Please stop using peat products

Horselover fat

Horselover fat

Well-Known Member
m4s73r said:
So your going to grow in a bucket of perlite and charcoal?
Click to expand...
Biochar only. It's quite good environtally and has a porous structure. It can be used as a soil amendment or by itself as substrate.

"Biochar is a high-carbon, fine-grained residue that is produced via pyrolysis; it is the direct thermal decomposition of biomass in the absence of oxygen (preventing combustion), which produces a mixture of solids (the biochar proper), liquid (bio-oil), and gas (syngas) products."
 
m4s73r

m4s73r

Well-Known Member
Horselover fat said:
Biochar only. It's quite good environtally and has a porous structure. It can be used as a soil amendment or by itself as substrate.

"Biochar is a high-carbon, fine-grained residue that is produced via pyrolysis; it is the direct thermal decomposition of biomass in the absence of oxygen (preventing combustion), which produces a mixture of solids (the biochar proper), liquid (bio-oil), and gas (syngas) products."
Click to expand...
Well I have never seen anyone grow in a bucket of charcoal before. Let us know how it goes I guess. Doesnt sound like it makes much sense to me. But ive seen crazier shit.
 
mudballs

mudballs

Well-Known Member
m4s73r said:
Well I have never seen anyone grow in a bucket of charcoal before. Let us know how it goes I guess. Doesnt sound like it makes much sense to me. But ive seen crazier shit.
Click to expand...
They say activated charcoal has this absolutely insane surface area...i can see it maybe working. I dont know how it would act in cation exchange...id think that would cause nute uptake problems. Sounds like a great experiment
 
Horselover fat

Horselover fat

Well-Known Member
Rurumo said:
The problem with using large amounts of biochar is its PH, which can be ridiculously high. I found that if I used it as more than 5% of my mix, it threw off the PH too much.
Click to expand...
Yeah, they say it's a good additive in acidic soil. Apparently the PH also depends on material used for the char. The product they sell here claims it can be used as the sole substrate in hydro. I guess i would try dtw using buffered hydro nutrients and see how it goes.
 
hillbill

hillbill

Well-Known Member
I do use finer Coconut charcoal that I soak first in Castings tea. The 3.8 cu/ft bale I got this Spring will last several years. I do like ProMoss from Premier. It has a wetting agent and so convenient that way. Compost will keep breaking down over time and I replace much more compost and castings than SPM when I remix used mix into magic. Perlite also hold up better still but does get a bit finer. My last 30 gallon remix wil get an average of under 2 gallons new SPM.
 
Eastownclan

Eastownclan

Well-Known Member
m4s73r said:
Nah, I stick with the crack and whores. I dont even smoke the crack, use to pay for the whores...obviously.
Click to expand...
How is the exchange rate when paying for whores with crack? I imagine it would be better than paying cash, but as a non crack user/crack trader I wouldn’t know.
 
MAGpie81

MAGpie81

Well-Known Member
speedwell68 said:
I gave it up at the start of Covid. I was using Jack's Magic, which is peat based, I couldn't get it. Now I am using composted wood and green waste with added farm manure and perlite. The UK government has since announced the imminent banning of commercial peat sales in 2023, so I am glad I got ahead of the game.

Also as well as peat bogs being a finite resource and a massive carbon soak, the digging of peat releases trapped Co2 into the atmosphere. People should use coco either as it has a massive carbon footprint. Bat Guano and Seabird Guano are bad too, not only do they have a big carbon footprint from air miles, they are decimating ancient bird and bat colonies to get it.

I have taken a big look at the environmental impact of my grow. I have invested in better lights to lower my electricity consumption, I have swapped to a electricity supplier that only offers tariffs that use renewable generation. I have also stopped growing indoors during the summer months and grow Autos in poly tunnels from April to September. I grow in a loft and I waste so much energy controlling heat and humidity in the summer it would be better to use the light and that nature provides. I did two runs of outdoor Autos this summer and the results were superb. I also veg a few photos in my conservatory so I can get going right away in september.

I am only using a locally sourced medium that is made from my garden waste. (I have enrolled in the local council's garden waste scheme, they take my garden waste and it is taken to a local processing plant and composted and I can then buy the compost at cost, a total of about 15 miles round trip, not hundreds or even thousands.) I can buy rotted manure from the local Livery Stables.

