be found. But, the actual holy grail remains lost if it even exists. What if we never find anything as good.
There have been plenty of herbicides and pesticides in the past that can not be matched today. And countries that use them still are at an advantage like peat. But I think most would agree we can't go back to practices that we know are harmful on that argument.
😯.... I do not even know how to put language to the enormous amount of disappointment I feel right now.... my mother always said , careful about putting people on pedestals , for their fall hurts you, far more than it does them... 😞
I feel exactly the same as this. I’m so very sad and disappointed in Bunny for this. It’s so completely out of touch.
There is no one answer to saving our planet for the future, so we as individuals and large industries must do anything and everything in our power to make changes where we can.
She's just putting another point of view. Time to grow up.
I agree with Anna, it's just another point of view which she is entitled to put across whether you as a person agree or disagree with the point being made. An open mind and all that.
Many things to think about. It is never as simple to solve most problems as simple people would narrowmindely argue. I agree you shouldn't cripple gardeners before providing a sensible realistic usable alternative. Informative, thank you.
I find the fact disturbing that the origin of huge parts of the peat used in British (and German) horticultural industry lies in Eastern Europe, i.e. the Baltic, wasn´t mentioned in this broadcast at all ... those peat "harvesting" areas are one of the main reasons for peats bad name because they usually are the opposite of sustainable.
And covert adververtising of a brand of peat based compost during such a controversial argument is a very poor choice, dear Bunny!
I have an allotment and have tried the alternatives. I am 100% with Bunny Guinness on this and when there is a suitable alternative I will happily use it, it has to be a) competitive, b) effective. I have lost far too many plants due to the effects of Clopyralid from lawn mowings brought in through careless gardeners sending this for waste recycling after spraying their lawns with this poison. Coir is one suggested alternative, but it loses water from the compost mix so quickly I end up having to water 2 or even 3 times a day. I'm all for managed peat use and have no intention of changing - there are sources around both commercially and black market if you care to look and as the ban comes in the black market will only increase. Managed peat use is the only way to go.
Oh, c'mon. There are substitutes available - they are simply more expensive. That's really what the 'concern' is all about. The nonsense that you have to water much more is just that - nonsense. Especially in a desert area like Great Britain...
Well your view point differs massively from all those that have tried and had really disappointing results- me included plus many really experienced gardeners. 🐇
I always make a point of buying peat free compost and I don't have any problems with it. We do need to stop using it in compost, it's a luxury not a necessity, and I will continue to avoid it. I don't need Government legislation, I just don't buy it, and if everyone else did the same there wouldn't be any issues would there.
Let’s extend heating up the planet just a little bit more until we find another equally suitable planet to live on. Should have banned the use of peat years ago extending any deadline is not an incentive to change
It seems to me this legislation is being driven by ideology rather than facts. I agree that there are a few alternatives but they're not really up to the job. Using gel crystals for instance, to retain moisture in planters, window boxes, etc is really short-sighted and doesn't make sense. How many insects & worms are happy to live in such conditions? At a time when we're supposed to be concerned & cutting back on our usage of plastic because of the harm it does to wildlife banning something that is managed in a sustainable manner, that allows all manner of flora & insects to thrive should be actively encouraged. Furthermore if other European countries are set to double their rate of peat production one has the question the veracity of arguments put forward in support of this legislation. Does the government have plans to tarmac across the UK when gardens are no longer lush, verdant havens of wildlife. Again, if we are truly concerned about the effects on insect life such as bees, depriving them of the ability to pollinate flowers and in turn crops for the farmer will lead to desperate food shortages. Or is that the plan all along?
I think you're confused. Gardens aren't going to die because we stop using compost. I've primarily used council garden waste compost for the past 4 years, have 100s of plants thriving and in my personal option enjoy a beautiful garden. Re suggesting continued use because other countries are also using it, what if we applied this logic to fossil fuel usage. shall we continue to burn dirty coal because other countries are? It's literally a race to the bottom. Also farmers are definitely not pouring peat compost over their fields so why would this effect our food production??
