#Jiffy Pellets
3 messages in this thread
I have a question regarding Jiffy Pellets. I am consth different seed
starting methods. I've been considering trying Jiffy Pellets–the Jiffy 7.
But, I'm concernedabout the so-called "nylon netting" in the garden. Does
it decompose? Am I adding more trash to the environment if I use it? Any
thoughts would be appreciated!!
Jim, I don't know whether the mesh decomposes, because I always tear it
off! They say you can leave it on and the roots will grow through; fine
roots certainly do but I don't really trust it.
I don't suppose that the mesh is desirable in environmental terms, but I've
just been editing an article that seems to suggest that we shouldn't use
peat moss or anything made from it, because peat "mining" is a cause of
wetlands destruction. (Since you're in Ohio, I'll mention that the article
is an opinion column in the next — i.e., first — issue of TRILLIUM: the
Journal of the Ohio Native Plant Society.)
But the germination in Jiffy-7's is excellent, maybe because of the air
circulation. I think it was Josephine Nuese who suggested punching holes
in the =sides= of containers used for starting seeds, because she thought
that the circulation helped the germination.
Paul, just a side note. You have been misled, along with a whole lot of
other folks about the "problem" with the peat bogs. The "problem" is with
the bogs in England and Europe. 98% of the peat moss used in the U.S.
comes from Canada where 1/3 of the entire country is peat. The industry in
Canada has adopted a policy of renovating bogs when they are finished.
They don't begin to mine as much peat as is being produced by nature in the
entire country. If you want precise data on this issue, call Gerry Hood,
the executive director of the Canadian Spaghnum Peat Moss Association in
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 403-460-8280.