Peat pots

[JuzaMum]

I was going to buy some peat pots today but my other half questioned whether they are bad enviromentally or not. Anyone know? If they are a no no what are the alternatives?

Thanks

JuzaMum

[MKG]

I doubt that real peat pots are obtainable these days - but I stand ready to be corrected. So-called peat pots (at least all those I've seen) are made from processed wood fibre and, in my humble opinion, definitely do NOT do what it says on the tin. They do not encourage root penetration, they do not rot away in the ground (nor very quickly when thrown in desperation into the compost bin). In fact, they don't do very much at all apart from give you plants which seem to hate actually growing.

Best avoided like the plague is my advice. Lots of people have success with something so simple as several layers of newspaper formed into a pot, and at least those ones do rot away after planting out.

Mike

[oldjerry]

Agree with that,I used to have a device that made a block out of compost,and you just planted your seed in it,then when it made a seedling,planeted out.With a bit of inginuity you could probably make one yourself.

[godfreyrob]

We tried coir pots (from the husk of coconuts) and these were advertised as good for root penetration, rot away in the soil, etc.
Well, roots do penetrate - but only if the moisture levels are kept just right.
They might rot away quickly in the tropics, but in my garden I am still digging them up, more or less intact, 3 seasons later....

[spider8]

I've had the same experience a few years back and they certainly didn't let the roots through or rotted. Has anybody used toilet roll tubes instead and how did they get on with them?

[gregorach]

Yes, I used toilet roll tubes for my sweetcorn last years and they worked well.

[Odsox]

Yes, me too.
Have used toilet roll tubes for years starting off my parsnips, sweetcorn and sweet peas. The only thing you have to watch out for is not let the surrounding soil dry out for the first few weeks after you plant them out, or else the cardboard sets like concrete.
But that probably applies more to planting out in a polytunnel and irregular watering (as I'm prone to do)

[oldjerry]

10 or so years ago I worked at a wholesale nursery for a year or so,and following a demand from our best customer Eden Proj we used pots (for potting on and for point of sale that were made from sustainable sources.As far as I can remember we started with a coir-based thing,and they were crap,root -developement was poor,and they were slimy when wet( possibly the Wet Wet Wet album that never got made,but whatever). After trying a few things,we settled for pots made of a kind of compressd paper,which as far as I know were the longterm solution outlasting my sacking,but not the following bankrupcy.And the moral of the story is.......bog roll tubes are jolly good.

[red]

I've used toilet rolls for parsnips - which hate any kind of re potting.

other things like sweetcorn, i raise in modules. they dont seem to mind at all

[JuzaMum]

Thanks for the replies, I will start saving the empty loo rolls which have the added bonus of being free

JuzaMum