Perhaps you ’ve seen it at your garden center . Maybe you even know how to practice it .
But what is peat moss ? And is its use in the garden necessary ?
Staring in the 1950s , peat moss peat moss became widely used as a principle component in the potting soil sell in the United States . It has been used for hundreds of age in the UK and Europe as an amendment .
Peat moss ’s principle welfare are its water retention property , advance in soil grain , and its ability to aid keep nutrient from leaching out of the circumvent ground .
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However , there are environmental concerns about peat ’s usance due to the sacking of atomic number 6 as it breaks down in the soil .
Keep read for the facts about a vulgar soil linear that many growers swear by and alternative materials that can be substituted .
What You’ll Learn
Why We Like It
When it have to consumers , this passably squishy fabric is teetotal and brown , and is sell in bags or Basel and market as an alternative to compost .
Gardeners adore its juiceless and airy texture and have been using it in their soil for decades .
It absorb water like nothing else , which is why it is often used togive cum a good startin desiccate climates .
Used as a soil amendment , it can add “ fluffiness ” to the soil . But what do I mean by that ?
Soil that is mixed with peat is much less dense . It behaves like lignin ( decompose woodwind cellulose ) . It does n’t get compacted , which can suffocate new seedling or make root veggie to become stunted because they ca n’t push throughdense clay soiltypes .
In a word , peat is springy . Just splosh it between your fingers . You ’ll see what I ’m talking about .
gardener also care that its introduction to the garden causes no disruption . There are no pathogen , bacterium , bugs , weed seed , or other nasties to concern about , like you might find in other soil amendments .
In core , you’re able to add it in with no worry that you will introduce harmful elements to your soil .
This amendment has been revolutionizing gardening for year .
It ’s often marketed as a simple , one - pace solution to attaining the filth of your dreams . It ’s also a $ 500 million industriousness in Canada , the lead supplier of horticultural peat products sold in the United States .
Sounds great , right ? So why would anyone have an progeny with this supplement ?
Well , it can cause your grease to become more acidic . Though this can be a trouble for some plant , this also think of it ’s a great solution for growing plants that love more acidic soil , like blueberries .
We ’ve also bonk for some metre that adding this product toamend the soil around pinkish hydrangeascan be the encouragement they ask to turn them dispirited .
But what if you do n’t need a more acidulent soil ? You will require to equilibrize it out , usually with Citrus aurantifolia , to keep your pH from going amiss .
This production is n’t the most affordable soil additive either , so you ’ll want to add that factor into the equation , as well .
And this Cartesian product has cost beyond what you make up at the garden mall , too .
Let ’s learn more about this gardening element , and why its production can be controversial .
What is Peat Moss?
As it survive in nature , peat moss is made up of layer upon stratum of partly break down works remains — such assedges , reed instrument , mosses , and grass — and is work over one thousand of years when an abundance of piss and the absence seizure of O pretend the rude process of radioactive decay , consort tothe Royal Horticultural Society , a British conservation radical .
Peat moss is found in peat bog — swampy , swampy , waterlogged field in the first place situate in the northerly cerebral hemisphere .
In fact , Canada , Finland , Ireland , and Russia are the primary sources for the commercial products .
Scotland , too , is home plate to much peat bog , with 23 percentage of the country being covered with peat . But most of Scotland ’s peat is protect , not commercialized .
A plant called sphagnum moss is often found growing on top of the stratum of peat moss , but this live flora cloth should not be confused with peat moss , which refers to the often - ancient layer of decomposed material .
Harvesting History
harvest this grease amendment take a bog to be run out of all dear - surface water . Then , layers of native vegetation must be removed .
When the top level of decomposed cloth is bring out to the elements , it begins to dry out and becomes suited for a process known as “ scraping . ”
Commercial reaper utilise large vacuity to harvest up to 100 acres of peat per day during the harvest time of year .
The commercially more desirable material ( which is New and less decomposed ) is found toward the aerofoil and is marketed otherwise than the down layer .
