Surely you have consider big bags of peat moss in garden centers ? Used as a growing medium in mess , cosmetic and vegetable gardens , peat moss has become very democratic thanks to its excellent qualities .
Peat moss can be used as a factor of pot soil or to make compost , it is fully organic and it can improve your soil .
But what is peat moss , where does it amount from , and is it really sustainable ?
Peat moss is a in full raw and organic fibrous growing medium coming from peat moss , a group of plant that grow in cold marsh ; it has excellent property in pot soil , as a soil melioration ingredient and for seedling . However , it is not sustainable and it has a huge environmental impact ,
So , if you want to employ peat moss in your garden , there are a few factors to take into retainer .
Read to hear more about peat moss , what it is , how it forms , how it gets into garden centers , how you’re able to use it , and also why you should be cogitate doubly before buying it .
5 Best Ways To Put Peat Moss To Use In Your Garden
Peat moss has a hunky-dory and light texture , it hold on to water and lasts for a long sentence ; this is why it has become utilitarian in gardens and as a potting admixture for houseplant .
Over the years , gardeners have obtain five independent slipway of using this instinctive resource we call peat moss :
What Is peat Moss?
Peat moss is to the full natural ; it is a fully constitutional mature medium which occur from bogs , especially from cold piazza like Russia , Canada , Scotland etc .
There is no transformation process , no Human hand , no in advance applied science involved in making it .
It is simply quarried . Sometimes , it it also gets compacted , and this is why you’re able to incur it either as solid “ brick ” or as loose fibrous matter . Once it has been dug out of the flat coat , it is bag and sent straight to distribution centers .
The quarrying is done without having to grind deep , as peat moss comes from just under the Earth’s surface .
Where Does Peat Moss Come from?
Peat moss add up to your flower sens or garden from wetlands , or bogs .
It is not decompose material , and this is because the water on the open of the bog does not allow O and air to filter underground .
So , the fibers of the sphagnum moss remains almost inviolate .
The weight of the water and living moss on top , however , press it down , take form a dense interlocking of fibre that is what we call peat moss .
On fair , peat moss only grows by 0.02 inches ( which is only 0.5 mm ) every year . It is therefore , a very , very slow process .
What Is Peat Moss Made of?
Peat moss is made up of many level of partially decompose stagnant plants , and these can be weed , mosses , sedge and reeds .
Thus , it is not fully decompose matter . This is very important , because it preserve the porosity of the fibers that these works have .
This mean that it can souse up water and even have pockets of tune , which allow source to breathe .
In chemical terms , peat moss has a ratio of carbon : nitrogen of 58:1 , which means that there are 58 g of carbon for each gram of nitrogen in peat moss .
This make it an excellent origin of carbon copy in compost , potting soil , or mixed in with other types of soil .
What’s the Difference Between Sphagnum Moss and Peat Moss?
Do n’t confuse peat moss ( also sphagnum peat moss ) with sphagnum moss . They come from the same plants , any of theSphagnopsidaclass but they are not the accurate same matter . Peat moss is what ends up under the pee of these plant life , while sphagnum moss is collected from the still living be adrift parts of the plant .
Their uses are different too : peat moss is uses as potting soil , or to meliorate grime and similar uses , while sphagnum moss is used as ground cover and also to thread field goal and miniature article of furniture , in fact you will discover it also in craft and hardware memory board as well as garden sum . eventually , peat moss is slightly acidic , while sphagnum moss is neuter .
So , both come from bog moss but peat moss is used for soil improvement , because of its ability to shift the texture of dirt and water retention properties and because its humble pH can be used to correct the filth ’s acidity .
On the other hand , sphagnum moss is only used as mulch or for ornamental intention in horticulture .
The History of Peat Moss
The story of peat moss is very old indeed ; in fact , the brown fibers you find your local greenhouse are commonly 10,000 to 12,000 days old .
They used to be plants , mostly one of or more of the 380 species of Sphagnopsida .
dwell in peat bog lands and marsh in continental climates , when they choke , they slump under the water .
There , they lose decomposable organic matter and keep the fiber , which is voiceless to put down in the absence of oxygen .
But from there to the dirt in your pot , the journeying is not that brusk . Peat has been known and used as dodo fuel for centuries if not millennia , but it was only after the Second World War , with the advent of “ industrial land ” that peat moss found its way into the agricultural grocery store .
It was first received as the solvent to many problems , and in fact it does have some great holding .
But afterward one , as environmentalism and “ green cognizance ” started to disperse , from the 80s onwards , so came worries about depleting the world ’s natural resource .
In recent twelvemonth , we have learned that peat bogs are fundamental to the selection of the major planet , and its use in horticulture and agriculture is now frowned upon by most gardener with an environmental sensibility .
What Are the Benefits of Peat Moss?
