Founded in 2008. The Landscape Juice Network (LJN) is the largest and fastest growing professional landscaping and horticultural association in the United Kingdom.
LJN's professional business forum is unrivalled and open to anyone within within the UK landscape industry
LJN's Business Objectives Group (BOG) is for any Pro serious about building their business.
For the researching visitor there's a wealth of landscaping ideas, garden design ideas, lawn advice tips and advice about garden maintenance.
Replies
Steve,
I'll be honest and own up I am not 100% familar with the issues, only knowing its a non-renewable resource.
I've seen articles but I guess Im a little divorced from the impact. I know I shouldn't be but that's life.
How about a brief post setting out the issues and the approaches "we" can take (ie specifying etc)
Well, I can best put it from a Growers point of view, for that is what I know best. How Landscapers and Designers deal with the implications, I am honestly not sure, such as commercially available peat alternatives.
We took the plunge 4 years ago and switched from peat based growing media to peat free. The product we use is a Melcourt product, Silvamix which is 100% bark. The results in plant quality were instant and fantastic, moreover, in my 30 years of growing plants I have never seen such good results.
To give a few examples, no Grower like to over winter Lavender as in peat based they normally lose many due to watering issues. In our compost, potting into 3 litres from liners or potting into 10 litres, we lost none. For all of our recent production, mostly 3 litre to 10 litre we potted them in August/September and by the end of October 95% were fully rooted around, in a 6 week growing period, outside, pretty amazing.
The issues for ourselves, were not only that of peat being a non-renewable and the enviromental issues relating to its continued use, but finding a better way to grow plants.
We did a lot of research before we switched speaking with not only Melcourt, but also some of their clients that they suggested. It is very easy as a Grower to sit back and let the peat Rep visit once or twice a year, and carry on the same. We sought to challenge what was being done, and through the last 4 years we have supplied many Landscapers and Garden Designers with peat-free plants, for many domestic gardens and Show Gardens.
The one issue with 100% bark is a slight increase in watering, but the benefit of producing a finished plant in half the time of a peat based plant, covers any cost/extra water issues. Also as it is 100% bark, we have no weed issues.
We have supplied our potting compost to our customers to use as a planting compost, and they have had no plant losses on their projects as a result, indeed everything has grown very well.
We are hooked, as it works, come and see for yourself?
I did some trials on peat-free in the mid '80's and it produced some very variable results, and some irritation rashes!!!
RK said:
colin said:
http://www.landscapejuice.com/2011/03/horticultural-use-amounts-to-...
"One could argue the case that the minuscule amount of peat being harvested for horticultural life is in fact appropriate in the respect that it is being used to kick-start plant life which will remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for weeks, months and the case of trees planted in a peat-based mixture, years and years to come."
So how much peat is imported using oil?
Peat the green option?
Philip Voice said:
"So how much peat is imported using oil?"
It's a consideration I know but it's a different discussion than the one of the rights or wrongs of harvesting peat for use in horticulture.
From our point of view as Growers, what makes a better plant for our customers? Peat-free every time.
Having grown in peat-based for 25 years, and being fairly blinkered like most Growers, our eyes were opened 5 years ago to better options.
We then switched to 100% peat free after doing loads of research, talking and listening to other Growers that were doing the same. It is a big jump and many are afraid for various reasons to make it, but it is the right one.
Rather than plants covered is moss, litchen and weeds, like other peat-based Growers, our plants are all clean, reducing labour hours weeding or cleaning plants.
So rather than go with the past, as a new Business we embraced the future. Peat-free will happen for Horticulture, but we were there first, and first is best, second is nowhere.
Philip Voice said:
I'm not so sure peat-free is the future and I've yet to see evidence that is the best; I suspect it's a little complex to attribute any success or failure to the pro-peat or anti-peat argument.
The anti-peat argument is concerned with the(ir) perception that peat isn't sustainable and its production wreaks havoc with the environment peat is extracted from. The article I wrote today seeks to offer the argument that the level of peat extraction on a global scale is negligible in terms of the peat available and because the peat is used to create plant and potential habitat, there are actually more positives than negatives.
Just as the extraction of clay for bricks, the stone from quarries or the harvesting of trees for paper changes the immediate environment, it is possible to manage and reinstate the areas of extraction: I'd argue that on many occasions, after reinstatement, the locations of extraction become stronger habitats for wildlife after they've been exhausted of their commodity than they were before.
T & S Plants said: