A meeting of horticulturists in Iran in the 1970's issued a statement that peat moss is a non renewable resource. The British Hortucultural Society is asking its members to cease using peat moss because harvesting of it is unsustainable. Unless you live in a desert, or the plains, where few trees grow there are better, renewable resources that can be used, often at less cost, to improve soil. I watch people aound here diligently rake up, bag up, and actually pay to have these leaves that fall from trees every year, hauled away every fall and then in the spring go to the garden center and buy bags of peat moss to replace the organic matter they threw away the previous fall. I watch people around here diligently collect the grass clippings when they mow, bag them, and pay someone to haul them away so they can go to the garden center and pay for a few nutrients to repalce the thousands they just tossed out. Like buying white bread made from flour that has 25 nutrients removed during milling and has 10 nutrients put back in and is called "enriched". In Indiana there should be no good reason for someone to buy peat moss to compost manure.

Title: Optimization of transpiration and potential growth rates of 'Kardinal' rose with respect to root-zone physical properties Authors: Raviv, Michael; Lieth, J. Heinrich; Burger, David W.; Wallach, Rony Authors affiliation: Newe Ya'ar Research Center, Department of Ornamental Horticulture, Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Organization, Ramat Yishay, 30095, Israel. Published in: Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science, volumn 126, pages 638-643, (2001). Abstract: "Physical characteristics of two media were studied concerning water availability to roots, as reflected in specific transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, and specific growth rate of very young leaflets of 'Kardinal' rose (RosaXhybrida L.), grafted on Rosa canina L. 'Natal Brier'. Plants were grown in UC mix (42% composted fir bark, 33% peat, and 25% sand (by volume)) or in coconut coir. Water release curves of the media were developed and hydraulic conductivities were calculated. Irrigation pulses were actuated according to predetermined media moisture tensions. Transpiration rate of plants was measured gravimetrically using load cells. Specific transpiration rate (STR) was calculated from these data and leaf area. STR and stomatal conductance were also determined using a steady-state porometer. Specific growth rate (RSG) of young leaflets was calculated from the difference between metabolic heat rate and respiration rate, which served as an indicator for growth potential. Low STR values found at tensions between 0 and 1.5 kPa in UC mix suggest this medium has insufficient free air space for proper root activity within this range. Above 2.3 kPa, unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of UC mix was lower than that of coir, possibly lowering STR values of UC mix-grown plants. As a result of these two factors, STR of plants grown in coir was 20% to 30% higher than that of plants grown in UC mix. STR of coir-grown plants started to decline only at tensions around 4.5 kPa. Yield (number of flowers produced) by coir-grown plants was 19% higher than UC mix-grown plants. This study demonstrated the crucial role of reaching sufficient air-filled porosity in the medium shortly after irrigation. It also suggests that hydraulic conductivity is a more representative measure of water availability than tension." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Suppression of Phytophthora and Pythium damping-off of tomato by coconut coir dust Authors: Candole, B. L.; Evans, M. R. Authors affiliation: Dept. of Horticulture, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA. Published in: Phytopathology, volumn 93 (6 Supplement), pages s13-s14, (2003). Abstract: "Coconut coir dust, a waste product from coconut fiber processing, has been shown to be a good alternative to peat in growing media. Greenhouse experiments were conducted to determine if coconut coir dust can also suppress soilborne plant pathogens by using tomato damping-off caused by Phytophthora capsici, Phytophthora nicotianae, Pythium aphanidermatum, and Pythium ultimum as model pathosystems. Tomato seeds cv. 'Bonnie Best' were planted into noninfested and infested growing media contained in 5X5, 2.5-ml plastic plug trays. Growing media were infested with two-week-old cultures of the pathogens in V8 juice-peat medium at the rate of 1% (w/w). Stand counts were made when noninfested controls reached complete emergence. Populations of Phytophthora capsici, Phytophthora nicotianae, and Pythium aphanidermatum; and damping-off incidence were significantly reduced by 68-76% and 94-100% respectively in coconut coir dust compared to controls in peat. Results from Pythium ultimum were not conclusive. Autoclaving coconut coir dust had no effect on suppressiveness indicating that the nature of the suppressiveness is not biological." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Growth and nutrient use of ericaceous plants grown in media amended with sphagnum moss peat or coir dust. Author: Scagel, Carolyn F. Author affiliation: Horticultural Crops Research Unit, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, 3420 NW Orchard Avenue, Corvallis, OR, 97330, USA. Published in: Hortscience, volumn 38, pages 46-54, (2003). Abstract: "Using several different ericaceous ornamental species, we compared the growth, mineral nutrition, and composition of plants in response to growing media amended with varying proportions of sphagnum moss peat (peat) or coir dust (coir). Plants were grown for 16 weeks in media consisting of 80% composted Douglas fir bark with 20% peat, 20% coir, or 10% peat and 10% coir. Sixteen weeks after planting, decreases in extractable P were larger in peat-amended medium than the coir-amended medium, while decreases in extractable NH4-N and NO3-N were larger in the coir-amended medium. In general, leaf and stem dry weight, the number of leaves and stems, and total stem length increased with increasing proportion of coir in the medium while root dry weight either increased (Kalmia latifolia), decreased (Rhododendron, Gaultheria), or was not influenced by increasing the proportion of coir in the medium. The composition of the growing medium also influenced aspects of plant marketability and quality including: leaf greenness (SPAD), plant form (e.g., number of leaves per length of stem), and partitioning of biomass (e.g., root to shoot ratio). Nutrient uptake and fertilizer use was significantly different between the media types. Depending on the cultivar, we found that the coir-amended medium resulted in higher uptake or availability of several nutrients than peat-amended medium. Uptake or availability of N, P, K, Ca, and S was enhanced for several cultivars, while uptake or availability of Mg, Fe, and B was similar between media types. Most cultivars/species growing in the coir-amended medium had higher production or accumulation of proteins and amino acids in stems than plants growing in peat-amended medium, while the production of proteins and amino acids in roots was lower in plants growing in coir-amended than in peat-amended medium. For the cultivars/species we tested, coir is a suitable media amendment for growing ericaceous plants and may have beneficial effects on plant quality."