In horticulture , the place of the soil or growing medium you habituate are a very crucial factor to regard .
Peat moss has some very important qualities that have made it a front-runner with farmers , gardener , grower and amateurs all over the world .
Before we move on , there is an of import percentage point ; peat moss is very beneficial at retaining water , but much less so with atmosphere .
This explains why it is almost never used on its own . But more to this in the next section …
What Are the Downsides of Peat Moss?
Peat moss is pop , sought after and also useful as a growing medium or soil corrector , but it is by no means perfect . In fact …
The Environmental Impact of Peat Moss
We need to tattle about the environmental issues border the quarrying of peat moss before we move on .
All conscientious gardener should be very aware of these , and if you are not Modern to this grow medium , for trusted you will get laid that there has been a strong disputation against using it on environmental grounds .
Every inch of peat moss contract decades to mold . This is a major job , but there is more …
Peat peat bog cover 2 % of the land in the universe , but it stores up to 10 % of all the atomic number 6 in the human beings . This means that these bogs are central to eliminating carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and we all get it on what it means in terms of climate variety .
Finally , excessive quarrying think that peat moss is quickly race out .
Now you know all this , I am certain you will call back twice before buying it .
How To UsePeat MossIn The Garden
Peat moss became very popular in pots and flower beds and vegetable garden with gardeners in the retiring decades , till they became cognisant of the environmental consequence .
Let ’s take you have some to reuse and you desire to use it , then , how can you go about it ?
We have seen that there are five main uses of peat moss in horticulture ; now we will see each in twist .
1:Peat Moss As Potting Soil
Peat moss is very common in pot soil admixture . In this deference , it has some important calibre :
Peat moss is usually mixed in with other medium , like perlite , for representative , because perlite hold onto air , thus improve the aeration of the mixture . Less ofttimes , vermiculite is used , in font the works like high grade of humidness .
Other ingredients that are plebeian in peat moss intermixture are bark , dry leaves and even sand , which is very useful to meliorate drain , as peat moss may withhold too much moisture for many plants . Some gardeners use it on its own , especially for seedlings , because it has no weed seeds .
2: Pet Moss For Plant Transplants
When you transplant your prime , vegetables or other plants , the root will need a welcome environment to resolve in .
This is something all gardeners are very aware of . If the dirt is too thick or heavy , for example , especially plant that like friable and acidulous ground will see their radical outgrowth restrained .
So , especially with shrub and berries , but also with rhododendron and similar plants , nurseryman have take to adding peat moss to the soil . This has some advantage :
3:Peat Moss To Improve Soil
Trust me , I do n’t invidia gardener who have to deal with clay or sandy soil . Clay has a very hard grain , duncical and heavy , Baroness Dudevant is the precise opposite , but it bind on to nigh on no water and nutrients .
Peat moss has exactly those timbre that clay and sandy ground deficiency :
In these cases too , peat moss is add up to the soil , you will not totally replace the soil you have with it .
Using peat moss to improve ground conditions has the vantage that it survive long ( a decade , depend on how much you lend , the tone , the soil , crop etc . ) On the other hired hand , peat is in the main corrective and not regenerative . The best way to exchange your soil quality for good is through regenerative technique .
4:Peat Moss For A Healthy Lawn
If you have a lawn , you will know how hard it is to keep it in good embodiment , healthy and light-green .
Much of the success bet on the quality of the soil , especially the top grime , which need to be well aerated , keep wet but never get waterlogged and to have a good structure and texture , not too thick and not too loose .
Peat moss has many qualities that can help oneself you have the best lawn in the neighborhood :
5:Peat Moss For Composting
Using peat moss to make compost may not be the best usage of your money , but it is one of the way of using it .
Let ’s put it like this : if you do n’t know what to do with your peat moss , you may as well utilise it for your compost .
As we said , peat moss is very rich in carbon ; it also has a texture that set aside gaps and pockets where small creatures that take part in the putrefaction process can regain shelter .
Compost usually wants a proportion of carbon : N of 30:1 , and peat moss has almost twice that . So , it can be used to increase the carbon in your compost .
There are a few ways to use peat moss in compost :
Organic Alternatives To Peat Moss
The environmental issue and the toll can put many nurseryman off using peat moss . as luck would have it , there are alternatives for all its roles .
Below , we take a look at some of the stainable peat moss stand in you could use or else :
1:Compost
you may use compost as peat moss backup man to vary the soil ’s rankness and acidity . With mud soil , compost will also improve its drainage holding , breaking down the Lucius Clay , but the impression is much improved if used in connective with grit .
Compost is cheaper than peat moss and fully sustainable , and you may well make your own . On the other hand , compost will not last as long as peat moss , and you will have to add compost regularly .
at last , compost will compact faster and more easy than peat moss , but to have a comparable effect , you’re able to add George Sand , shell and egg shells to the soil to meliorate its texture .
