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Post by daylilydude on Apr 1, 2018 3:37:49 GMT -5
Do you add this to your gardening areas either pots or in-ground and what is your opinion on the use of peat moss?
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Joined: January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2018 5:13:38 GMT -5
I've used it and have no problems in using to lighten up some clay soil before bu mostly use coir now as it is cheaper and does the job.
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Post by guruofgardens on Apr 1, 2018 8:21:56 GMT -5
I used to add peat, but lately have been making leaf mold that works similarly. Leaf mold is renewable while the peat isn’t.
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Post by paulf on Apr 1, 2018 8:56:26 GMT -5
The soilless mixes I use for seed starting and in containers all have peat moss as an ingredient, but I do not use peat as an additive to my garden or purchase it separately. I suppose peat as an addition to my soil would help lower the pH but elemental sulphur is more effective and cheaper.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Apr 1, 2018 11:36:25 GMT -5
The soilless mixes I use in my Earthboxes and the seed starting mixes I use are both mostly peat moss.
In the past I have used peat moss (along with compost) when preparing new beds, since my native soil is basically sand. But I haven't dug any new beds for a while. I don't know whether I would bother with peat moss again - I would probably just use compost and mulch the completed bed heavily.
Anything organic decomposes rapidly in the heat and leaches out quickly during the rainy summers. So, it's not worth it to try to grow things that don't cope well with sandy soil. I can add some compost or fertilizer as needed for fertility and I have an in-ground sprinkler system so I can provide moisture when it's dry. But plants that require a rich organic soil cost much more money and effort than I want to spend on ongoing soil amendments. For ornamentals, it's a lot easier to plant things that will grow in sand. That way, I can save most of my money and effort for the vegetable garden.
As to coir, that was tested as an alternative to peat moss in Earthboxes by a number of Earthbox users and most were unhappy with it - it stayed too wet (root rots and poor plant health) and broke down too quickly. So coir is not an option to replace peat moss for me, at least not for Earthbox/SIP use.
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Post by octave1 on Apr 1, 2018 12:50:11 GMT -5
No, my soil does not need it. Mulch may be a better option for those who would like to increase both organic matter and moisture in their soil, and it's cheaper.
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Post by Gianna on Apr 1, 2018 13:27:38 GMT -5
In the garden, since going 'no till', I try to not work anything into the soil, but mulch heavily with fine organic stuff, including compost (if I have it). Visually I can tell no different between veggies grown in soil previously worked in years past, vs. now when I just stick seedlings directly into the undisturbed ground. If there is a difference, it's certainly not worth the extra work.
I do use peatmoss however, but only in mixes for seed starting. I didn't however use it when planting my blueberries in pots. Just too many to rationalize the cost.
I do use and love coir. I prefer coir to peat in containers, in major part because it does retain water. But in my very dry environment, that is a perk not a flaw. I would never work it (or peat) into the soil (ground) because I am too frugal. Some of the earlier coir products were reported to have too much salt and would stunt plants. This caused a lot of people to look on it unfavorably, with reason. Lately however, the various producers seem to have dealt with that problem.
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Post by hairymooseknuckles on Apr 1, 2018 13:47:07 GMT -5
I mixed it in my raised bed this year. I like it.
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Post by brownrexx on Apr 1, 2018 13:51:27 GMT -5
I guess that peat moss may be in my soilless mix but I have never purchased it separately and I would not because it is non renewable and there are so many alternatives.
My soil is way above average in the % organic matter category on my soil tests because I add compost, ground leaves, grass clippings, garden waste, etc. so I have no need to purchase anything.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Apr 1, 2018 14:46:32 GMT -5
I'm another that doesn't add peat to the beds, but I do use Promix BX (mostly peat) in all those Earthboxes and SIPs out there, and some of that in seed starting, mixed with some coir, so it stays moist longer. The only time that I bought a bale of peat was when I was first experimenting with Earthboxes, and made my own mixes, but later I found a local source for Promix for super cheap, so I stuck with that for those SIPs. I got a huge supply of coir for dirt cheap (pun intended ) before Earthbox was bought out. As Laura_in_FL noted, coir is not as good as peat moss in Earthboxes, and they had a huge supply of it, but nobody wanted it! I have enough to last me forever now.
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Post by coppice on Apr 2, 2018 3:01:37 GMT -5
I use peat as top dressing for things like wintersown jugs, and for azalea in their pots. I never use peat direct to the garden.
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