I have been growing and propagating rare plants for many years. Absolutely yes, it is more difficult to propagate some plants without peat, and virtually impossible with some plants that come from bogs. I'm also vegan, so I need to avoid animal product-based peat alternatives, limiting me further. Having said all of that, I don't believe in gardening in a way that destroys nature, especially when growing plants only for their ornament value. I would not be able to enjoy my garden or plants knowing that to grow them I have poisoned wildlife or deprived wild animals or future generations of such rare and unique natural wonders as bog. I find destructive, unsustainable gardening practices selfish, short-sighted, and outdated. I have to say that I find this to be a generational debate, as older gardeners seem to have grown up in a world where knowingly poisoning wildlife was justified in the interest of having an immaculate lawn or monoculture flowerbeds of spotless (absolutely hideous) hybrid tea roses.
Peat bogs absorb far more Co2 than forests and we are losing both.
I shan't lose any sleep knowing that the potted plant industry has been deprived of peat especially given that millions of potted plants are thrown away or die in the course of their lives with the added complication of what to do with the billlions of plastic pots.
I dont agree Bunny. Peat has to go. It needed to be abandoned ten years ago but better late than never.
Wish they would ban the use of pesticides ⚫️
Bravo Bunny!
By the way a pluk my peat fresch and let it dry, there are so many places here ware a live that it grows so fast, one time i plukt 10 garbich bags full , let it dry and used it wel in my garden. The next year al these places that I plukt, were already full with new grown peat. So whats the problem. Its moss and grow in moister arias. Now I use alflafa luzurne pellets and hennep pellets. It works better for me. 🥰
Sounds like you are collecting moss not digging up peat, peat takes literally thousands of years to produce
@@nadinehill3356 yes Inuse the green moss, spagnum moss. These treats I use . Thats what we call in The Netherlands peat moss. We use it for wrapping it around roots of plants when whe pot them of for koke demas. Its a good firtelizer. And keeps moist in. 🙈
@@nadinehill3356 I understeand now this peat thing, they dont sell it were a live , only moss dry. Its not alloud.
Change is always hard. Many will always say 'could we change more slowly please?' and find lots of justifications. Deadlines force change. The U.K. rid itself of most plastic bag use almost overnight by having a deadline and then charging for them. We can charge tax on imported peat grown products and support change around the world. New, excellent products to replace peat will not be created until the ban comes into place. Generally, none of us change until we are forced. I usually love Bunny Guiness and am sure that I will again. Changing from using petrol, gas, plastic, coal and peat will produce lots of films suggesting that we need to slow down, we need to wait a bit longer. Change is hard but, we all know, changing our ways is long overdue.
I've been gardening peat free for years and find that Sylvagrow (made in UK), gives excellent results. Peat needs to stay in the ground.
It's junk .. signed a professional grower! And national collection holder . It killed over 50% of my plants. Awful wetting , will not rewet once dry , turns to mush if kept wet and the nutrient level despite buying 10 tons at a time of their nursery grade is useless! NEVER again. Plants like perennials grown in pots for 3-10 years before sale have not a hope in hell !
The consequences of using peat in growing medium has been known about for over 40 years, ample time to research suitable alternatives.
I can't help but notice the prominent brand in your video. Can you disclose whether or not you have been paid for this content?
A lot of growers and gardeners are struggling. I have not been paid for the content.
I couldn't agree with you more Bunny. Ideally, of course it would be good to find a completely viable alternative eventually, but I dispute the self-righteous panic of virtual-signalling, tick-boxing, drum-beating environmentalist zealots who grip onto a tunnel-visioned stance like a dog with a bone. Government, of course, follows suit ~ in its quest for gleaning votes at the ballot box.
The alternatives already exist! I’ve had great success growing in Dalefoot and Melcourt compost.
If it weren’t for the drum beating environmentalist zealots in the 80’s, we would be scorched by the rapidly growing Ozone layer. But people and governments had more common sense and rallied together to ban CFCs. If it weren’t for the drum beating environmentalist zealots we would still be poisoned by lead in our drinking water, lead in our homes. If it weren’t for the drum beating environmentalist zealots we would still be poisoned by asbestos. If it weren’t for the drum beating environmentalist zealots, we would still be…list list goes on.
ive beeen no dig perma culture for 10 years and make 100% of my own compost , this is backwords growing and reminds me that when slavery ended there was people like you out defending it lol
When did slavery end?
Well said!! Love your balanced approach.
