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market-farming - Re: peat moss substitute

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  • From: robert schuler <sunnfarm AT bellatlantic.net>
  • To: market farming <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: peat moss substitute
  • Date: Fri, 26 May 2000 11:00:06 -0400


I think peat is neat...With a billion acres world wide its one of the
last things I worry about, I worry more about the 1 Million acres of
land we destroy perminently every year for development in the USA, you
might want to try Composted Pine Bark, its very popular with container
nursery growers and its being used with sand as a complete replacement
to peat.
Last year I used composted bark and peanut hulls with a small amount of
peat in some of my greenhouse potting mixes sold by a company called
BioComp, it sells for about $300 a ton if you buy it in quanity, it
provides great air and water drainage for winter greenhouse growing but
dries out too fast in summer, This year I used a peat that was blended
with 50% composted bark that has better water holding properties, you
see peat is very usefull in controling moisture in potting mixes and I
would not want to give it up, one major advantage with the bark is the
reduction of root rot from Pythium...
In the landscape peat goes to waste as a mulch and root and bark mulch
is superior, locally the compost and mulch industry has expanded BIG
time providing alternatives to peat.
The Dutch government has all but banned peat because its become a
pollutant as spent soil mix from there greenhouse industry containing
high nitrates and chemicals and they are using reuseable substitutes,
you might check them out...
Cool dry day for the first time in two weeks here on the coast got to
plant corn...
Sunny Meadow Farm
Bridgeton, NJ...




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