The article states that only .05% of harvested peat goes to horticultural use. That's 5 hundredths of 1 hundredth! That is such a tiny percentage that even if every single gardener in North America gave up peat, there would be virtually NO impact on peat production! And a harvested area - since it is naturally swampy - can be recovered into a form of bog or swamp wetland, even if it's not exactly the same as a peat bog.
Coconut coir has been widely advertised in recent years as a better, more wonderful alternative to peat, but as one of the other commenters noted, coconut hulls require extensive processing to turn them into something useable. So, fossil fuels to run the factory to do the processing (chopping and grinding, even if minimal chemicals are used)? Culminating in extensive fossil fuels to ship it here? All to save almost no peat production - which, by the way, is itself one of those fossil fuels, since a large percentage is burned in power plants.
The coconut industry has been turning hulls into fibers for twine and rope, as well as felted materials, for centuries. I give them credit for finding another use for the remaining fragments and dust, but I am not going out of my way to replace the minimal amount of peat I use in my gardens.
The article states that only .05% of harvested peat goes to horticultural use. That's 5 hundredths of 1 hundredth! That is such a tiny percentage that even if every single gardener in North America gave up peat, there would be virtually NO impact on peat production! And a harvested area - since it is naturally swampy - can be recovered into a form of bog or swamp wetland, even if it's not exactly the same as a peat bog.
Coconut coir has been widely advertised in recent years as a better, more wonderful alternative to peat, but as one of the other commenters noted, coconut hulls require extensive processing to turn them into something useable. So, fossil fuels to run the factory to do the processing (chopping and grinding, even if minimal chemicals are used)? Culminating in extensive fossil fuels to ship it here? All to save almost no peat production - which, by the way, is itself one of those fossil fuels, since a large percentage is burned in power plants.
The coconut industry has been turning hulls into fibers for twine and rope, as well as felted materials, for centuries. I give them credit for finding another use for the remaining fragments and dust, but I am not going out of my way to replace the minimal amount of peat I use in my gardens.