Alternatives to peat
Peat is made of plant remains, mainly sedges, grasses, reeds and mosses that have not decomposed completely. The natural process of decay stops because of the lack of oxygen and waterlogging. This old plant material is compacted by the new plants growing on them, to form peat. It is a slow process with an average growth rate of less than 1 mm a year. Its unique characteristics make it an ideal growing material.
The peat is stripped from peat bogs and used in multi-purpose compost. The effects of extraction are irreparable as peatlands take thousands of years to form.
Peat bogs are habitats of international importance to wildlife providing homes to rare and endangered wildlife, a valuable genetic resource for the future and an invaluable record of genetic, botanical, and archaeological data from the past. They are globally important in storing carbon dioxide, the main ‘greenhouse’ gas, and also act as natural reservoirs of highly purified water.
Lowland raised peat bogs are among the rarest wildlife habitats in the UK of which 94% have been lost due to commercial extraction. The annual UK market for peat is 3.4 million cubic metres, and that 66% of this is supplied to the amateur gardener. No garden is worth the destruction of an environment that sustains some of our most beautiful plants and animals.
In the garden peat is used for a range of purposes:
1. Soil improvement
Soil improvers add organic matter to break down heavy soils or bind light soils, boost soil biodiversity, and add nutrients.
Whereas peat has a very low nutrient content, compost, leaf mould and well rotted manure actively feed soil creatures. Alongside home made composts, commercial products include:
- Finely shredded, composted bark
- Composted wood waste
- Coir
- Mushroom compost
- Compost from local authority schemes
2. Mulches
Mulch conserves moisture, insulates the soil and reduces weed growth but peat is a poor mulch because it dries out easily. Use one of the soil improvers or:
- Grass mowings
- Well composted, shredded prunings
- Old hay or straw
- Newspaper or cardboard
Commercial products
- Forest bark
- Gravel
- Plastic sheeting
3. Multi-purpose and other composts
Since the late 1950s peat has been extensively used for compost in seed trays and ‘grow bags’. Nowadays, a wide range of multi-purpose peat-free compost is readily available, as are peat-free ‘grow bags’ based on a range of materials including fine grade wood waste and composted bark.
These mixtures do behave differently to peat composts so it is important to follow the instructions, especially with regard to watering and feeding.
To find out more about alternatives to peat, take a look at the Royal Horticultural Society website
