Those people who are interested in gardening, then they must have already been encountered with the peat moss. It is a very common term in horticulture, and it needs to be well understood. This moss is an excellent product for making your garden more productive.
What is peat moss?
Sphagnum moss, a versatile gardening material, is the dark brown fibrous product made up of sphagnum moss and other organic materials that decompose in peat bogs over many years. Peat moss first became available to gardeners in the mid-1900s. It also comes in handy for various landscaping tasks. Peat moss is similar to that compost made in the backyard by the gardener himself. Still, the difference between them is that the peat moss is composed mostly of moss, and its decomposition happens without the presence of air. The absence of air slows down the rate of decay. It takes several millennia for peat moss to form and decompose. Since this process of making is so slow, it isn’t considered as a renewable resource.
Some of the essential benefits of peat moss are as follows:-
- This moss provides a sterile medium that is ideal for growing your plants.
- As it does not contain any harmful chemicals, it is good practice to add it to any static mix for growing vulnerable plants.
- It is suitable for acid-loving plants because of its acidic nature.
- It is not that compact, so it is of great advantage over other organic materials.
Uses of peat moss
Peat moss is an absorbent material, so it is suitable for many different garden uses. This includes creating fertile and productive soil, growing plants in a faster way, and making them healthy. Having essential characteristics such as high absorbency, acidic pH value, sterile material, and many more, this is the feature that every gardener wants.
Transplanting plants
In the garden, shrubs and trees are major attraction which provides texture and dimension. If the soil where you want to transplant large plants does not promote healthy growing condition, then this can be a challenging one. But it has a fluffy texture, which is suitable for transplanting plants. Peat moss needs to be added with soil, and for the best result, 1 part of peat moss should be combined with two parts of soil.
Fortifying your garden
Here, fortifying means bracing your garden. Peat moss, an absorbent and acidic material, is an excellent soil conditioner. It encourages the healthy growth of plants. It also prevents the soil from losing its nutrients and also aerates the roots of a plant, maintaining a healthy level for the garden. Therefore, it provides a healthy lawn.
Potting soil
One of the common ingredients in potting soil is peat moss. Being light in weight and fluffy, it allows entering enough air for the plant’s root to breathe effectively in the soil. It also helps to retain necessary nutrients, as it holds moisture well. As it compacts easily, peat moss surrounds the plant roots.
Composting
Peat moss acts as compost manure too. It fertilizes your plants in a friendly way by recycling decomposed organic materials. This moss decomposes more slowly as compared to the compost materials so that it allows you to ensure the long-term nutrient content of your soil. This is done by balancing out other organic material that decomposes in a short time. For a good result, 1 part of peat moss is added to 4 parts of the compost.
On the other hand, peat moss also has some of the disadvantages such as:-
- Peat moss is not that fertile despite being organic material.
- If you want to grow plants that are alkaline lovers, then compost is a suitable one for growing such plants instead of peat moss being acidic.
- This moss is quite expensive.
How to grow Sphagnum Moss?
Peat moss is used for gardening purposes. It is found in damp cold places, and you do not need to grow them. But, there are some places where it is not available, so you need to grow them. You can grow peat moss in three steps.
- Step 1: Finding moss
First of all, we need to pick out small weeds of moss, along with a little bit of soil attached to it so that it does not fall apart. Mosses are found in the damp, shaded places. They are grown on trees, rocks, and ground.
- Step 2: Chop and mix
Chop up the moss and then add some amount of yoghurt in it. Mix it well to get a pasty consistency.
- Step 3: Grow
And, the final step is to grow peat moss. To produce it, spread it on a rock or tree in the damp place. Wait for a month and check back.