Peat bog are area of great innate beauty , as well as being fat in wild plant , worm and animate being . Yet we are still using peat in our garden and commit these irreplaceable home ground under threat . Michaela Strachan wants to know why . Did you know that 30th July is International Bog Day ? Well , you ’d be forgive if you did n’t , but it is . It ’s a day to celebrate these rare and unique habitats and to make people aware that they are lamentably tight disappearing . There are a few reason why this bump , namely drainage for agribusiness , forestry and the commercial extraction of peat for the horticultural industry . And that brings me to the bailiwick of this month ’s clause : PEAT , PEAT , GLORIOUS PEAT !
Now I do n’t desire to go off on one , but why oh why are people still using peat ? I of late did an item on Countryfile about bogs and peat and was astound to learn that despite the fact that environmentalist have been banging on for years about why gardeners should n’t use peat , sales have stand up dramatically . Has everyone just put their head in their peat - filled moxie colliery or does no one care ? Maybe everyone ’s just forgotten what the whole takings is about or simply got too bogged down in attempt to make their garden grow ! For those caring wildlife gardener amongst us , I opine I ’d do a little refresher course course .
First of all, what is a peat bog?
Well , it ’s a wetland site with poor drain . Peat bogs are eat by rainwater and the soil build up its own water tabular array and acidity . Sphagnum mosses grow and dilapidate eventually forming layers of peat , then peat mounds many time deep . This process takes M of eld , which is why sustainable great - scale peat extraction is impossible ; the extraction is always faster than the increment . Habitats like these only take too long to raise back .
Why are they so important?
Because so many peat bog have been damaged , they are now very rare . Around 94 % of Britain ’s peatlands have been destroyed or damage , and peat mining still goes on , and will continue to go on while demand is in high spirits .
If you ’ve ever been to a peat peat bog you ’ll know what awful places they are . If not , I recommend a visit . Peat peat bog are rich in multifariousness of plants and wildlife , some of which are unique to these environments . They are home to yard of insects include butterflies , dragonflies and the uncommon muckle wanderer . Nearly a thousand different flowering plants raise there , include carnivorous works such as the great sundew as well as moss , fungi and lichens . Birdlife is abundant : waders , wildfowl , nightjar , winchat , merlin , short - eared hooter , gold plover , snipe , sparrowhawks and – as I witnessed myself when I recently went to the restored Fenn ’s Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses situation in Wales – hobbies , which were feast on the numerous darning needle . Peat bogs are also rich in societal and biological account . They contain unreplaceable materials date back to the ice age . Many object are preserve in peat bogs , things like ancient gravy holder , tree and even bodies .
What is peat used for?
Peat was used for 100 as fuel , but these days gardeners get through huge amounts in the pattern of compost , grow bag and peat mint ; the solid bales are even used for garden paries .
So now you ’ve all been reminded about the huge environmental impact that using peat has , I ’m certain you ’re very keen to have a go at it what you may do about it . It ’s very simple , DON’T BUY PEAT . You ’ll be doing the surround a vast favor . There are many alternatives that gardening issue can urge ; here are a few.1 . household - made compost – this is an obvious ground improver and one that I desire you have all started to make by now . Not only does this reduce your garden and household waste material , it is also extremely environmentally favorable .
2 . Coir – this is the most popular alternative to peat when used as a growing media . It ’s a by - Cartesian product of the coconut industry and is imported from Sri Lanka , India and the Philippines . It comes as a tough , fibrous , pithy textile or as debris and has leaven to be very successful for bedding industrial plant , germinating seeds and propagating cuttings.3 . folio mold – again this is very environmentally friendly . After two long time , leaf mold can be sift and used as a swell peat substitute for improving the soil.4 . Manure – if you hold up on or near a farm this is idealistic ! Well - decompose cow , chicken and horse manure are particularly good.5 . Bark break away and even sheep ’s fleece can be used as effective mulch.6 . Pine needles and composted Pteridium esculentum are splendid if you need to increase the sourness of your soil . At present , alternative to peat explanation for less than 30 % of the market place , which if you ask me is pretty unimpressive ! A astounding 2.55 million cubic metres of peat are used every twelvemonth in the UK for horticultural uses . So next clip you have a slight peat store lapsing recall this : you could have peat in a bag or you could have peat in a bog but you ca n’t have both . We ca n’t rely on the government to make the decision , so once again it ’s up to the consumer to make the pick . I hope you ’ll all make the right-hand one!Stay gardening tempestuous , and be a proud and peat - free gardener . Location photographs courtesy of A - Z Botanical Collection Ltd , London
Articles reprinted with permit fromGreenfingers.com
