Disadvantages Of Dried Peat Moss

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Gardeners use dried peat moss usually as a soil conditioner or as an ingredient in potting the soil. It is slightly acidic with a pH Level of 4.0, thus, acid loving plants benefit greatly from it, such as blueberries and camellias. Dried peat moss (Sphagnum) is the partially decomposed remains of plants, most commonly sphagnum moss. It forms over many millennia in bogs, marshes, and swamps also known as peat lands or peat bogs and it often gains less than a millimeter in depth every year. However, unlike compost, peat moss forms in the absence of air. Thus, this slows the decomposition process and creates a homogeneous material that is highly absorbent of water, which makes it very useful in the garden as a soil builder and a seed starter. …show more content…

First is its absorbency to store water better than other soils, thus increases the absorbency of any potting mixes and garden soils that use peat moss. Second, not only is peat moss absorbent, it also does not compact, unlike other organic materials. Soil compaction is damaging to gardens and reduces water absorption and plant growth. Peat moss remains springy when it is wet and rehydrates easily, plus one application of peat moss can last for years. Lastly, the pH Level of peat moss is slightly acidic. Acid loving plants like tomatoes benefit greatly from peat moss, however plants that require neutral or basic pHs may not benefit from too much peat moss in the soil without additional, more alkaline amendments. However, there are some defects and disadvantages. The first defect is that not all kinds of plants can benefit from this organic fertilizer specially the plants that prefer alkaline soils. Using this as an organic fertilizer to non-acid loving plants could just stress or kill the plants. The second defect is fertility. Peat moss has a low nutrient content profile and does not contain beneficial microorganisms, which means that it will not act as a fertilizer in your garden. However, beneficial microorganisms can live in peat moss if you introduce them; therefore harmful ones have a harder time surviving, which means that the lack of nutrients is not a problem as long as you remember to add nutrient rich compost or fertilizers to your soil in addition to peat moss. The third defect is that peat moss is a non-renewable resource. Therefore, some gardeners have environmental concerns about peat moss that make it a poor choice for their

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