What’s Wrong With Using Peat Moss?
The scraping or harvesting process impart to glean this merchandise is under scrutiny , as the peat bogs provide a habitat for a salmagundi of creatures , including certain metal money of plants and frogs that are unique to peat bogs and mire .
In rescript to get at peat , there is a considerable perturbation to these living things , and the removal of peat acres also decreases overall output of necessary gassesand nutrients .
Manufacturers have find themselves defending the practice of mining and sell these products to consumer . They claim that they are using creditworthy practices to guarantee that what they take is growing back at a good for you charge per unit .
The pace of maturation varies wide — including as slow as 1/16 - inch per twelvemonth — and all countries do not modulate these ware the same mode . While Canada has done a good job of trail overall backlog , other country continue to harvest the textile without any standard enforcement of sound ecological practices .
This has make other regions to respond by make out bans on certain uses of this ground amendment . Ireland , which has stopped peat mining for well in sure regions , is guide the flush for modification .
Scotland is returning acre of peatland to their born state after misguided tone companies seeded trees on ancient peat bog decade ago . scientist there recover that peatlands are an of import part of our ecosystem for their power to absorb and retain carbon dioxide .
politics group around the earthly concern go on to work with ecologic experts , college , and industriousness leadership to adjust standards as needed to keep depletion at a minimum .
A Look at Suitable Peat Alternatives
Many of us view peat a horticulture necessity , even if it has only been democratic in the last 20 eld .
That means generation before us ascertain other agency of amending their land . It ’s worth considering whether these alternative might be more suitable , given how long it takes peat bogs to replenish .
get ’s take a look at a few of them :
Compost
One effective method acting of amending soil for density and drainage control is by adding a desirable compost .
Admittedly , compost takes prison term to produce , and we do n’t always have the week or even months needed to get the correct body or pH by making it ourselves .
It also compacts quite a bit more than peat , so if you are looking for that airy welfare , you wo n’t get it here .
But if we do have the time and foresight required , this is an fantabulous way of life to avoid the peat difference of opinion altogether .
What kinds of compost work well in place of peat ?
you’re able to certainly habituate what you have on handwriting , but compost made fromcrushed shell , shredded corn cobs , used coffee ground , and fruit and vegetable scraps is the easiest to make for with .
For additional tips on making fantastic compost , see our novice guide here .
A special compost portmanteau made from alternate bed of manure – from herbivores only – and drinking straw is also recommended . As the manure breaks down the fibre in the straw , a light-headed and airier compost forms that is comparable to peat moss in its compactness .
Leaves, Mulch, and Sand
In summation to fully decay compost , you might have succeeder aerating the territory directly with other innate textile .
I ’ve found thatdried descent leavescan be broken up to make a fine filth amendment . forest from a chipper may be bring about exquisitely enough to have a alike welfare .
dry lawn trimming may work well too , as long as they have not been chemically treated in any way .
If better drainage is all you are after , a fine bed of sand could do the trick . This can be especially efficient when growing certain vine fruit and veg .
For example , watermelons lovean extra column inch or two of gumption operate into the topsoil , and it ’s far more affordable than peat for repair the soil in big country of the garden .
Perlite
Perlite is another little - known tool that has made gardening a dream for me , and has deliver me from many tricky position .
This product is a puffed - up volcanic rock-and-roll material that resemble petite foam Ball , and it is useable by the handbag online and from garden supplying stores .
Small cavities on the open of each particle of perlite help to keep back piss , and keep nutrients near root systems . It also promotes drainage by keeping the soil airy , as each particle is incorporate of tiny air passage .
Perlite is currently sell by many major gardening supply manufacturer .
Hoffman Horticultural Perlite
For example , you could find an 18 - quart supply of perlite from Hoffmanavailable via Amazon .
Espoma Organic Perlite
If you need a small amount , prove this eight - quart dish from Espoma , uncommitted from Amazon .
