Peat Free Potting Soil

Peat free potting soil

Compost and coconut coir are good primary peat alternatives. Gardeners are also experimenting with bark fines and coarse sand.

Should potting soil be peat free?

Nowadays, with more awareness around peat-bog depletion, and peat as a limited resource, many gardeners prefer to use peat-free composts. Peat-free composts are great for water retention but, for plants that require good drainage, adding a bit of grit and sharp sand to the mix will help support growth.

Is Miracle Gro potting soil peat free?

Miracle-Gro Peat Free Premium All-Purpose Compost is part of the high-performing Miracle Gro peat-free range. Containing a unique formulation that will ensure your plants are fed for 3 months, this peat free compost provides the optimum structure for roots to grow strong and preventing them from drying out.

How do you make potting soil without peat?

For ornamental plants:

1 part coconut coir (follow package directions for wetting the coir before use)
1 part compost.
1 part good garden topsoil.
1 part builder's sand or perlite.

Why should I use peat free soil?

Besides peat-free composts being better for the environment and made from sustainable organic materials, it's starting to become clear that most mixes of peat free compost are extremely high in nutrients, and are bulky, which make them great soil improvers over others that can be too fine.

Why shouldn't you use peat in your garden?

Plantlife, along with the RSPB, Wildlife Trusts and Friends of the Earth, is calling on government and industry to replace peat use in gardening and horticulture. Damaging peatlands has a knock-on effect on wildlife, carbon stores, flood risk and water quality.

Why can't you use Miracle Gro garden soil in pots?

When growing plants in containers or raised beds, you need to pay special attention to the soil you use. Soil taken from your yard or a garden bed is too dense to use in a pot or raised bed. Instead, for containers, you'll want to use potting mix (also called potting soil), a lightweight and fluffy alternative.

Do plants need to be removed from peat pots?

No transplant shock, no root circulation, and no withered plants and flowers – it's that simple! Just grow your seeds, and then plant them in your yard or garden without removing them from the pots.

What is the difference between peat and potting soil?

Tip. The main difference between peat moss and potting soil is that peat moss is soilless and potting soil contains soil mixed with a few other ingredients. Of course, peat moss can be added to a potting soil to benefit moisture-loving plants.

What is the alternative to peat?

Coir, which is made from the long fibres in the outer husks of coconuts, has been used for decades in growing media and is currently the most widely used peat-free alternative, says Jackson.

What is the best homemade potting mix?

A standard recipe for a homemade soilless mix consists of half sphagnum peat moss and half perlite or vermiculite. To mix ½ bushel basket or four gallons of media: Start by pouring two gallons of peat moss into the bushel basket. Add two gallons of either perlite or vermiculite and mix thoroughly.

What are alternatives to using peat?

Peat alternatives

Wood fibre, wood chips. Both are made from untreated wood scraps.
Compost. Compost brings the advantage that it has a high pH and hardly sinks down. ...
Sand. ...
Bentonite. ...
Expanded clay. ...
Coconut-based materials: coco pulp, coco fibre, coco chips. ...
Rice husks. ...
Perlite.

Does peat free mean organic?

Peat-free potting composts contain mixtures of organic materials – such as composted bark, coir (coconut fibre), woodfibre and green compost – mixed with inorganic materials such as grit, sharp sand, rock wool and perlite.

What plants need peat free compost?

Best plants for a peat-free garden Try growing seeds of oxeye daisy, betony, field scabious, meadow clary and harebell in a mixture of 3 parts loam and 1 part sieved garden compost. Seaside plants also don't need any peat or compost in the soil.

Why is peat free compost so poor?

As explained above peat free composts rarely have fertilisers added. So the nutrition levels are low. In time, they release nutrients, but it can be very slow and often this isn't good for young plants.

Why is peat banned?

Peat extraction also degrades the state of the wider peatland landscape, damaging habitats for some of our rarest wildlife such as the swallowtail butterfly, hen harriers and short-eared owls, and negatively impacting peat's ability to prevent flooding and filter water.

Is peat better than compost?

Peat moss releases nutrients in your soil in time as the plants require. This saves valuable nutrients which are otherwise lost through leaching. Peat Moss speeds the composting process, reduces odours and controls air and water in the compost pile.

What is the difference between peat and compost?

(Peat moss is the bottom layer.) Compost is made as everyday waste materials decompose into nutrient-rich soil. Peat moss is sterile, has an acidic pH, and is not high in nutrients or microorganisms. Compost is high in both nutrients and microorganisms and has either a neutral or slightly alkaline pH.

What is the best potting mix for containers?

BEST OVERALL: Black Gold All Purpose Potting Soil.
RUNNER UP: Proven Winners Premium All Purpose Potting Soil.
BEST ORGANIC: Espoma Organic Potting Mix.
BEST FOR SEEDS: Miracle-Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix.
BEST FOR INDOOR PLANTS: Miracle-Gro Indoor Potting Mix.

What soil is best for potted plants?

RULES OF THUMB FOR CHOOSING A POTTING SOIL

Potting soil used in containers should be light and fluffy.
Look for a potting soil made up of peat moss, pine bark and perlite or vermiculite.
Fertilizer may be added in the form of a "starter charge" or slow release formulation.