Peat Pots

[Mr_Yan]

Another thing that worked for me is rolling a strip of newspaper around a spice jar, small can, or large dowel. But it's labor intensive.

 

[Logan]

That's great, over here in the UK they're going to ban the use of peat for gardener's in 2024 or about that time, but for retail it'll be a few years later. I've made my own pots with cardboard cereal boxes and stapled them together, until a friend offered to collect the toilet roll tubes and I cut them in half.

 

[Mr_Yan]

This is a simple vid on making the newspaper pots - they worked well for me until I decided I needed around 200 for the season.

I used a small tomato paste can for these or a glass spice jar - both ended up about the size of half a toilet roll tube. Kid's toy boxes are a good place to raid for forms too.


-------

I understand the idea behind not vaccuming up the peat bogs for gardens but hadn't heard about it being banned. Pearlite is energy intensive to make. Vemiculite is another mined medium. Coconut cior has it's own demons and half a world of shipping. What else do you use to "lighten up" a potting mix? For large planters and inground garden beds I used fall leafs.

 

[Logan]

They're worried about the peat bogs and how it makes a difference to climate change but it's only in the UK, don't know about other countries.
I use a multi purpose compost which has peat in it, only use it for pots, got 3 compost bins so use that for the garden so going to have to find an alternative. I know that there's peat less compost, have to try that.

 

[GneissPlace]

Just this spring for the same batch of seedlings i used peat pots for some and clear plastic cups for others and **woah** what a difference. The peat pots just soaked up the water and the seedlings really suffered. The plants in the plastic cups thrived!! They were so happy. I will never think of using peat pots again.

 

[Mike Allen]

I have to be honest. I have often wondered why, ''Peat Pots'' are so named ?. My examination of them always results in the substance resembling papier mache'

 

[Mike Allen]

On the subject of Peat. The powers to be, have with the help and research of scientist. Discovered that peat bogs have the ability to absorb some of the harmful elements that now make up our atmosphere. It is overlooked that, as a natural gas. Methane is produced in peat bogs. Just a point.

Then it is ommitted that. The moss family is on the lower if not the lowest scale. Then no mention of what kind of peat is being talked about.

 

[LouisFerdinand]

Two reasons to use Peat Pots

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Well, I have started saving the cardboard inners from toilet rolls, should have enough for all my runners and climbing French beans (Maybe along with a few from Christmas wrapping) for all my runners and climbing French beans. I stand them upright in a large margarine tub and fill with compost, then plant the bean in the bit that sticks up above the edge of the tub. That way I can water wildly without leaving the bean actually in standing water. The roots come through the tube into the surrounding compost, but they still make for easy planting. I plant everything separately, I see things like sweet peas planted a dozen in a container the size of a cup and think 'Yes, they are tough, they will recover, but why give them all that stress when they are small?'

 

[Logan]

Yes I use the toilet roll tubes, with the wallflower seedlings I find when I just sow a couple of seeds in them then I can thin out to 1 per roll, that way i don't loose a lot from pricking out and transplanting. Also use them for marigolds and cosmos, used to do it for runner beans but I don't grow them anymore.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Runners are compulsory in this household, along with broad beans. The missus does like a bean

 

[LouisFerdinand]

One seed catalog declared: Peat pots can be tossed into the compost bin after planting.

Do Peat Pots completely decompose?

 

[Chuck]

One seed catalog declared: Peat pots can be tossed into the compost bin after planting.

Do Peat Pots completely decompose?

They will disintegrate into tiny particles over time. Where does the peat come from that the pots are made from? Does it decompose? How about peat bogs? I was under the assumption that the reason to use peat pots was that you could plant the plant and the pot into the garden without disturbing the plant roots, so why take the plant out of the peat pot and put it into the compost bin. Why not just use plastic?

 

[Oliver Buckle]

One seed catalog declared: Peat pots can be tossed into the compost bin after planting.

Do Peat Pots completely decompose?

It could be a comment on the quality of their seeds, 'Don't hang about waiting for germination, simply sling in the compost heap after planting'

 

[DirtMechanic]

They will disintegrate into tiny particles over time. Where does the peat come from that the pots are made from? Does it decompose? How about peat bogs? I was under the assumption that the reason to use peat pots was that you could plant the plant and the pot into the garden without disturbing the plant roots, so why take the plant out of the peat pot and put it into the compost bin. Why not just use plastic?

Not me. They do not rot fast enough for me to plant peat potted plants into the garden and it can restrict root growth. I can tear the bottoms up but the lateral growth gets peat-jacked so I cut them off totally. At least I do not have stacks of peat pots the way I have stacks of plastic pots from previous years. I like some plastic pots for new starts but beyond that I prefer a early failure material like peat. I would love to get some poo pots but never see them for sale.