Peat moss is commonly sold in bales covered in plastic at home improvement centers. When you break open a bag, the substance that you will find inside resembles a very dry, caked-up soil. Here is how the two differ:. First of all, "sphagnum moss" can refer to a living plant. There are species of this type of moss plant. Sphagnum moss is native to many countries across the globe, but it is especially prevalent in the Northern Hemisphere.
Like peat moss, sphagnum moss is harvested for the horticultural trade. For example, it is commonly used to line wire baskets for hanging plants, to retain the soil.
But the sphagnum moss used for this purpose was a plant growing in nature not that long ago. You can also tell from its appearance that it is a type of moss, whereas peat moss bears more of a resemblance to soil. Sphagnum peat moss is widely used in soilless potting mixes. So if you have started plants indoors from seed, then you have very likely already dealt with peat moss. A soilless potting mix is much better to use for starting seeds than regular soil, for the following reasons:.
But peat moss has other uses, as well. Outdoors, it can be tilled into a planting bed where the soil is not sufficiently friable. Peat moss will lighten up the soil in your garden, which may have become compacted over the years, resulting in inadequate drainage. But you do not want all of the water to pass quickly through your soil. Once it has reached a certain stage, the peat is harvested and dried out.
Peat moss is harvested from bogs like this one. The moss decomposes underwater without the presence of oxygen to form a unique material with many garden applications. Most of the peat moss used and sold in the U. A small fraction of it comes from Michigan.
However, due to the concerns of many countries about over-harvesting, the actual peat supply comes mostly from Russia and Canada. There will always be slight variabilities in peat moss based on where it was harvested from and what the unique conditions of the bog were. Although it has a similar name, sphagnum moss is much different than peat moss.
Besides types, there are also different grades available based on how fine or rough the particle sizes are. Peat moss can retain about 10x its weight in water. It then releases the water to plant roots as needed. This means less watering for you, saving you time, effort, and money. The main environmental concerns are habitat destruction for animals and plants living in the bog including unique species of frogs and vegetation and upset of delicate ecosystem balance.
Once again, Canada has done the best job of finding more sustainable harvesting methods and working for bog restoration. Most gardeners agree that there is nothing quite like peat moss when it comes to certain garden uses. Here are the top ways to consider using it in your garden. There are other ways to lower the pH of your soil, but they either take much longer elemental sulfur or can lead to a buildup of heavy metals in your soil iron sulfate. Hydrangeas need acidic soil to produce blue flowers.
Alkaline soils will turn flowers pink. If you have a hydrangea bush that you want to be blue, peat moss is an easy soil amendment to increase acidity. Then, work it down into the soil with a shovel or garden fork to a depth of about 12 inches. Make sure you water the peat moss thoroughly until it looks and feels wet. Dry peat moss will end up taking moisture away from your plants, but it will retain water for a long time once wet.
Start with it as your base ingredient and add an aerating ingredient like perlite or vermiculite. You can also add a tiny amount of fertilizer to feed your seedlings once they start growing. Other optional ingredients include lime to balance out the pH , coconut coir, and beneficial mycorrhizae helps your plants to root. Peat moss is a common base ingredient in both seed starting mixes and potting soil.
Well it worked for a few years and I had some grass but now my front lawn has turned into a sheet of green moss. So I will have to live with the green mossy lawn-which almost looks fairy like….
Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Gardening Basics. Peat Moss: Basics What is peat moss? Benefits of Peat Moss Peat moss offers numerous advantages and benefits to gardeners who wish to make their plants thrive. Here are the most important benefits of peat moss: Peat moss is a highly absorbent material.
It can retain water much better than other types of soils. This is a great agent to include in your garden soil. Sterile medium. Peat moss provides a sterile medium, which is ideal for planting and growing your plants.
This is why peat moss is ideal starting medium, particularly for tender, vulnerable plants that require a lot of care. Acidic pH features. Peat moss is slightly acidic, which means it is great for acid-loving plants. There are many plants you may wish to grow that require slightly acidic soil, such as camellias and blueberries.
If your garden soil is not acidic, add a bit of peat moss to make your acid-loving plants thrive. Compaction prevention. Peat moss is not compact, which is a great advantage over other organic materials. It is important to prevent soil compaction because such soil becomes less useful. Peat moss is great because it can easy be re-hydrated and even one application prevents soil compaction for years. Potential Problems with Peat Moss On the other hand, it is important to understand that there are certain disadvantages to peat moss.
Here are the main problems with peat moss: Despite being organic, peat moss is not really fertile. On the other hand, the nutrient content is not absolute zero, either. Peat moss does contain a bit of nutrients, minerals and beneficial microorganisms.
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