There’s something to be said for products that not only take you, the gardener, in mind, but also take a long view when it comes to resources. Sustainability is a big deal. There is only so much availability for when an input is limited. When it’s gone, it’s gone. That is equally true for oil, for example, as it is for mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving. There is another resource whose supply is restricted, one that we use by the bagfuls in gardening. It’s peat, a key component in potting soils for both commercial and consumer use. Rice hulls are a sustainable alternative!

What is Peat?

Peat is found in bogs and is a product of prolonged pressure and decomposition of, well, boggy things—boggy plants, boggy bugs, and assorted other boggy bits. Why it ends up in potting soil is due to its water and air-holding capacities. Basically, peat allows plants to breathe, absorb water, and grow. It’s light and airy and something plant roots love to grow in.

One problem, though, is that peat is being harvested faster than it’s being made naturally. It’s a limited resource. Finding an alternative—like solar power for home heating oil—is a good idea, not only to prepare for when peat is gone but also to slow peat’s demand in the meantime.

Add Rice Hulls to Peat Mix

One of the alternatives that the commercial potting industry has been experimenting with is rice hulls. They are a renewable resource and are produced with rice crops on an ongoing basis.

For anyone who has found a rice hull floating to the surface when cooking rice, you know that they are light and airy, and they even hold a bit of water.

What some folks are doing is supplementing their peat mix with a helping of rice hulls. Doing this lowers the amount of peat being used. And in some cases rice hulls are completely supplanting the use of peat, perlite, and vermiculite (two other potting soil components made from expanded rock), such as in seed starting mixes.

Try Pure Rice Hulls

I mentioned Organic Mechanics a few weeks ago in reference to a tea-bag type of fertilizer packet. Another new product from them is Pure Rice Hulls.

That’s all it is—just unadulterated rice hulls. They can be used as a soil aeration amendment in your own homemade compost to replace perlite and vermiculite, and also as a straight-up media for seed starting and such.

Another great idea is to add Pure Rice Hulls straight into your garden soil. This will help loosen and lighten garden soils, allowing plant roots to have a bit more elbow room as they stretch out and grow. Pure Rice Hulls come in 2 cubic foot bags. Give them a try and let me know how it turns out.