Peat free is responsible for the rising cost of plants. There is no substitute for peat. Other than Oak or beech leafmould.
Brilliantly said thanks 💚👍👍👍
10 years to make a new growing medium?? have your heard of compost??
Home made compost can be used,but even Charles Dowding buys in compost mostly for seed sowing. He uses ‘Moorland Gold ‘ which does have some peat in it ( not from peat bogs but from a water company who sieve it out of water). He mixes this wi th 1/4 homemade compost or vermiculite. He finds a lot of the other alternatives inconsistent.🐇
@@bunnyguinness not fussed about dowdning as he is a proud tory 😅 yes he’s good at no dig but it still doesn’t explain the reason for your comment about it taking 10 years to make your own material. Deep down I know you know you don’t have to use peat in the garden.
I had a patch of land in Surrey. 3 acres of Weald clay. sheetmulched a fair amount of it and grew soo many crops. Not one drop of peat. It’s doable.
We have so many other growing alternatives. Spread the good word and don’t be a sell out. ✌🏿
@@bunnyguinness I find it particularly interesting that you only point out this one individual, while ignoring all the other prominent gardeners who've been successfully growing peat free for many years. This decision suits the narrative you're trying to create while being completely dishonest about the reality of peat free gardening...shameful.
@@growinginthewind Is Charles Dowding really a Tory voter? I'm surprised by that and somewhat disappointed
I've been using the Canadian peat for over 20 years to supplement my compost planting mix. It is does wonders in my seed trays and my garden. 3 Cheers for Peat!
Peat is not a renewable resource, a massive carbon sink and an important habitat so I would imagine that the peat free movement will make its way to Canada eventually.
@@hodgeheghan . "Canada contains vast areas of peat bog wetlands; 119 million hectares (294 million acres) or approximately 25% of the entire world’s peatlands. The Canadian horticultural peat industry operates on less than 22,000 hectares (54,363 acres) of these peat bogs nationally. The amount of peat moss harvested from Canadian peat bogs every year is nearly 60 times less than the total annual "....and on and on it goes... there is much information on the subject.
@@JeriLandersofHopalongHollow That's all well and good but I'm sure the horticulture industry are not the only ones using peat as a resource, it's as a few others have said "but they're affecting it much worse than we are so what we're doing is ok", is not a valid argument for using peat.
@@hodgeheghan I'm actually not in an argument; I will use peat for as long as it is available,
The problem you don't address is carbon emission from cutting peat
Well if you think 0.054% of peatland is used for horticulture and around 77% of peat lands is used for agriculture, forestry etc then the regular ploughing of the peat lands for agriculture is a hugely greater contributor of carbon emissions than that for horticulture. You can actually see the fenlands sinking in level very dramatically as the carbon is continually being lost. Don’t get me wrong, I want peat to be stopped for use in horticulture when we find a good substitute, otherwise I reckon we will just loose ground to the rest of Europe who will be producing plants and produce more efficiently than the uk can do.
@@bunnyguinness I agree with you about the the horror of destroying the fenlands and the awful effects of agribusiness. The amount of peat used for horticulture sounds minimal. We have to stop the big users because they account for the most damage. Numbers matter in this analysis. You don't have to be a math genius to compare these numbers. Just know the difference between big and little.
@@bunnyguinness plants grow wel from carbon🤩🌹
I’m with ya Bunny! Sad to hear of Peter Holbrook passing. He was a star! I don’t believe this is being looked into properly as whole. There is plenty of room to modify the practices without choking out the horticultural industry and in turn allow full access to certain areas.
Clean in up, not dissolve the use for some.
Peter Seabrook
@@Salmagundiii
Yes! Sorry. Guilty…definitely should proofread.
I support you Bunny. It is not known if some of the imported choices from Asia are not worse for the environment, and are at all the natural choice. Peat is a good thing, and that is why some of the peat bogs needed to be saved when they were threatened with environmental ruin, however, peat farming would seem to be an important choice, that has not been made. Peat farming needs to be tried, and it is such a benefit in itself, that it should not cause any harm. The fact that so much of the basis for horticulture depends on peat for growing new plants in the nursery and early in planting results in so many green plants being able to survive, and be affordable for sale. No one will be going in and cutting the protected peat bogs, everyone knows not to do that by now and there is no excuse, UK gardeners should not have to wonder if they are getting peat from these locations, but maybe a new farmed peat industry needs a little help. Truly, the Canadian farmed peat "certified as farmed" would be a better choice, clearly marked so people feel like they will not be bullied for using it, than suspicious materials from Asia. The trip to UK is shorter, as well. What if peat were plentiful and people didn't have to pretend they were not using it to save face?