My next thing is to stop using bottled nutrients, due to the plastics used in the packaging and the potential air miles. I am looking into dry amendments, I am going to conduct experiments using Fish, Blood and Bone and work from there. I have just taken some clones of RQS Hulkberry to experiment on.
Click to expand...
Very commendable. Thanks for being a part of team Earth. We are all consumers- that’s just part of the cycle, but being conscious of our consumption and our output is the best thing we can do to keep that balance.

If you are near any fish markets you may be able to collect some of their waste, and compost, mill, or brew it.
I also collect spent grain(mash) from a brewery as a top cover and soil additive. Get it fresh and it is hot and makes a good jumpstarter for compost.
 
LeastExpectedGrower

LeastExpectedGrower

Well-Known Member
hotrodharley said:
Hey we've got horse and fentanyl and all kinds of meth. Even the moose and the bears are on something.
Click to expand...
See, the problem is that none of us have to move for these things. Just head out into the country for a few miles, anywhere where the small town rural economy sucks and/or people are bored and you've got all these items, give or take the moose. Even the bears nowadays.
 
speedwell68

speedwell68

Well-Known Member
MAGpie81 said:
Very commendable. Thanks for being a part of team Earth. We are all consumers- that’s just part of the cycle, but being conscious of our consumption and our output is the best thing we can do to keep that balance.

If you are near any fish markets you may be able to collect some of their waste, and compost, mill, or brew it.
I also collect spent grain(mash) from a brewery as a top cover and soil additive. Get it fresh and it is hot and makes a good jumpstarter for compost.
Click to expand...
That is how I look at it. If you do something that is bad you can offset it by being extra good somewhere else.

The thing about fish waste is the smell. Farmers around here spread it on the fields in the Spring and you can smell it for miles.:D

I have discovered that all the stupidly expensive coffee places, like Starbucks, give away their spent ground coffee, apparently that is very good as a compost bin additive.
 
MAGpie81

MAGpie81

Well-Known Member
MAGpie81 said:
View attachment 5031080
www.worldatlas.com

The Peatland Ecosystem: The Planet's Most Efficient Natural Carbon Sink

An accumulation of partially decayed organic matter in areas like peatlands, bogs, moors results in the formation of a peatland ecosystem.
www.worldatlas.com www.worldatlas.com
Click to expand...
To be clear- I’m not TELLING anyone to do anything. I am asking, that’s all.

There is nothing inherently wrong with peat, it’s the rate at which we are digging it up and releasing literal tons of carbon quickly into the atmosphere. Slow down, or develop your own (that last part is sarcasm).

So many people here are knowledgeable about how to keep their plants healthy and many will be quick to point out (sometimes rudely) how you may be harming your plant with inputs or lack of, espousing how great they are at growing, while ignoring the health of the very planet that plant (and grower) are based on.

We are all consumers, and most of us require importing materials not native to our regions, or using lights at some point, etc, to grow our cannabis. It’s the rate at which those resources are being used without allowing time for regeneration, and the fact that so much of it isn’t recycled or repurposed, that is causing the imbalance that will lead to health issues of the world at large.

The more we consume and multiply the rate of consumption, the quicker we become like cancer.

Moderation is key.
 
LeastExpectedGrower

LeastExpectedGrower

Well-Known Member
MAGpie81 said:
To be clear- I’m not TELLING anyone to do anything. I am asking, that’s all.

There is nothing inherently wrong with peat, it’s the rate at which we are digging it up and releasing literal tons of carbon quickly into the atmosphere. Slow down, or develop your own (that last part is sarcasm).

So many people here are knowledgeable about how to keep their plants healthy and many will be quick to point out (sometimes rudely) how you may be harming your plant with inputs or lack of, espousing how great they are at growing, while ignoring the health of the very planet that plant (and grower) are based on.

We are all consumers, and most of us require importing materials not native to our regions, or using lights at some point, etc, to grow our cannabis. It’s the rate at which those resources are being used without allowing time for regeneration, and the fact that so much of it isn’t recycled or repurposed, that is causing the imbalance that will lead to health issues of the world at large.

The more we consume and multiply the rate of consumption, the quicker we become like cancer.

Moderation is key.
Click to expand...
I guarantee that even when growing many of us are already doing more to help the global environment than others. I don't feel terribly bad about my high efficiency LED lights, even though they're running @ 675w for a portion of the year. Why? Because we've taken efforts to reduce our energy and carbon footprint throughout our daily lives.

