And that is a *good thing*. Perlite or sand? #12 or 12 mesh sand blasting sand with metric ruler. They are not worth the extra cost. But, as noted above, 12% of Canada is covered in peat bogs, and we're only mining 0.02% of it (Canada has the world's largest reserves of peat). Tropical peatlands are in even more danger of the ones in Europe and Canada, but I digress -. Hi, I picked up a Seleginella emmeliana (a form of club moss) the other day and it's *dying* in the potting soil it's in. I use bales of Premier brand peat moss for my homemade potting soil, blended with crushed limestone at a rate of 1/4 cup lime for every 6 gallons of peat moss. If the recipe is too gritty or sandy, mix in a bit of coir or peat moss. Still, I think it isn't always a blanket deal, but that we should choose our battles carefully. I realize this is an old thread, but generally speaking, commercially prepared potting media are a poor choice for any plant that doesn't tolerate wet feet w/o protest, and Crassula falls in that category. It wastes my money, it isn't as good a product as my compost/organic waste. Peat is a renewable resource, but a slowly renewable one -- it takes several hundred years for a peat bog to be restored, and in general, we don't let them get restored. Hmm? As someone in the biology/science field, it tells me that we have to make immediate change as far as our own actions go. Compost is actually better than peat moss, horticulturally speaking. The finish potting mix can be used for both seed starting and adding ingredients to for making potting on mixes for older vegetable seedlings as they grow their way to transplanting. This mix is rich in organic matter and its mineral filler stimulates plant growth. I consider myself fairly friendly with the environment, but I don't want to be a fanatic...only where necessary...LOL, Here's the deal-ee-yo on where I stand on peat. Most importantly, though, I don't enjoy supporting the destruction of these amazing, unique environments. As an aside, you will need to add pecan hulls to the soil every year. I'm thinking of building a couple of new beds next winter for heirloom tomatoes. The default "CP mix" that works for the majority of carnivorous plants is an equal mix of Sphagnum peat and coarse sand. It address both sides of the issues. The quality from any given brand changes from lot to lot if not bag to bag. She says, "But the 2/3rds of peat that is burned for fuel, that releases the carbon." Peat has *very* different properties from compost. All I can say is your comment comes from someone living in Oregon who has sandy loam. In order to achieve that end, a very large fraction of soil particles would necessarily be large/coarse to achieve that end. It is available at building materials suppliers that specialize in sand, gravel, rocks, and other hard things like pavers. I hand mixed all of it with a shovel and planted my garden. The grains are about 2 mm in size. Choose a grass seed blend suited for your growing area. It has better cation exchange capacity, isn't as likely to repel water, isn't acidic, and is packed with nutrients and biological activity. I lived in Oklahoma, had an award winning garden and I am a certified OSU Master Gardener. In fact, an argument could be made that if you only used a small amount of peat in your gardening, you could actually be *saving* peat bogs by reducing global agricultural demand and thus the need to expand into areas that are currently covered by them. A small amount of it helps your soil retain water and keeps it light and airy. You have to wonder why farmers till their fields or prepare them for crops based on that article. The plant was half off b/c it looked like it was dying, so it cost less than $8. In the EU you want to make sure it is German sphagnum peat. Generally just the opposite, really. Here is a link that might be useful: Peat Moss - good for the soil?? Lime is usually added to mixes to balance the pH. For some plants that normally grow in very wet peaty locations in nature I use a peatier mix, for others that grow in sand or gravel I use a sandier mix. Since when is repelling water during wet periods and retaining it during dry periods a bad property for a soil amendment? Peat moss or Coco Peat Peat Moss Peat improves aeration and can save a lot of water. Peat is a renewable resource, but a slowly renewable one -- it takes several hundred years for a peat bog to be restored, and in general, we don't let them get restored. They can spray on any old nasty water for dust control and the original source material may also have been salty. Please contact us at our membership website, icps.clubexpress.com. Sphagnum peat moss is the most prevalent ingredient in potting soil. Kentucky Bluegrass and Russian winter rye are well suited to cold climates and damper growing conditions. Top Soil, Garden Mix, Peat Moss, Compost, Manure Clay, Sand, and Gravel Road Crush, Washed Rock Decorative Rock, Rip Rap Mulch, Chips Landscape Supplies Sod, … Try posting here http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums. I filled the bed about one half full with the clay soil, added a few bales of peat moss, a lot of composted manure, and a good measure of sand. And, once again, most peat bogs are drained for development, not peat harvesting. and therefore, decomposition is very slow - peat bogs are gigantic carbon sinks. I Sure, it provides organic matter to your soil - and can actually help water retention (when it isn't too dry to repel water). The reason lies in how much perched water these media support, which commonly ranges from 3-6". Spread a 4-inch-thick layer of peat moss over your soil. 1 part sand.5 parts peat moss.1 parts compost Tree and Shrub Mix Fruit trees, berry bushes, grapevines and other woody plants do well on a compost-heavy mix. It sits there until it eventually evaporates of the plant uses it. As Karenei points out methane is a much more effective greenhouse gas when compared to CO2. I guess the entire world has been doing it wrong for centuries. I don't want to 3. However, peat has a