I've got something better than peat
and Coco coir .
Wanna know ???
To be honest I would put one of the UK's biggest carbon sinks and habitat for a lot of rare wildlife over the needs of the horticulture industry. We already need to make compromises with the agricultural industry over climate change and habitat degradation just to keep farmers in buisness and keep us fed. We can't afford to make compromises with non essential industries. Pear grows about a metre in depth in a mellenia. There is no way to sustainably harvest something that slow to grow.
This is so very disappointing. How do The RHS feel about you spouting this? I listen to the BBC Gardener’s Question Time podcast, in which you feature, every week. People look up to you for advice and if you’re publicly singing the praises of peat, what help is this to educate gardeners on preserving our precious peat bogs, protecting the wildlife and fundamentally saving the planet?!
Also, i think you forgot the #Ad #sponsoredpost #paidpartnership here. 😒
That Vitax bag? Seems very prominently placed.
I promise you this has no paid sponsorship. My point Is why aren’t the government targeting the huge 77% of the 3 million hectares of peat bogs which are exploited for other uses such as agriculture and forestry, but just targeting the 0.054 % used for horticulture, which will hugely damage the uk horticultural industry and we will even more swamped with plants from Holland, Belgium etc which will be grown in, guess what, peat based composts.
@@bunnyguinness Be the change you want to see. Gardeners need to do better. Other countries will catch up in time. Commercial industry peat use has until 2028 to get its act together.
@@bunnyguinness EXACTLY most peat is burned in power stations in Eire ..
@@onemanfran it doesn't as the eco facebookers are forcing it by 2024
I find this video very dissapointing on so many levels. Nearly every minute contains a ridiculous falsehood. The ending of the video is even more disingenuous. You're not being hung from the rooftops because of a differing opinion. You're just wrong.
For example, you say a tiny amount of the bogs in the UK are used for peat extraction, but you fail to explain where the peat is actually coming from. It's from the Baltics, where large swathes of native bog are destroyed. This peat is then shipped to Europe via polluting freight ships. Knowing this makes half of your video irrelevant. And the remainder is just bull.
Also, did you forget the #sponsoredvideo tag, or is that particular bag of compost in the video just a total coincidence. It must be, right? Totally.
If you had looked on the label of the compost, you'd have seen it contains 50% peat. But yeah, gardeners just use a tiny amount of peat. lol
Oh no wait, it's actually 100% peat. Genius move to put this in the video.
There are more places were peat is cultivated, and it dosnt take 10 years only 3 .
im with you all the way well done
Bunny you say "a little bit of peat in compost" most of the cheapest composts sold at garden centres are at least 50% peat...and that's in multipurpose ones that most people buy. You are artificially making it appear as peat is not used extensively...when it truly still is. The industry will keep churning it because it's cheap and the consumer is price sensitive. It's been truly tiring going round garden centres this year and seeing misleading signs everywhere advertising minimised use of peat only to read the small print and see that particular compost is still 70% peat. Unfortunately the horticulture business hasn't earned the trust you place on them to self regulate. It's a very upper class viewpoint that doesn't really get supported with their action to date. Magical thinking is not how we should legislate. But brave of you to try to sell this harm minimising thesis that compost makers must be applauding from the sidelines.
Oh please don't ban peat until we find an alternative, it's not like you haven't had the time to develop a sustainable alternative is it? Can I suggest that you'd better get on with it, you've now got less than two years! Nothing like a bit of motivation to help speed things along. Or maybe just keep moaning about it.
Shame you can’t delay climate change while people drag their feet and continue to use peat. Nothing wrong with using a good plant compost.
You cannot stop climate change... was happenning way before humans and will continue when humans are extinct 😂
@@willsommers6477 🙄 So you are promoting the continual draining of our resources and environmental damage, or are you just a trolling denier?
I have never used peat (have been gardening for 5 years) and have grown some impressive harvests. It’s just not necessary! No reason to use it!