Cars that are as fuel efficient as possible (though I'm waiting for my next car in the next couple years in hopes that there's affordable 'new technology' that will be even better). Most of the lights in my house are 7-14w LED lights. Remember when homes were filled with 60-150w incandescent bulbs? Nowadays a room can be lit brightly at a rate of 50w per hour instead of a few hundred watts. We have smart thermostats that save not only money but also gas (or oil or electric, whichever you have).

We also do our best to be mindful in general. We buy nearly all our produce locally during the green months here rather than things being trucked in across the country or internationally. We generally do as much fresh/local food in general. I'm not sure that the bail or so of peat I use every year or so (sustainably sourced Canadian) is the tipping point.
 
MAGpie81

MAGpie81

Well-Known Member
LeastExpectedGrower said:
I guarantee that even when growing many of us are already doing more to help the global environment than others. I don't feel terribly bad about my high efficiency LED lights, even though they're running @ 675w for a portion of the year. Why? Because we've taken efforts to reduce our energy and carbon footprint throughout our daily lives.

Cars that are as fuel efficient as possible (though I'm waiting for my next car in the next couple years in hopes that there's affordable 'new technology' that will be even better). Most of the lights in my house are 7-14w LED lights. Remember when homes were filled with 60-150w incandescent bulbs? Nowadays a room can be lit brightly at a rate of 50w per hour instead of a few hundred watts. We have smart thermostats that save not only money but also gas (or oil or electric, whichever you have).

We also do our best to be mindful in general. We buy nearly all our produce locally during the green months here rather than things being trucked in across the country or internationally. We generally do as much fresh/local food in general. I'm not sure that the bail or so of peat I use every year or so (sustainably sourced Canadian) is the tipping point.
Click to expand...
I’m in California, and my neighbor joked that all the indoor growers own hybrid/electric vehicles because of the utility incentive. Not sure if that still exists, but I have a Prius as well. Also have a truck that is good for work projects.
It’s good Canadia has a “sustainable” peat farm.
It’s good to not focus environmental blame on us, the consumers, when really the majority of it is in how large corporations operate, trading “carbon credits” like we somehow don’t all breathe the same air, and actively lobbying against clean-tech initiatives. This internet we use is a huge polluter, despite claims by big names like google that they are invested in clean-energy.
My point in posting should really be to stop purchasing peat, so that companies find or develop an alternative to digging up ecosystems to create their product.
I could bag and sell awesome homemade soil to consumers, but then I’m destroying my “own” land. When possible I encourage everyone to look into creating their own
or sourcing from nearby.
Perhaps you know someone that would take your used peat? I sometimes take soil from an indoor-grow friend up the road and spread it out for decorative plants.
Stay positive, happy growing
 
LeastExpectedGrower

LeastExpectedGrower

Well-Known Member
MAGpie81 said:
I’m in California, and my neighbor joked that all the indoor growers own hybrid/electric vehicles because of the utility incentive. Not sure if that still exists, but I have a Prius as well. Also have a truck that is good for work projects.
It’s good Canadia has a “sustainable” peat farm.
It’s good to not focus environmental blame on us, the consumers, when really the majority of it is in how large corporations operate, trading “carbon credits” like we somehow don’t all breathe the same air, and actively lobbying against clean-tech initiatives. This internet we use is a huge polluter, despite claims by big names like google that they are invested in clean-energy.
My point in posting should really be to stop purchasing peat, so that companies find or develop an alternative to digging up ecosystems to create their product.
I could bag and sell awesome homemade soil to consumers, but then I’m destroying my “own” land. When possible I encourage everyone to look into creating their own
or sourcing from nearby.
Perhaps you know someone that would take your used peat? I sometimes take soil from an indoor-grow friend up the road and spread it out for decorative plants.
Stay positive, happy growing
Click to expand...
Mine stays right here on my property. I have vegetable gardens, roses and plenty of other flowers and plants around. Nothing like this gets carted away or thrown out. Our local soil is dense compacted clay...so every bit of something lighter that I can add to it helps along the way.
 
speedwell68

speedwell68

Well-Known Member
LeastExpectedGrower said:
Mine stays right here on my property. I have vegetable gardens, roses and plenty of other flowers and plants around. Nothing like this gets carted away or thrown out. Our local soil is dense compacted clay...so every bit of something lighter that I can add to it helps along the way.
Click to expand...
Exactly what I do. My garden is on top of old tin mine tailings. All of my used soil is used as a mulch and gets dug in. If I have any left over in goes to the garden recycling.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top