HECK! I'm just gonna post the whole darn article it's so good! Check this out. This has strongly reinforced my views! PDF version: [url]http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~Linda Chalker-Scott/Horticultural Myths_files/Myths/Horticultural peat.pdf[/url] Linda Chalker-Scott, Ph.D., Extension Urban Horticulturist and Associate Professor, Puyallup Research and Extension Center, Washington State University The Myth of Permanent Peatlands: "Peat moss is an environmentally friendly organic amendment essential for many horticultural purposes" The Myth Peatlands are specialized types of wetlands whose value to human civilization has been recognized for centuries. Perhaps the most continued use of peatlands is as a fuel source: chunks of peat are cut from bogs, dried, and used for cooking and heating purposes. Though many societies have turned to other forms of energy production, this practice continues today especially where other fuel sources are absent. Peat moss, a principal plant component of peatlands, has also been an important part of the horticulture industry; itÂs used as a soil amendment both in gardens and container plants and as an aesthetic topdressing for potted plants and floral arrangements. Consisting primarily of Sphagnum species, peat moss has an amazing capacity to hold water like a sponge, slowly releasing it as the surrounding soil dries out. Since peat is 100% natural, it must be a truly "green" gardening product  right? The Reality The "greenness" of any product is determined both by the environmental friendliness of the product and its method of production. Unfortunately, there is no economically realistic, environmentally friendly way to harvest peat moss. This is a natural resource that accumulates at the glacially slow rate of 0.5  1.0 mm per year, or about 1/4 of an inch. Peat harvesting involves the removal of deep layers of peat that have literally taken centuries to accumulate. In fact, since harvesting implies sustainability, it is more accurate to describe commercial peat removal as mining. While peat used for fuel can be necessary for human survival, that used for modern horticultural purposes is not and therefore represents luxury consumption. For consumers to make an informed decision about whether or not to use peat moss requires an understanding of the roles peatlands play in the environment. Like other wetlands, these systems help purify and store water. Perhaps most important is that they are the single largest terrestrial store of carbon, equivalent to 75% of all carbon in the atmosphere (CC-GAP, 2005). Paradoxically, the destruction of peatlands is not yet recognized as a significant part of global climate change. Most damaging to educational efforts regarding peatland conservation is industry assertions that there are no substitutes for peat moss in horticultural applications. Similarly, there is often a perception that this natural...

One can put art or family photos massed out if it works in the room. Last week, my yardman and I finally unpacked a box that was packed up in Maine in 2004 and just never got unpacked. It held many, many old family photos, simply framed. My mother had had this in her bedroom in her house, later it was in the guest room of her apt, and we had it in the guest room of the Maine dorm apt. Next weekend when my two grandsons will be my houseguests while their parents go away for a 21st wedding anniversary celebration, we will hand them over a lovely antique mahogany buffet that sits at the bottom of my semi-finished basement steps (no where else to put it, it looks nice to look down and see it there, and it's great storage). So, the "rogues gallery" will be hung! When one has lots and lots of pictures, this can be quite effective. In rooms with high ceilings, smaller pictures can even be hung over doors. Mine are not high enough, but they are for two lovely sailboat half-models to fit, one over each doorway in my library. I do have a row of old hunting prints over the doorway in the breakfast room as well. As one gains confidence in ones decorating skills, one can do lots and lots of things for which there really are no "rules" or even which break those rules. But beginners are best off following the rules until they train their eye.