I'm in the U.S. and had no idea this was an issue. As usual government is in the way. Your point was well made there are much bigger abuses going on with peat, why on earth go after an industry that feeds us, and improves the environment? The ban should be obliterated, not delayed.
Funny Bunny but it’s never a good idea to justify your actions by pointing out somebody else is doing the same thing but you are great extent which seem to be a large part of your argument. “The bad Next Door stole my bike so it’s okay for me to steal his car” in my humble opinion it’s a weak argument and brings very little to the debate we all know that the use of Peat has consequences regardless of what it used for.
I’ve successfully Gardens on a small skylight met without using Peat So have many other Gardners there are many other Garden pundits Who don’t agree with you to which you alluded in your rather undignified snipe. As Gardener who love the natural world We should be leading the way if it means we have to water a little more if it means we have to make a little more of our own home compost so be it.
Money talks....🙄
I disagree with your view that a peat ban would not help mitigate climate change. Peat extraction for garden use alone causes peatland to emit ~16,000,000 tons of carbon per year in the UK.
Whilst it is true that other industries contribute towards peatland degradation, they are also subject to management measures and restrictions, with plans for these to increase. Environmental restoration and recovery requires multiple approaches for it to be most effective.
Peatlands in the UK (and many other countries, primarily in Europe and South Asia) are now a net source of greenhouse gas emissions, rather than a sink due to areas of degraded peat. Globally, 35% of peatlands have been lost since 1970. Peatland restoration is essential to meeting the Paris climate agreement target for the UK to be net zero by 2050. Globally, peatlands store twice as much carbon as all the world's forests, despite only covering 3% of the earth's land. In contrast, forests cover 31%. Gardens could never be as efficient and effective at carbon sequestration as healthy peatlands are.
I appreciate the potential socio-economic impacts of the ban, however the socio-economic risks of allowing continued extraction are far greater. Climate change endangers livelihoods and human lives in general. It is for the greater good, so to speak.
I’m not sure where you got your figure of 16m tons of carbon from , but as peat lands used for horticultural is only 0.054% of peatlands and a massive amount more is used for other forms of agriculture inevitably the other uses give rise to many many times the amount of carbon emissions. So why is the comparatively tiny amount used for horticulture being targeted? Thanks for your input though, I just hope the government realise the huge impact this will have on the horticultural industry and the far bigger areas will carry on just the same.
@@bunnyguinness The government is targeting other industries, but horticultural peat extraction is probably the easiest to eliminate soonest. Plus, in terms of political uproar, harsh restrictions on agriculture would be more controversial.
Even seemingly small reductions in anthropogenic pressure can have significant positive impacts on habitats. I'm an ecologist, so my views are biased towards the environment, but I also appreciate the importance of including stakeholders in decision making. This is not a simple issue, so I appreciate your openness for discussion. The internet can be a black and white place at times.
Sorry Bunny, but you’re wrong. Kew has been peat free since 1997. We only use it for growing bog plants. Studies done there showed coir actually holds and retains more moisture. The Hort industry has had years to plan for this change. Plus, a lot of our peat is imported from Eastern Europe, where peat lands are in serious decline.
Those studies contradict numerous other studies. Don’t forget Kew is not commercial. Even Charles Dowding says he has to use some peat in his sowing and potting composts (he uses peat gained from rivers though) and he has found in his trials the substitutes are just not consistent. Don’t forget the coir has a huge carbon footprint and needs washing to remove the salt and water is scarce in places in Asia. Finally you have to add more fertilisers as it just does not retain moisture so well. Sadly now, Finland has started burning peat in their power stations now as they can’t import timber from Russia due to the war with Ukraine.
You don't need peat. You can use hydrofiber or Coco. Organic fertilizers don't work in peat as it's inert with not much else going on. The problem is we get all our fertilizers from the petrol industry. What this old bird doesn't seem to understand is the world's on a clock. Pretty much every one of our systems needs to be redeveloped. I think plane old soil is best. Learn to use that people. And it's not sustainable if you got to ship it from another country.
So disappointed by your stance Bunny. The bigger picture is more important. We can garden and wonderful results using compost and not destroying our environment. We are gardeners, shouldn’t we be making the earth better?
I hope your clients don't have any environmental policies -