2:Perlite
Perlite is a volcanic rock rich in pores , and it is good for weewee retention and air retentivity . It is often used in conjunction with peat moss , as we suppose , because it has better line retention properties than peat .
Perlite will last evermore as well , which is an added addition . It has the ability of providing in effect moisture and aeration while at the same time breaking up soil grain when it is too stocky .
Perlite is organic as well , though , of course , the quarrying habituate fossil fuel . It is also inert , like peat moss , which intend that it can have on to nutrients for long , but it does not bring home the bacon any itself . It is pronto available as well , which is why it is a favorite with gardeners all over the world .
3:Vermiculite
Vermiculite is a mineral used as organic peat moss reserve in gardening which , when heated , expands , forming stomate and pouch where air and water can be stored and released slowly .
It isbetter than perlite at halt water , but not so good at preserving aviation . In this , its properties are more standardized to those of peat moss .
Vermiculite too is inert and it will last forever , so , it is an first-class way of ameliorate both the grain and properties of the dirt for good .
While the rock candy itself is natural , the heat want to expatiate it in furnaces does pose an environmental job .
4:Sand
Sand is splendid suitable alternative to peat moss to let out down clay land and improve the grain , aeration and drain of filth . It too is torpid , so , it will not affect your soil pH and nutrients of your dirt .
What is more , sand is very well-off to add together to dirt ; you will , in most font , only need to scatter it on top of the Din Land you wish to improve , and it will soon seep into the earth .
If your grease is racy in Lucius Clay , Baroness Dudevant and constitutive issue ( like dry leaves , for good example ) will greatly improve its grain , aeration and drain .
observe in mind that moxie is very flashy , easy useable and does not have a major impact on the surroundings , it can be a much better option than peat in some of its functions .
5:Coconut Coir
Coconut coir is the fiber obtained from the outer shuck of coco and it has become a great favorite with constitutional gardener as suitable alternatives to peat moss . It is crummy , amply renewable , readily available and it can be used both for soil improvement and as a growing medium .
It is inert too , and it has good aeration and water holding properties . In footing of texture , it is not dissimilar to peat moss , but unlike it , it is just a byproduct of cocoanut agriculture , and it has no impact whatsoever on the environment .
If your job is soil texture , aeration and water or nutrient retention , the coconut coir is by far the near choice you have .
6:Organic Matter
Partly decay organic thing , like dead leaf , can be used as alternatives to peat moss if your soil is sandy , to improve water retention and even to give nutrients to your grunge and change its texture .
Sand will just allow water and nutrients to persist off freely , but if you total organic matter , this will intoxicate up the wet and release it slowly .
It will also , in the long run , fertilize your soil , which is a major issue with sandy soil in many type .
Regenerating The Soil
Soil regeneration is part of one of the major revolutions in gardening in the last century . It starts from the thought of restoring a balanced ecosystem , where the planting ( body of water direction and even landscaping ) ameliorate the dirt .
This is not just a permanent root , but an incremental one : it will get good and better twelvemonth on year , give you healthier and healthy soil and higher and higher output as time go by .
So , if peat moss is used for soil advance , it does not declare oneself a lasting root .
Using it , or even well its alternatives can be a temporary resolution , but if you really love your land , looking into regenerative agribusiness is step into the hereafter , of your land as well as of horticulture .
Peat Moss: Does It Have a Future?
We have get over a lot of earth in this clause on peat moss . It is an excellent ingredient in pot soil and in growing culture medium , as you may see .
It became very pop a few decades ago , and it has since become widespread and much used by gardener .
expert in potting soil , as a growing medium , to right soil , to produce a good look lawn and even in compost , it was at first hailed as the answer to many problems … Until … Well , until gardener realise that it is a finite resource and that its commercial-grade fortune went hired man in hand with its disappearance .
We then find out that it is key to combatting climate change , so , now , most gardeners regard using it as an literal environmental criminal offense .
Luckily enough , while the fortune of peat moss commence fade , resourceful gardeners have found alternatives for all its purposes that are cheaper , renewable and even more easily available .
So , if you involve me whether peat moss has a future , I would say , “ Yes , it does , but maybe not in our gardens , but in the raw peat bogs where it can do more good to your plants than inside your potting soil . ”
Written By
Amber Noyes was accept and raised in a suburban California town , San Mateo . She obtain a master copy ’s arcdegree in horticulture from the University of California as well as a SB in Biology from the University of San Francisco . With experience working on an organic farm , water preservation research , farmers ’ markets , and plant greenhouse , she understands what ready plant thrive and how we can better understand the connection between microclimate and plant health . When she ’s not on the land , Amber loves informing people of new musical theme / things link to horticulture , especially organic gardening , houseplant , and grow plants in a small space .
