What is Peat Moss? Its Uses and Alternatives
Peat moss, a complex material for gardening. We will explore and try to find the details about it for a better understanding of peat moss. Oftenly you see brown material in gardens, soil pots or the nurseries you visit while shopping for plants. Peat moss soil is used as a medium and a soil mixer for the better growth of plants. Most of the people related to this field don’t even clearly know what peat moss is. There are some environmental controversies about the peat moss also, which we will discuss in this article.
Peat moss is usually used to grow flowers and food plants in the containers and the pots. This dark brown fibrous material also helps to maintain the moisture of the container and adjust it according to their needs. We will explore some of the alternatives for this material also. It is said that it took 1000 years to produce peat moss as it is a non-renewable resource. This point makes it controversial to be used to the growth of the plants.
What Actually Peat Moss is:
The process time for peat moss is about 1000 years. Peat moss is fibrous brown material which is the product of sphagnum moss and many other organic materials that decompose in the peat bogs. This decomposition process is very long and the material partially decomposes. The absence of the air makes this process more slow.
Sphagnum moss is very excellent in absorbing capacity. The anaerobic conditions make the shelf life of peat moss very long. Basically, sphagnum peat moss is a water plant and found on the edges of the water bodies, floating on the waters. When the new peat grows the dead one still remains there and makes a thick layer of peat moss including dead and live ones. The peat moss that are used for gardening purposes, are mostly harvested in Russia and Canada.
How to Use Peat Moss:
There are many common uses of peat moss in gardening. But along with these characteristics, peat moss is not recommended to be used solely for the plants. It is also declared that peat moss is not a good growing medium for the plants. It is recommended to be used as one-third or two-third quantity of peat moss mixed with the total amount of the soil. This mixture will improve the quality of the soil. Peat moss helps a lot in container gardening as the soil should be drained well to avoid rotting of the roots and they also need an enough amount of water for the growth. For this situation, peat moss is the best substance to be used. Here are some other points of how to use peat moss.
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Soil Amendment with Peat Moss:
Gardeners have been using peat moss for the soil amendment for years, due to a long list of characteristics offered by peat moss.
- Peat moss can retain moisture and nutrients needed by the roots of the plants for better growth. This is possible due to the absorbing quality of the peat moss. This is the best solution for sandy soils. As moisture in sandy places evaporates quickly.
- The draining quality of peat moss helps in heavy soils like clays. These soils get compact easily and peat moss helps to soften them up and improve the drainage of the plant.
Peat moss is used with the ratio of 2 by 1 as it is recommended to mix 2 parts of soil and 1 part of peat moss for the best results.
For the point of soil amendments, it is recommended to keep an eye on the PH level of the soil as it makes a lot of changes into the PH level of the soil. For this use the peat moss in the recommended quantity. Due to the low PH level of the peat moss, it will provide the best environment for the fruits and vegetables that require an acidic environment to grow. The main example of this is blueberries and tomatoes, some other fruits and vegetables also included in this list. Due to the expensive cost of the peat moss it is used for a smaller area.
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Starting the Growth of the Seed:
Due to the sterile material of the peat moss it helps bacteria and fungi to stay away from the new seed, which ultimately helps a new seed to grow in a safer zone. Peat moss is antiseptic in nature. It provides an ideal environment for the germination of the seed with the excellent drainage. For the germination of the seed you can use peat moss as a whole soil or you can use the mixture of it with soil. You can mix peat moss with some other substances such as coconut coir. These ingredients naturally make the bacteria stay away from the new germinating seed.
- This is the best option for container gardening, as a regular soil will not provide the environment required for the seed to start its new journey.
- A regular soil contains a lot of germs, bacterias and pathogens that will threaten the life of the seed before sprouting the roots. For this soilless germination of the seed with peat moss is recommended.
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Peat Moss for Hydroponic Growing:
Peat moss is a good medium to grow plants for a soilless culture due to its antiseptic characteristics. As we mentioned above, peat moss can easily be used with some other mediums such as coconut coir, vermiculite and perlite. If you are considering peat moss for hydroponic growth you should know some of these points, that is why it is not appropriate. Peat moss being an organic matter, it provides oxygen and nitrogen which ultimately results in the decomposition of the plant. This will choke off your plants from the roots, as the material gathers around the roots. This is recommended to use peat moss mixed with other soil for the hydroponic growing of the plants. To balance both moisture and aeration, use the mixing technique of peat moss with other substances.
What are the Alternatives of Peat Moss:
Due to some of the disadvantages of the peat moss. Some people rush to find the alternatives for the peat moss. These alternatives can also be mixed with a smaller amount of peat moss to get the best results. Here are some common alternatives to peat moss.
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Compost:
Compost is made up of dead plants and their leaves. Animal wastages and some vegetable scapes are also used to make this compost. Same like peat moss, compost have a very good water holding capacity and if thinking about soil amendments compost can be the best option for this. Compost is made in the presence of the air, unlike peat moss. Compost can be made by the gardeners on their own or you can easily buy it from local markets.
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Leaf Mold:
You can amend your soil with this leaf mold. The composted leaves have the ability to retain water. This will provide the best soil habitat for the plant by improving the soil structure.
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Coconut Coir:
Coconut coir is a renewable resource as it is a product left behind by the coconut processing industries. It is basically the outer layer of the coconut which is brown in colour and hairy in structure. This is the most usable option for peat moss. Coconut coir has a neutral PH level which provides the best environment for the plant to grow. This can retain water and the aeration is also good in this. But the cost effectiveness is very high for this option. There are many similar traits of peat moss and coconut coir.
Controversies Over Peat Moss:
Here are some controversial points and environmental issues regarding peat moss.
- It is a non-renewable source for soilless culture of gardening. As it took over 1000 years for its processing.
- It is not an environmentally-aware medium to grow plants.
- Harvesting of the peat moss is not a sustainable process and needs a very careful analysis. As a large number of carbon is emitted into the environment for harvesting this peat moss. Ultimately an environmental threat for the world.
Faqs:
What is peat moss good for?
One of the most appreciated traits of the peat moss is soil amendment, which ultimately improves the health of the soil.
What plants like peat moss?
Peat moss is mostly liked by Epiphytic plants such as moth orchids. The acidic nature of the peat moss makes it more lovable for the acidic plants.
Why is peat moss being discontinued?
The extraction of peat moss makes the area dry for human use and it also increases the risks of wildfires. The harvesting of peat moss releases a large amount of carbon in the atmosphere. These points ultimately discontinued the usage of the peat moss.
Do plants grow better in peat moss?
Peat moss is the best option for new seeds to germinate. As the sterile nature of it makes a suitable environment and keeps the bacteria, fungus and pathogens away from the new seed.