negligible effect on naturally-alkaline soils and only a mild effect on acidic soils. Peat moss is generally recommended for alkaline soils as a way to lower pH. implying that peat used horticulturaly does not release CO2. I look around, at all of the scientific evidence, and see collapsing ecosystems every day, species becoming extinct by the minute (literrally), acres of rainforest being wiped out every second, and an ocean that will face a total fisheries collapse by 2050 at the rate we're fishing - not to mention the increasing acidity of the ocean from excess CO2 in the air which is currently destroying reef systems everywhere. All sorts of cool animals ad plants reside in peatlands, and they are too valuable to trash. Someday I might do an experiment to see if it makes a difference. He has red clay soil as top soil due to construction of the townhouse. who has posted pics of his giant watermelon and corn patch. The organic ingredients contain microorganisms and nutrients essential for plant growth. The very slow anaerobic decomposition in a peat bog releases methane.I do have to disagree with karenie on one point. I think when I built it, email was kinda new and still cost ten cents a message. It's these reasons that make me believe any unnecessary damage to the environment should be avoided. I mix my own soil mixture with peat, topsoil, and perlite. Each and every one is ecologically significant, even if you may see no upfront beauty in the ecosystems that reside there. Media that holds no, or very little perched water is a much better choice. The purpose of the sand is to is to open up the soil and help keep it from becoming too soggy. It is particularly useful for hiding plastic track, or track which doesn't "look right" under a layer of vegetation. Soil and fertilizer (incl water and repotting) 14 Aug 16, 2017 V sphagnum peat moss for organic mix? Some people sift it to use smaller pieces for some plants and larger pieces for others. And when the peat is used for horticultural purposes, that they remain. I’ve never done just sand, but can see where it would indeed be a better medium. It depends. For cacti, succulents: A base mixture of ⅓ peat moss, ⅓ mix of equal parts perlite and vermiculite, and ⅓ sand with the appropriate lime treatment will allow succulents to get proper moisture, nutrients, and drainage. Horticultural sand: this is the best sand you can choose for your potting mix.It is designed for gardening applications. I have always believed that clay is a good planting medium with plenty of micro nutrients and beneficial bacteria, but sometimes it needs to be amended to improve it's moisture retention and pliability. 2. My favorite mix is inorganic part (coarse sand, turface or oil-dri/ pumice or lava cinder= 1/1): ornanic part (peat moss / fir ground = 1/1) with … In order to add compost - which is what I was doing - you have to amend the soil and add to the top 12 inches. The mixture should be crumbly with no visible clumps or plant debris. There is a user on this forum (farmadilla maybe?) We have plenty of suitable organic matter to use in place of peat moss. Please see Rinsing Peat Moss and Sand (growsundews.com) if you are starting seeds or otherwise having problems with unwanted organisms in your soil. 1 quart coarse sand 4 quarts sphagnum peat moss, compost, and/or rotted manure Lightweight, Enriched Potting Mix When to Use It Just like us, your plants need vitamins and minerals to be healthy, too. Just as industry in general tends to mimimize some dangers, I think that some eco groups are overbearing. The sand comes in 100 pound bags. At this point it comes down to a moral decision on the grower. To wash the perlite I put it in a bucket with water and only use the material that floats. Generally speaking, commercially prepared media are too water-retentive even for plants that prefer an evenly moist medium. 40% sand, 40% potting mix, 20% peat moss??? That's why I don't think this is fanatical of me at all. A little goes a long way. Compost is actually better than peat moss, horticulturally speaking. Sand or coir? If the layers in your jar were nearly equal, add equal amounts of sand, loam and peat moss. Many growers wash their peat to remove nutrients and spores to reduce problems with moss, cyanobacteria, liverworts, ferns and other organisms found naturally in peat. The trouble with the later is, soil saturation very quickly kills the fine roots which do the plant's heavy lifting. Some gardeners use it on its own, especially for seedlings, because it has no weed seeds. If you can not get washed and graded sand you can sieve and wash builders or plaster sand. Depending on how fluffed the peat may be it might take three scoops of peat to one scoop of sand or perlite to get a mix that looks like one-to-one. My philosophy is that gardeners have done successfully without peat for a long time. The objection that people raise to peat moss is that it is not sustainable and destroys unique habitat. If we stopped taking over peat bogs with development (mainly agriculture), we could sustainably mine peat nearly a hundred times faster than we do today. But the thing is, those benefits can be found elsewhere - in compost/organic waste materials. The most productive media will hold water inside of porous particles, on the surface of all particles, and at the interface where particles contact each other, and there would be no appreciable amount of water in the spaces between soil particles. Do NOT use play sand, plaster sand, or builders sand straight. ©International Carnivorous Plant Society You're barking up the wrong tree. I don't really see my stance as fanatical. Generally you do not have to duplicate exactly the natural soil conditions. So, the popular thing to do is to buy peat - it's much more popular (and lighter!) Seed Germination Mix This slideshow covers how to make a simple seed germination potting soil using sphagnum peat moss as the base ingredient. Plant garden seeds in your soil by opening drill holes or furrows in the ground that are twice as deep as the width of the seed