We use perlite for seed get , improve raised bed , and lightening the bottoms of enceinte planter that need good drain . And it really work miracles in my garden without bear on thepH of the soil .
While it ’s a non - renewable imagination , it ’s currently very meretricious to procure , is very efficient by volume , and stands to hold up well to cosmopolitan need .
Vermiculite
One concluding option is vermiculite , which is often used interchangeably with perlite in conversation – but they are not in fact the same .
Perlite , as line above , is made from super - heated volcanic methamphetamine , and it resembles foam or popcorn . Vermiculite , which is soft and spongy , is made from crack - heated aluminum iron magnesium silicate that resemble mica in appearance .
Because it expand so much during its heating appendage , it has the ability to plunge three to four times its volume in water . It also does an excellent job of keep on minerals needed for plants to originate , making it one of the better soil additives for root word ontogenesis and wellness .
Vermiculite is bring forth by several companies , and is usually offer in four particulate sizes .
The tiniest is most ordinarily used for starting seeds . It is very close to neutral in pH , but can be slimly alkaline , depending on where and under what conditionsit was mine .
Perfect Plants Organic Vermiculite
you could find eight - quart bags of organic vermiculitevia Amazonandfrom the Perfect Plants Nursery .
There is currently very little information on whether this substance is at jeopardy of being depleted in the good future , but there is no elbow room to replace the materials that make it .
There has also been some business regarding the safety of vermiculite , mostly likely due to an asbestos contaminant event at a Libby , Montana , mine , which closed in 1990 .
The Libby mine harvested both asbestos and the material necessitate to make vermiculite . The vermiculite became pollute with asbestos , causing products to be pollute .
Vermiculite sell today would not come from this now - shutter mine , nor would it be in the supplying channel after all this time .
Regarding perlite and vermiculite , your best wager is to try out with these textile to see what you like best . I know many gardener who choose one option for semen , another forpotting mix , and something else for raised beds .
Your gas mileage may vary , but either option is suitable for most purposes .
Coconut Coir
Another option forsupplementing the soil is coconut coir . The outside fiber of coconut shell are used to make this textile .
you’re able to really find coconut coir as a stand - alone option or in many garden dirt mixture , combined with the other solution we mentioned , such as peat , perlite , or vermiculite .
Since it is a byproduct of live coco harvesting , and was in the beginning considered waste , it is a very eco - friendly alternative to peat . It absorbs water and can also help lighten the denseness of the filth , raise drainage .
It has become a favorite among hydroponic growersand worm farmersin the retiring few eld , and is uncommitted from local storage and online .
Coco Coir
you may find coconut coir from FibreDustavailable via Amazon .
Should You Ever Use Peat?
Very few of the resources that we use in gardening are rightfully renewable . Mulching and compost , via knock off plant materials and our garbage , are in all likelihood among the most sustainable option out there .
That does n’t mean that peat does n’t have a plaza , however .
If you detect yourself using more textile and resources than necessary to avoid using this soil amendment , you might be doing more impairment than good . A modest amount of peat has the possibility of saving piddle , fuel for your tiller , or a drive to the recycling plant life for DIY mulch ingredients .
If you are a good keeper of the small amount of this product you purchase , it may be a worthwhile investment for your garden .
Only you’re able to square up the total cost of using this dearly eff horticulture tool . I have intercourse that many gardener have weighed the impact of using just a modest amount of this soil amendment wisely and have ascertain it to be appropriate .
Do you use this product in your garden ? We wo n’t judge ! We ’d know to hear how you are getting the most out of your peat purchases , as well as other ideas for amending the soil in a similar manner !
And formore info about ground improvement and composting , check out these guides next :
© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . With penning and editing by Gretchen Heber . Product photos via Espoma , FibreDust , Hoffman , and Perfect Plants . Uncredited pic : Shutterstock . Originally published October 2nd , 2018 . Last update March 22nd , 2023 .
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Linsey Knerl
