Peat moss question

other than the soils claim to ph perfect have you checked it ?
if you ph is between 6.5 and 6.8 i wouldnt add the peatmoss unless you adding for re amending . peat get mushy after a grow or two and i use it for mass more less .
if what you have is peat with lime in it already , thats your ph correct , so adding more peat of same want hurt , but surely check it after you mix

 

Peat moss won't be the only thing in your soil mix hopefully, so there's that.

 

I wouldn’t use peat without adding dolomite lime accordingly. And that’s not overnight for a good mix. Let them sit and compost for awhie

 

Yea you need to add Dolamite Lime to it bro. To buffer out the PH. Also peat can be a bit of a bitch as far as absorbing water sometimes. Just as a heads up when you go to water it lol.

 

Yes, Peat is on the acidic side which is why it's a great growing medium for cannabis, which also prefers an acidic environment. The previous comments suggested that you add dolomitic lime and I agree, but you also need to buffer with gypsum. PH to 5.8-6.5 range. Water fully to a 10% runoff daily to every other day in order to keep the salts from building up. Straight peat is considered a hydroponic medium so water gererously.

 

Be sure to water/Hydrate the peat moss before planting. For your 5 gal pots U want peat moss in your soil mix? Or U want to use PM only?

 

Dolomitic Lime: Add 40g/cu. ft. Of
soil
Gypsum: add 10g/cu. ft. Soil

 

50/50 peat/ vermiculite with some dolomite and gypsum will put you at the right ph. Good quality peat is 5.0 or below (although, anything getting rained on is getting more alkaline) and vermiculite is a very strong 7.0. If peat gets dry it becomes hydrophobic and will reluctantly absorb water. Keeping it constantly moist attraccts fungus gnats. A one or two inch layer of hydroton on top makes watering easy. Just water untl all the rocks are wet. It will dry very fast, but keeps the peat out of the light and moist.
Some quality peat like Pro-mix is often already ph adjusted and I would not add anything to it. Some mixes already have perlite and/or vermiculite and dolomite added in.
Warning, unlike coco, peat can easily be overwatered and best results are some kind of wet/dry cycle rather than a continuous daily watering.

 

Good point talkie, That outdoor peatmoss that weighs 300 lbs. Not to mention the fungus gnats. My watering "system" if they are dry, add water, if they are still wet/damp, do not BUT NEVER assume all pots will be the same. My 2 cents.

 

FYI, A.M. Leonard is offering free shipping today and they carry very good peat moss and finally have Palmetto Coarse vermiculite back in stock. It's way better than the big box bale and ups delivers it right to your door.