at its widest point. Beware of buying any planting medium for carnivores from companies that specialize in fertilizer. Vermiculite is mined. We have plenty of suitable organic matter to use in place of peat moss. Yes, it's different, but it's better for soil. The idea was first mooted a long time ago, and gets its name During manufacturing and packaging perlite is always kept damp to keep down the dust. I want to use 6cuft sphagnum peat moss, 3cuft Kellogg Raised Bed Mix, 1cuft Bagged garden compost, 1cuft steer manure compost, 1 cuft sand and some red wrigglers. When I say a one-to-one mix of ingredients I generally mean it looks to me like it is one-to-one when I am done mixing and ready to use it. Nothing will grow in heavy clay soil. The reality about peat moss mining is that two thirds of peat moss that is mined today is mined not for horticultural uses, but is instead dried and burned as fuel for home and industrial heating. Rowlands Mix, as many 16-millers know, is a mixture of peat, sand and cement, used to bind track together and encourage moss. What the bag says is washed and sieved (graded) sand. -The peatbog you posted isn't representative of all peat bogs. This all assumes that te compost is made correctly, of course, which isn't hard. Seeking inexpensive terrarium build, please, trying to grow rambutan from seeds but they always mold, Opinions on Miniclover as a Lawn Alternative for Poor Soil, I have used both peat moss and sand to amend garden beds. If it's natural, it isn't wrong - the ecosystem grew to cope with this. Work the mixture with gloved hands Peat is sterile (unlike compost) and can retain *way* more water. Including mold and fungus spores, and -- depending on the type of compost -- sometimes weed seeds. Pick out the trash, sift it, or if there is too much trash use that bale in your garden and try to find a different brand until that lot is sold. These U.S. gardening guides will help you make sensible choices for all of your plantings, Learn the types of potting soil available and the best mixes to help your containers thrive, How lovely are your branches? Sand helps to break the peat up, hold it apart, and add air to the mix. Perlite. I am not sure if "sand blasting sand" is the official name. Peat moss decomposes slowly and holds large amounts of water; however, it has a high acidity. Also avoid sedge peat mined in the USA and any kind of forest humus. Due to the tap water pH (alkaline) and hot dry weather in my area, I have been using a lot of peat moss in my soil mix. Here's what a peat bog looks like, for anyone who cares: I disagree on many of your points but the ones that I really care about are-. The one major beef I have with peat is that harvesting these bogs severely alter the natural water table in these environments, and therefore leads to decomposition of these areas - at a rate much faster than nature intended. Some bales you buy are full of stems and other "trash". I use peat because of its properties. Almost everything we use is a non sustainable commodity from a unique environment. In this recipe garden loam soil, coarse construction sand, and sphagnum peat moss are combined together in equal parts by volume: 1. This adaptable spreader thrives in water or soil, making it a terrific addition to containers and living walls, Keep your skin and the environment healthy with a pool that cleans itself, naturally, Get glorious vegetables and fruits on your patio with a pro’s guidance — including his personal recipe for potting mix, What’s a gardener to do with soil that’s easily compacted and has poor drainage? Compost is a neutral, fungus-and-microbe-laden, mineral-containing, dense mass. I always keep perlite damp and wash it before use. Step 3 Dig the holes required for your flowers or vegetables and begin planting, making sure to saturate the container or garden area thoroughly to help the plants take to their new peat moss and topsoil mix. Now when I read some of the threads on various Garden Web forums, I get the impression peat moss is considered an environmental no no. I now live in Illinois - but I still use pecan hulls in my garden and I can grow anything. Even the leaves and grass clippings and manure we gather into piles for composting already had a unique purpose in a natural environment. Washing will also help to decrease the salt in peat. It's an exercise of personal and moral responsibility. So everyone buys it! I love it mixed with clay/loam soil. There is a large population of growers without easy access to compost, or which is too lazy to make the compost, rather than buy peat products, or just doesn't know/care. Compost is just as fine in my eyes. Mainly, people seem to use peat in horticulture for soil amendments and other products like pots, etc. What is the problem with peat moss and sand in gardens? Sure, if you use too much of it in potting soil, you'll encourage fungus due to the water retention, but outdoors, those properties are ideal. Trying to save peat bogs by opposing horticultural use of peat is like trying to save the rainforests by stopping tourists from walking on the plants. The trade off here is many carnivores appreciate the nutrients in the straight peat but the moss and cyanobacteria in unwashed peat can overgrow seedlings. In fact, about a thousand times more acres of peat bogs have been drained and converted for agricultural and urban uses than are being mined for their peat. The fine particles will make the soil mix like concrete. It repels water when dry, and is of an acidic nature. There are a good amount of plants and animals adapted only to these environments. I think they are distorted. Remember, if you’re growing vegetables, the medium has to be able to retain moisture, so increase the ingredients slightly. That is easy to say but equal in what way? The term peat-lite mix refers to a type of soilless growing medium that contains peat moss and other ingredients, mainly perlite, sand, composted bark, or vermiculite, to lighten the texture of regular peat moss. 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