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Potting soil or growing media, also known as potting mix or potting compost (UK), is a substrate used to grow plants in containers. The first recorded use of the term is from an 1861 issue of the American Agriculturist . [ 1 ]
Topsoil harvesting means a second location will be degraded, and collection and transport expenses will generally be higher than using local materials to create a new soil. Soil that was removed and stockpiled (e.g. during the operation of a mine), can become part of a constructed soil once a site is being reclaimed.
Composting is an aerobic method of decomposing organic solid wastes, [8] so it can be used to recycle organic material. The process involves decomposing organic material into a humus-like material, known as compost, which is a good fertilizer for plants. Composting organisms require four equally important ingredients to work effectively: [3]
Use of peat in the professional horticultural sector also fell in 2021. Peat made up less than 30% of compost sold to gardeners in 2021 – report Skip to main content
A wide variety of materials have been described as soil conditioners due to their ability to improve soil quality. Some examples include biochar, [3] bone meal, blood meal, coffee grounds, compost, compost tea, coir, manure, [4] straw, peat, sphagnum moss, vermiculite, sulfur, lime, hydroabsorbant polymers, [5] biosolids, [6] and rock flour.
The other major use of dried peat is as a soil amendment (sold as moss peat or sphagnum peat) to increase the soil's capacity to retain moisture and enrich the soil. [4] It is also used as a mulch . Some distilleries , notably in the Islay whisky-producing region, use the smoke from peat fires to dry the barley used in making Scotch whisky .
Compost provides little in the means of nutrients to plants, but it does provide soil stability through increasing organic matter. Compost does help microorganisms proliferate which in turn breaks down decaying plant material into substantial bio-available nutrients for plant to easily assimilate. [ 27 ]
Chat Moss - peat bog located in Salford, Greater Manchester; Cors Caron - peat bog near Tregaron, Ceredigion, Wales; Cors Fochno - peat bog near Borth, Ceredigion, Wales; Crymlyn Bog - a nature reserve near Swansea, Wales; Fenn's, Whixall and Bettisfield Mosses - a national nature reserve which straddles the border between England and Wales