As a soil amendment, which is what the baled product is mostly sold for, peat moss is also a poor choice. It breaks down too fast, compressing and squeezing air out of the soil, creating an unhealthy condition for plant roots. … The biggest problem with peat moss is that it’s environmentally bankrupt.
Peat moss is used as a soil conditioner that, when mixed into soil in a garden or a container, will improve the soil’s structure. Peat moss lightens heavy soils, adds weight and structure to lighter, sandier soils, helps it to retain moisture longer and improves the soil’s ability to support root growth and expansion.
Sphagnum moss is especially ideal for lithophytic or epiphytic plants like orchids and aroids which need moisture at the root zone, but also lots of airflow (because their roots normally grow attached to trees rather than in the ground).
No it doesn’t expire. I’ve had my bag in my garage for a while now too and it’s still good.
Sphagnum Moss for Plants: Disease
Sporotrichosis is a fungal disease that has been associated with sphagnum moss. The disease occurs because of a fungus known as Sporothrix schenckii. According to the Center for Disease Control, the fungus enters broken skin and can cause tiny bumps and ulcers on the skin.
Today Spanish moss is used (when dried) as a top dressing on interior container plant or as a craft product, just like sphagnum. Spanish moss does not decompose to become a soil amendment.
A basic recipe is to combine one part compost, one part peat moss and one part perlite or vermiculite. If you don’t have compost, one part peat moss to one part perlite also works, but you should never allow compost to comprise more than a third of your potting mix.
Peat moss may have a place as a component of potting mix used in containers (mostly because it’s lightweight), but I wouldn’t recommend using it as a mulch. Here’s why: Mulch can and should be applied as a top dressing. Peat moss should be mixed into soil.
Sphagnum is a genus of mosses containing over 100 species and is found in bogs throughout the world. … Soak the dry moss in water a day before. Fluff with your fingers so that it’s very sponge-like.
The main difference between peat moss and potting soil is that peat moss is soilless and potting soil contains soil mixed with a few other ingredients. Of course, peat moss can be added to a potting soil to benefit moisture-loving plants.
Long-fibered sphagnum moss is a lightweight material that succulents seem to love! They root into it readily, thrive and grow. Sphagnum absorbs water quickly, allowing the cuttings to get a good drink, and then dries quickly so that they don’t rot.
cooperdr_gw. There’s a lot of Sphagnum moss out there that’s not very clean- leaves and sticks and stuff can grow mold. See if you can get New Zealand Sphagnum Moss- it’s more consistent. Some pet stores carry it.
In the vegetable garden, peat moss can moderate extremes in soil dryness and soil wetness. This is very important when growing juicy-fruited plants with tender skins, such as tomatoes, strawberries, and blueberries. These acid-loving plants and many other fruits and vegetables benefit from peat moss’s lower pH level.
For sandy soil, peat moss helps retain moisture and nutrients for plant roots. It is often applied with the ratio 2:1. 2 parts of soil per 1 part of peat moss. If you intend to use peat moss as a soil amendment, you should know that it changes the pH level of the soil.
Peat moss improves the quality of garden and potting soil. It resists compaction and so provides aeration to soil beds, a necessity in heavy soils that otherwise would hold too much water instead of draining properly. Although peat moss aids drainage, it also absorbs moisture so the soil doesn’t dry out too quickly.
Peat moss should be mixed into soil. Top dressing with peat is a bad idea because wind will blow it around and rain will harden it. — Mulch nourishes the soil as it breaks down. When well-incorporated into soil, peat can aid nutrient availability, but it contains little or no nutrients of its own.
The trick to wetting large quantities of peat moss is to add a surfactant or wetting agent to the water. This reduces the water’s surface tension, allowing it flow more easily into the pores and spaces instead of forming droplets on the surface.
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