The outside fibers of coconut shells are used to make this material. You can actually find coconut coir as a stand-alone option or in many garden soil mixes, combined with the other solutions we mentioned, such as peat, perlite, or vermiculite.
Since it is a byproduct of existing coconut harvesting, and was originally considered waste, it is a very eco-friendly alternative to peat. It absorbs water and can also help lighten the density of the soil, promoting drainage. It has become a favorite among hydroponic growers and worm farmers in the past few years, and is sold to gardeners everywhere on sites like Amazon. Coco Coir. You can find coconut coir from FibreDust through Amazon.
Very few of the resources that we use in gardening are truly renewable. Mulching and compost, via wasted plant materials and our garbage, are probably among the most sustainable options out there. If you find yourself using more materials and resources than necessary to avoid using this soil amendment, you might be doing more harm than good.
A small amount of peat has the possibility of saving water, fuel for your tiller, or a drive to the recycling plant for DIY mulch ingredients. If you are a good steward of the small amount of this product you purchase, it may be a worthwhile investment for your garden.
Only you can determine the total cost of using this dearly loved gardening tool. I know that many gardeners have weighed the impact of using just a small amount of this soil amendment wisely and have found it to be appropriate. Do you use this product in your garden? I appreciate your article, all are great amendments that are readily available. They are there to buy and someone is going to buy it and more will be delivered. Buy it. Use it. Or someone else will. Excellent informative article.
Much better than all the others i read on this topic. A simple question: should I use peat moss around my tomatoes to help reduce blight caused by water splashing up dirt onto the lower leaves?
Seems peat moss would help stop the splash up while softening the soil and retaining water. What do you think? Hey, thanks for the comments — we genuinely appreciate the feedback! I am a beginner in terrace Gardening from New Delhi, India Interested in learning and to practice at the same time share the information to my close contacts.
This was very helpful thanks! I bought a cubic yard of black garden soil. It defintely is not holding onto moisture, and wondering what to add? I added worm castings and plan to add compost, any suggestions on which of these options would be best for water retention? Glad our guide could help! You will need to add some pH-high materials like lime to create a neutral or alkaline environment.
And be ready to monitor the pH level of the growing environment to ensure it does not drift too much. Another issue with soil pH is that with too many amendments added to change pH level, the soil can suffer.
When it comes to growing, natural soil is ideal. As explained, the process of decomposing the peat moss take even thousands of years. Even though peat moss is not the most expensive growing material, it is also not cheap. Especially if you use peat moss in bulk and price is an issue, a better alternative is compost.
Now that you have learned about the benefits and downsides of Peat Moss, you may have had some vague ideas about what peat moss is used for. Despite coming with lots of nice characteristics for planting plants, peat moss is not commonly used as a standalone product, and in fact, it is not a good growing medium to grow alone. It is often mixed with other ingredients in one-third to two-thirds of the total amounts to improve the mixture quality. For clay and heavy soils that get compact easily, it softens the soil structure and improves the drainage.
For sandy soil, peat moss helps retain moisture and nutrients for plant roots. If you intend to use peat moss as a soil amendment, you should know that it changes the pH level of the soil.
Keep that in mind and, measure and watch out if the pH level drifts too much. Peat moss is also a good growing medium for the soilless culture. However, people do not use it alone, but often in conjunction with other growing media like perlite , vermiculite. If you wish to use peat moss for pure hydroponic growing, you should know some facts about why it is not appropriate. Because peat moss is an organic matter, if provided with plenty of oxygen and nitrogen, it will start to decompose.
When that happens, the material can compress around plant roots and will choke off your plants. So better to mix with other materials. Peat moss is often blended with growing media such as perlite, vermiculite to balance the moisture and aeration. One of the most useful roles of peat moss is in seed starting because this material is very sterile.
Its antiseptic qualities naturally prevent bacteria and fungi from the seeds. It also gives excellent drainage, good aeration, fine texture, and low fertile, making it very ideal for germination.
For this purpose, you can use the peat moss alone or in mixture with some soils. Or remove the hassle by getting the peat pellets sold on the market. Many people also prefer the soilless mix of peat moss, perlite, coconut coir, vermiculite and others in different amounts. This prevents the diseases, fungus, bacteria, weed seeds, and other bad things commonly found in the soils,.
Because of its low pH, peat moss is very suitable for vegetables and fruits that require an acidic environment.
These include blueberries, pieris, heathers, azaleas, camellias, tomatoes, and so on. For a material that can not be renewed in several years, but takes millennials to do that, peat moss is not an environmental-aware growing medium to use. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance.
Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Featured Video. Read More. Your Privacy Rights. Peat moss is formed when sphagnum moss builds up and becomes compacted in bogs, which are shallow, wet environments. It can take thousands of years for a mature peat bog to form. Peat bogs are typically found in northern latitudes, with Canada housing approximately 25 percent of them, according to Cornell University.
The bogs are home to numerous plant and animal species that do not grow anywhere else. As a soil amendment, peat moss has a lot to offer. It's fluffy texture lightens the soil's composition and enables drainage in heavy soils that compact easily. In sandy areas, peat moss improves water and nutrient retention by holding moisture and releasing it to plant roots as needed. The material is free of weed seeds and pathogens that could be harmful to the garden.
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