Sphagnum peat moss has been a life belt for my gardening , as my home is build up on top of dense , alkaline clay . The addition of peat moss to my garden , along with loose amounts of compost , has done wonder to regulate the soil pH and transmute the the Great Compromiser to loam . Peat moss is also the best natural , long - full term soil acidifier for acid - loving plants likeblueberries , rhododendrons , strawberries , hydrangea , and dogwood . But using peat moss is controversial , as it ’s consider a non - renewable resource : it ’s harvested from immense carbon cesspool called peat bogs , which help us in the engagement against climate modification .

What is peat moss?

Sphagnum peat moss , aka bog moss peat , is a soil conditioner used by gardeners and granger tolower soil pH(make it more acidic ) . It also increase the ability of arenaceous soils to hold water and amend the drainage and gasoline exchange capability of clay soils by add pathways for air and water . Unlike other organic materials likemulchand compost , peat moss does not crumble chop-chop and lasts in soil for many years .

Where does peat moss come from?

Peat moss is harvested from a type of wetland called a bog . In the peat bog , industrial plant materials submerged underwater , mostly sphagnum moss , crumble over yard of years , build up level after bed . This eventually becomes a grime - like material called peat . To harvest peat , the bog is drained , and the expose peat is prune and vacuumed up . Then it ’s dried , shield , and compressed into the bales and other products sold at your local garden center .

The absolute majority of the peat moss deal in North America is harvested from drained peat bog in Canada or Michigan , U.S. Besides bales , peat also appears as peat pellets for starting seeds , biodegradable peat pots , and as an factor in potting soil . Due to its sustainability question , peat produced in Canada is only reap after an environmental analytic thinking and wallop study and is done . It is then harvested using sustainable methods . Even though the peat in a peat bog may have been accumulate for one C or thousands of years , research depict that harvest bogs can be fix within 5 to 20 twelvemonth .

The controversy around using peat moss in your garden

Peatlands … bring a decisive role in global warming . They are the largest tellurian carbon sump , holding more carbon than all forests or grassland . They spread over only 3 percent of the land , but hold in 30 pct of the carbon .

Bogs are a character of peatland , which are wetland ecosystems that trap 1/3rd of the world ’s soil carbon . Each bog is a natural carbon sink of immense proportions ( it absorbs atomic number 6 dioxide from the air ) . When peat is reap from the bog , this carbon paper is released back into the atmosphere , contributing to climate change .

In 2016 , the U.N. set in motion theGlobal Peatlands Initiativeto protect peatlands , “ which contain almost 100 times more carbon paper than tropic forests . ” Besides trying to restrict peat harvest , the opening move also protect peatlands from spontaneous firing caused bydeforestation , which can take many lives .

grant toThe Washington Post , “ the extraction of peat postulate the removal of a peat bog ’s living surface to achieve the partly break up layer beneath . It grows at a bare sixteenth of an column inch a twelvemonth , and its mining get rid of layer that take centuries to develop . ” In Great Britain , using peat is now restricted and the government is phasing out peat moss for hobby gardener and agricultural use . TheRoyal Horticultural Society , the large horticulture organisation in the earth , has reduced peat exercise by 97 per centum at its four major garden in England and recommend its members to do the same . Britain has lost 95 % of this rude resourcefulness , as much of the peat was harvested for burn as fuel over C of years .

TheCanadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Associationpushes back on claim of harvesting peat bogs and its environmental burden . Canada , which leads the world in produce peat moss , contains more than 280 Million landed estate of peatlands . Of that immense amount , only 73,000 acres have so far been harvested , a fraction of the amount naturally generated in undisturbed bogs . The group ’s members take the restoration of each harvested peat bog gravely . After harvesting , each peat bog is reflooded and reseed with shredded moss grafts , which cover the harvested site within 5 years . The peat bog is naturally reconstruct in 10 - 15 years .

Why use peat moss as a soil amendment?

4 peat moss alternatives

Peat is preferred as a natural acidifier for soil when planting blueberry , rhododendrons , azalea , and standardised plant . If you ’re only using peat moss for its aeration qualities , try these rather :

  • Peat moss should not be used as a mulch , as it will densely pack when wet and restrict water system from infix the filth – it should always be mix in with the top stratum of soil .

1. Compost

A howling land conditioner tamp down full of nutrients your industrial plant postulate .

2. Coir

Coir is a roughage made from coconut husks and has the same body of water holding content and porousness as peat moss . But one can argue that coir has a large carbon footmark , as coco palm are grown on plantations in Asia and must be embark to gardeners worldwide . Coir debris and Cocopeat are also made from coir .

3. Pine Bark

delicately rip up and compost pine bark is not only an excellent mulch but also a finesoil amendmentwhen used with other member of this lean .

4. Worm Castings

The excrement of red worm , louse castings , are harvest and sold as a natural plant food . They are loaded with nutrient and good bug your plant require .