W ho doesn’t want a home full of houseplants? Indoor gardening, as it’s become popularly known, is a lifestyle choice for many, especially those urban apartment dwellers who don’t have access to their own garden. Walk into a room filled with greenery and you invariably feel your mood lifted. No wonder. Studies show that there are compelling scientific reasons why being surrounded by beautiful plants is good for your health and well-being.The Royal Horticultural Society lists a range of both psychological and physical health benefits of growing indoor plants. Let’s start with the psychological. Seasoned house plant aficionados will be nodding when we mention improved mood and reduced stress. Apart from the immediate visual appeal of being surrounded by pots...
There are two main reasons for repotting your plants. 1. THE SOIL OF MEDIUM IN WHICH THE PLANT IS GROWING IS TOO OLD. Soil containing peat decomposes over time and loses its structure and nutrients. Instead of water moving through the soil freely, the soil can compact and stay damp. It’s then more likely to turn mouldy and smelly, and harbour bacteria, diseases and fungi. The image on the left shows old, compacted soil which will constrict roots and repel water - not good. Time to chuck it away and repot. 2. THE PLANT HAS OUTGROWN IT'S POT. Depending on the size of the pot you started out with, most plants do outgrow their pots. No surprise really, as plants...
T he use of coir compost is a very welcome development in the horticultural world, especially as amateur gardeners and houseplant lovers nationwide are cottoning on to its benefits. By ditching peat-based compost for an eco-friendly coir alternative, growers are helping protect our planet from the release of carbon into the atmosphere that occurs when we dig up peat bogs. Not all coir composts, however, are created equal.At the top of the league is the coir compost that’s the choice of commercial growers worldwide. We call it ‘professional-grade’ and it’s what each For Peat’s Sake block is made from. It has earned its premium position for two key reasons. First, when coir fibres are removed from the husks of coconuts...
A ccording to the UK government, ‘the use of peat in the amateur horticulture sector’ is set to be banned by the end of the current Parliament i.e. 2024. The impetus for this proposal is ‘to protect precious peatland habitats and meet net zero targets’. At the time of writing this blog post, the government is in the middle of the ‘seeking views’ phase which means that interested parties and lobbyists can voice their opinions during a 12-week consultation period, due to end mid-March 2022.Regular visitors to our For Peat’s Sake site will be well aware of the back story to protecting peat. But for those of you who’ve happened upon us via Google, here’s a quick summary of why...
B offins at the University of Birmingham have made the welcome discovery that common houseplants suck up nitrogen dioxide (NO2) produced by traffic outside, thereby reducing air pollution in homes and offices. According to the Daily Telegraph, the researchers set up a test chamber containing levels of nitrogen dioxide equivalent to those in a building next to a busy road and placed either a peace lily, corn plant or fern arum inside. In a one-hour test, the team established that the plants could remove about 50% of the pollutant in the chamber. From this they extrapolated that five plants could reduce the pollutant in a poorly ventilated office by 20%.Nitrogen dioxide is produced when fuel is burned and is found...
