Peat moss: warning!

[Corto Malteze]

Peat moss is a great product to retain water and give a good consistency to your soil. However, if you use it, make sure you mix it in with some perlite and/or vermiculite. These elements will release water they have stored and rehumidify the peat in case of a drought. They work well together (peat and perlite/vermic). If you use peat alone, in the event of a drought, it will dry out, and will not be good for the soil (dead space), eventually dying and impossible to rehumidify. That's why Promix has vermiculite and perlite blended in. The combination of both will give just the right water/air ratio and save more water for your plants in the field. Use 20-30% vermic/perlite approx. for the mix (not too much as it doesn't feed your plants and stock unwanted excess salts after time. Important: if it is dry, wet the peat before mixing it in. For an organic grow, also use compost, worm castings and the manures, meals placed earlier to have many micro organisms who will also hold water, nutrients and protect your plants.

[FLjester]

Peat is kinda lame for outdoor grows, even mixed with perlite/sand it can still cause soil to be muddy and retain to much water, plus the more it rains the more acidic your soil will become from the peat. I prefer a good compost mixed with some normal soil that isnt peat based and some sand. Its a very cheap outdoor growing medium, and depending on what fertilizers you use it can be all Organic. Here in Florida the soil is already acidic so you don't want to add anything else acidic to your soil, MJ can look perfectly fine and then the PH can change just a little and your plants start changing colors and falling to the ground. Not a very pretty thing to come to at your plot.

[Corto Malteze]

Thanks man. Yeah, everybody please post your experience with peat moss if you used it to avoid problems. My region is VERY dry so it won't be a problem I suppose. I plant on using 20-30% of it in the soil mix just to be safe (not too much). That and lots of compost, top soil like you said and worm castings. Thanks. I certainly don't want that happening.

[FLjester]

yea 25% should be fine, and it really only creates acidic problem in areas where it rains a lot and the acidic peat water sits on the plants roots, other than that it is a very good water retainer and much less expensive than vermiculite. Many people use 20-25% in their outdoor grows with no problems, but where i live the soil is already acidic and I don't want to risk poisoning my babies.I would suggest adding lime to your soil mix, it helps keep the acidity level down just in case. I add lime everytime just in case

[Dawg2k7]

I wonder if the peatmoss in my soil is the reason why my seedling keep slow dying after the frist week of growth they just go down hill. They start nice and green and grow decent for about 4-5 days then start to yellow browning slow growth stunted growth.

[Corto Malteze]

Ok thanks FLjester. Yeah, we don't have the same weather. But it's nice to know the limits before adding this or that. And most gardening clerks just can't help me with my situation. . Peat is hard to work with because it can dry out and die too! You just need to know how to use it well. That's what GC's for!
Dawg, the peat is acidic (5-6) so it's maybe too acidic for the babies. I suggest potting soil mixed with less rich reg. soil. Some cheap soils have bugs in them that kill baby sprouts too.

[Dawg2k7]

So whats the best seed starting soil i can get from walmart or home depot or something?

[Corto Malteze]

I'm in Europe so I don't know. Someone else will help you though.

[jmoney989]

wat if u ad lime dust to your peat based potting soil. If u were in florida.

[jmoney989]

so far I have germed in peat pellets and planted in potting mix with forest compost, peat,perlite,and sand

[ocitown]

Originally Posted by Dawg2k7

So whats the best seed starting soil i can get from walmart or home depot or something?

Start um in the organic MG,thats proly the best you will find at those places.

A nursery would have much better selections,just make sure any soil is not using any timed released nutes.

[ElDiablo]

Peat is no good with my red clay soil. I use mushroom compost, goat manure, and perlite.

lots and lots of lime is necessary in peatmoss. its only 3-4.5ph... i put 4 heaping cups in 2cf of peat.

[jmoney989]

dam thats a lot of lime I think that would def fuck stuff up

[ocitown]

I once added just a few TBS of dolimite powdered lime to some canna soil and the pH went through the roof,still have a 5gal bucket of it.