Quote:
Originally Posted by drew51
Well that article sums up why I use compost and always will.
Israeli researchers discovered that vegetable and herb seedlings raised in a mix of 40% vermiculite, 30% peat moss, and 30% composted cow manure grew faster, with less incidence of disease, than those raised in a 40% vermiculite/60% peat moss mix (5). To understand how compost suppresses disease, it is helpful to know how plant substances are broken down during the composting process.
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That blend seems to be highly moisture retentive to me.
Maybe it works in Israel's dry climate with controlled watering, in a research operation. But it you use it, for example, in our PNW with annual rainfall of about 60 inches a year, you will have a soggy container. Peat moss itself holds too much moisture then you add vermiculite which absorbs a lot more water and swells like tiny balloon.