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 Sweet
Peet is a natural, unique, versatile, nutritious material that is 100%
organic due to its make-up of virgin wood products, manure,and plant
fibers. It differs from many mulches and soil amendmentsin that it
contains no human waste, no construction material or junk wood, such as
pallets, and no chemicals.
Sweet Peet’s
‘secret" is that unlike bark or wood mulch, it does not rob the soil of
nitrogen but instead supplies nitrogen in a slow release form to your
valuable plants. In addition, Sweet Peet fosters the multiplication of
beneficial and necessary soil organisms such as mycorrhizae,
rhizobacteria and earthworms, among others, and which in turn results in
the increased production of glomalin which is the "glue" that holds soil
particles together to give the garden or planting bed that desired tilth
of "chocolate cake" which plants love.
 Sweet
Peet goes through a composting stage where high temperatures destroy any
weed seeds, preventing contamination of your vegetable garden,
landscape, or lawn. It has a very attractive dark brown color with a
sweet, earthy smell. We guarantee you will not even know that you are
working with manure!
 With
the additional value of adding nutrients and microbes back into the
soil, the choice to use Sweet Peet is not a difficult one. Whether you
are working on rehabilitating old landscape beds or new beds, you must
consider the nutrient value and structure of the soil. Adding organic matter back to
the soil with Sweet Peet revitalizes the soil with essential microbes
necessary for the proper exchange of nutrients to the roots of plants
from the soil, and will act as a nutrient reservoir, and greatly
increase the pore space of the soil for better aeration.
HOW TO USE
As a mulch
 It’s
dark rich color is derived from naturally occurring tannins that are
baked in during the composting process. It is a truly attractive mulch
that is lightweight and easy to spread. Since Sweet Peet is fortified
with farm manure, it will also reduce the nitrogen-borrowing that can
occur when using typical hardwood mulches. This is especially important
for annual and perennial beds. Geraniums, Petunias, and Begonias will
certainly stand out when you use this mulch.
For vegetable or flower
gardens, spread about 1" deep using layers of newspaper under the Sweet Peet to additionally suppress weeds. Also, the application of Preen for
landscape or flower beds prior to planting would work instead of the
newspapers. Preen for Vegetable Gardens must be applied for edible
crops. Keep Sweet Peet away from stems of plants.
Planting flowers or vegetables or preparing landscape beds before
planting
Spread a layer of Sweet Peet to a 2-3" depth over the planting bed.
Spade or rototill in the Sweet Peet thoroughly. Note: Even apply to
areas with "new, good" processed topsoil as this topsoil is not the same
as naturally laid down topsoil as such processed topsoils can become
"gummy" and compacted in a short period of time.
Tree & Shrub Planting
Though we would not recommend only using Sweet Peet when planting trees
and shrubs. A mix of 25% Canadian Peat, 25% Sweet Peet, and 50% good
topsoil will give the plants you are installing an outstanding start;
satisfying the plants nutritional requirements.
For more information, check out our
Tree & Shrub tip sheet.
Sweet Peet is also
a great soil amendment when planting ericaceous shrubs such as
Rhododendron-Azalea, Kalmia, Pieris, Leucothoe, Callunas, Ericas and
Vaccinium (blueberries). Add pre-moistened Canadian Sphagnum peat by
mixing it in the back fill for the planting holes as directed in our
rhododendron-azalea planting instructions. Add Sweet Peet to the peat
moss-soil mixture at one half the rate of the Canadian Sphagnum Peat and
re-mix thoroughly. * Sweet Peet is slightly alkaline and so that the
liberal amount of acidic Canadian Peat Moss will ensure the necessary
soil acidity for this group of plants.
For more information, check out our
Rhododendron-Azalea tip sheet.
Establishing New Lawns
Though not truly cost effective,
Sweet Peet is extremely effective at seed starting in a lawn. Seeds can
be directly sown in a 1-2" layer of Sweet Peet and will result in
exceptional seed germination.
Thatch in a Lawn
Thatch buildup in a lawn can
cause an otherwise healthy lawn to begin to decline by not allowing
fertilizer and adequate water to reach the root zone. Even with regular
aeration, there is no substitute for adding organic matter to a lawn to
aid in breaking down thatch. Sweet Peet’s light weight makes it easy to
spread in the lawn. Simply dump in small piles throughout the lawn and
work in with a leaf blower.
More information on Sweet Peet:
http://www.sweetpeet-urbanorganics.com/index.html |
