By P.J. Heller For peat’s sake, look to Canada. That’s the message from the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA), especially when it comes to peatland science and restoration.  “We’ve been recognized for our leadership, our environmental stewardship across the world,” says Asha Hingorani, president of the CSPMA, which represents more than a dozen horticultural peat moss producers in Canada …

By P.J. Heller Sales of consumer soil products are much more robust than previously believed, according to a recent survey commissioned by the Mulch & Soil Council. And projections from another survey paint a bright picture for 2024, especially with Gen Y (27-41) respondents saying they expected to spend more money and time on gardening than the previous year.  The …

By P.J. Heller Brad Morgan followed the proverbial phrase, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” to create a successful business. In his case, though, the correct phrase would be, “When life gives you manure, make compost.” And that’s exactly what Morgan has been doing since 1996, when he and his father, Dale Morgan, launched Morgan Composting and its Dairy …

By P.J. Heller If someone was to co-opt the Burger King slogan of “Have It Your Way,” it would likely be the crew at Full Circle Soils & Compost.  Not content to produce just a standard compost that can be marketed to customers, Full Circle offers a complete menu of items that can be added to compost to create a …

By P.J. Heller Toothpaste. Kitty litter. Outdoor pizza ovens. Ceiling tiles. Garden and landscape growing material. Pipe insulation. Soaps. Environmental spill cleanup kits.  Those items and more have one ingredient in common that many people may not be aware of: perlite. “Perlite is all around us,” notes Michael Dunlavey in discussing a mineral found throughout the horticultural, construction and industrial …

By Ken McEntee Almost three months after the Biden administration announced its final rule defining “Waters of the United States (WOTUS)” and how and which waters will be regulated by the federal government, a federal court in March blocked implementation of the rule in Texas and Idaho. However, Judge Jeffrey Brown, U.S. District Court, Southern Texas District, denied a nationwide …

By P.J. Heller It wasn’t that long ago when Jim Weber looked out at a section of his Ohio Mulch property and watched as trucks would get stuck in thick mud.  Weber wanted to use part of a 10-acre plot for truck and equipment storage and to construct a warehouse building. The problem was the ground was too damp, soft …

By Dr. Brian E. Jackson As all aspects of horticultural crop production continue to improve and evolve, research and development of soilless substrates is also keeping pace with our ever changing and demanding production practices. Processed pine and fir bark has been the primary substrate component for nursery growers across the country for several decades, a trend that holds true …

By Dr. Brian E. Jackson Once upon a time growers could call their growing media supplier(s) and have product ordered, shipped, and delivered within days. It is no mystery to anyone today that “those days” are gone, at least for the foreseeable future. The global growing media industry, like so many others in horticulture, has experienced unprecedented product demand which …

By P.J. Heller Jim Weber has come a long way since he was a 19-year-old running a lawn service business out of the garage at his parents’ home. Today, some 38 years later, Weber is owner and president of Ohio Mulch, one of the largest mulch manufacturing companies in Ohio. The company, headquartered on a 56-acre site in Columbus, has …