That scotch the malt being dried
now they use very little peat
They can use electric , and have a small smoker to impart that peat earthy taste
According to the drunken botanist book
only a few distilleries still traditionally dry the malt with only peat (which takes 8 hours)
(called traditional floor malting Laphroaig , Springbank & Kilchoman scotch)
not certain how that or if it even matters on taste,
but could see how a slow dry with less peat could still work.
AS far as peat I thought to grow moss with yogurt dry in oven and sterilize , and see if I grow in it.
And you would need a pellet stove for those reindeer chips…
Hey finding a dead animal can sure save a life if cold
how so #1 scape the skin #2 get the oil #3 use the oil to start a fire easier
Ha ha ha Once Had a Fish oil pill and did that with 1 match left (into paper napkin)
but I was more hung over then life saving wet, and cold
and already walked a one hour and a half in wrong direction home and still another 2 hour walk.
Of coarse Vegetable oil dumpster was nearby unless empty
(had fun After listening to my Nine Inch Nails cassette tape so happy)
but yes that oil can save a life (been there in cold)
so do not underestimate a oil dumpster or dead animal.
Peat is probably the best for that size; I prefer a mix of things that hold moisture and don’t decay as fast for larger sized pots…including some real topsoil. (Partly the reason I like the Markman topsoil of real black dirt that at some point years go consisted of peat.)
Yes i saw those… i dont see any other way to manage them unless u get the tray holder. The best deal i have seen was on Amazon with the free shipping. I think the US forest service uses these too…or a variant of them.
I just saw this topic for the first time and couldn’t spend more time to figure out if anyone mentioned this. As far as releasing carbon into the atmosphere, once peat is removed from the bog the consequences are similar whether it’s used for potting soil or fuel- does it make much practical difference if this happens in a matter of 3-4 years as opposed to a few hours?
If peat is used as an amendment in real soil its breakdown seems to occur in a matter of months. I agree with those that suggest that locally derived compost or just woodchip mulch is a much more efficient approach in both economic and ecological terms.
I use old milk crates and get 9 of the 4x9 or 4x14 treepots per crate. I got some free through my local buy nothing group on FaceBook. It makes it super easy to move them around, including when I move them to the garage when they’re dormant to give a little protection over the winter. I’m not sure it would be easy to move those cone tainers.
I also see people offering larger crates for free or cheap on FB here. This is a picture from some company that is offering them locally that are excess from their shipping of juice bottles they say. I think I could get close to 20 tree pots in these. I need to go grab a bunch!
When I ran out of milk crates this year I also used one of those plastic sterlite storage containers and just put some holes in the bottom so excess water would drain out. I got 24 in the container, but the drainage is better with the crates and they crates are much sturdier - and were free!
I love repurposing stuff like that. I can see those being fantastic for sifting compost, laying boxes for chickens, even to use for sticking cuttings. I bet those would work wonderful as compost boxes as well.
Yes, I was thinking of lining the sides with landscape fabric and then using them as a stacking worm tower outside this summer. That way as one gets filled I just put another on top and the worms will hopefully just move up to the newest layer as food runs out in the bottom layers. I have tubs of worms, but that is all mixed in with new and old material and there is no easy way for me to separate the worms from the castings, so I’m hoping his idea will work.
And to get back on the topic I’ve derailed, I can then add those castings to some peat with some DE to make a great potting mix.
Nope. Not for me at least. I don’t think this guy is generally bad, but I do prefer people to do a real side-by-side comparison to show results.
If I was starting seeds year-round and able to do lots of testing maybe I’d get things working exactly how I wanted, but I start around 600 seedlings each spring (a lot more if you include trays of onions, etc.) and I’ve tried a few different commercial types and seen a massive difference of quality, even though the basic ratios are close to what Gardener Scott describes. For larger cells or pots I may use ProMix BX (possibly with some extra DE), but for small cells I have found Berger Germination mix to be the best due to smaller particle sizes:
It is definitely important for me to have consistent, repeatable results, and both of these products also have some dolomitic lime and a wetting agent, and the companies have done a really good job of figuring out how much or each, which I would have no idea about. Without the wetting agent especially, if small cells dry out, getting them uniformly moist without having to overwater can be a real problem due to the hydrophobic nature of dry peat. And overwatering is the bane of good seed starting, especially when the seedlings are really small. Besides being hard to wet out, the poor seed starting mixes I’ve tried (no wetting agent) also shrink in from the sides of the cells when they dry out making them even harder to water.
Now in larger pots with pawpaw seeds for instance, maybe it would be worth it, but I can’t see saving a penny or 2 per seedling being worth the downside risk.
Anyway, certainly give it a try, but I don’t find it as simple a solution as the video suggests.
Obviously you’re biased that all ‘consequences’ in the actions you mention are BAD consequences. But, such is not the case.
Hence the reason for this topic in the first place.
That’s all
I’ll say on that,
for you can’t convince me
peat is bad if it’s used, and I
can’t convince you from your
perspective. So, I say let’s stick
to the virtues of using peat, and start
a different thread for discussions that
knock it.
Another suggestion for people who are looking for cost effective solutions for larger containers is to connect with any micro green growers/companies in your area.
Some use coir mats and other things, but many use ProMix, especially for larger seeded micros like peas, sunflowers, etc. They only use it for one grow, then usually discard or compost the promix. So I get big bags of it from a local grower, let it compost until the remaining seeds, roots, etc. are rotted, then use that as a way to fill pots quickly and cheaply. I usually put a couple inches of fresh ProMix on top, since latent seeds from the micros pop up and that reduces it a bit, but I just pull them out or pinch them off which works fine.
So you can get it cheap (or even free) and you are reusing/recycling so it helps all around. This isn’t a good thing to use for seed starting, but I’ve used it for elderberry and fig cuttings, planting up persimmon, pear and apple rootstocks, etc.
@Vlad
I’m glad you shared that. I’ll finish reading it later. A treasure trove of information on past usage of peat and also just a very informative story on it’s qualities and characteristics.
I wasn’t knocking peat moss and I wasn’t entering a new topic of discussion as several previous comments referred to carbon release, particularly related to peat fires and peat for fuel. My comment put equal emphasis on the economic aspects of buying peat over using less expenses and sometimes free local resources, such as wood chips. Around here many towns have their own leaf and lawn clipping compost projects and allow local residents free access to the beautiful product these projects create, which is much more nutritious and stable than peat, especially when incorporated into the soil- although bang for buck, top dressing is usually the best way to go in decent soils.
I use peat moss in my business, both in my starter mix for vegetables and my potting mix for fruit trees in my nursery- also when I’m called on to install blueberry plants as a favor to clients whose orchards I install and/or manage. I am neutral about the environmental affects of harvesting it because I see far, far more pressing concerns which I won’t discuss here.
While there are vast areas of peat wetlands in Canada, only a very small percentage is economically viable to harvest. Most is too inaccessible, does not contain high quality sphagnum peat, or not enough of it. Since the peat moss in these profitable areas has been accumulating for thousands of years, it can only be harvested once and then producers have to move to less profitable sites.
The total amount deposited annually is interesting, but does not mean it is a renewable resource because almost all of it cannot be harvested, the tiny amount deposited each year in sites that will eventually be harvested needs to exceed the total amount harvested annually to be renewable in a practical sense.
