Peat Moss: Nature’s Gift to Gardeners

Healthy soil is the key to vigorous garden plants and lawns. It is good insurance to protect your garden investment. So, how can you best prepare your soil? Use Black Gold® Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss and Peat Moss Plus. Both are made with pure, sustainably harvested Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss, with the Peat Moss Plus having an additional organic wetting agent to aid in re-wetting the medium. [To learn more about sustainable peat and garden health, click here.] Peat moss is a wonderful gift to gardeners.

Black Gold Peat Moss is specially processed so consumers enjoy a uniform, quality product with remarkable horticultural benefits. It is 100% natural and contains no toxins, additives or preservatives. The unique cell structure of peat moss allows it to perform many garden benefits.

Peat Moss Qualities:

1. Water-Saving –Peat moss retains as much as 20 times its weight in water and releases water slowly as the plants need it,  so soil treated with Black Gold Peat Moss requires less watering.
2. Aerating – Soils amended with peat moss have more air pockets for better root growth. Amending clay soils with peat moss will enrich their organic matter and make them more porous.
3. Enriching –Adding Black Gold Peat Moss to poor or sandy soils helps them retain more water and nutrients.
4. Fertilizer-Friendly – Peat moss has a high CEC, which means it holds and releases available nutrients better. This means that fertilizers/soil nutrients are made more available to plants and leach less in peat-rich soil. Peat moss has double the cation exchange capacity of fir bark and coconut coir.
5. Time-Saving- Peat moss protects soil from compacting, drying and hardening which makes it easier to weed while adding needed organic matter that allows your plants to flourish.
6. Long-Lasting– Peat moss resists decomposition. So the addition of it to your garden will provide benefits for years to come.
7. Organic – Both Black Gold Peat Moss and Black Gold Peat Moss Plus are OMRI Listed for organic gardening.
8. Acidifying – Peat has a naturally lower pH, which is great for acid-loving plants,  like azaleas, camellias, and blueberries. By adding an alkaline amendment, such as Dolomitic lime, can increase a peaty soil’s pH to a neutral level.

Peat Moss Uses:

1. Seed new lawns – Spread 2″ (5 cm) of peat moss across the lawn (see below for the Amendment Application Formula). Rototill or dig it into the top 6″ (15 cm) of soil. After seeding, fertilizing and watering lightly, carefully spread a ½” (1 cm) top dressing. Moisten daily for 2-3 weeks.
2. Rejuvenate and top dress established lawns – Gently rake in ¼” to ½” (1 cm) of peat moss across the entire lawn in spring for better performance through summer.
3. Amend flower and vegetable gardens – Spread 2″ (5 cm) of peat moss across the flower bed or vegetable garden. If you have some garden compost, blend the peat and compost to make a 50/50 blend. Add the appropriate granular garden fertilizer and rototill or dig it into the top 6″ (15 cm) of soil. For an existing garden, make sure not to damage the roots when incorporating amendments.
4. Amend soil when planting trees and shrubs – Dig a hole 3 times the width of the root ball and as deep as the pot. Loosen the soil in the bottom of the hole. Add the appropriate fertilizer, and mix 1 part peat moss with 2 parts soil. Place the plant in the hole, making sure it is 1-2 inches higher than the original soil level. Finally, fill in with the amended and fertilized soil, making sure there are no air pockets. Water immediately, and monitor and water for 3 to 4 weeks.
5. Plant acid-loving plants– Peat moss naturally maintains an acid pH (3.5-4.5), so amend the soil around acid-loving plants, such as azalea, rhododendrons, camellias, and blueberries, with peat moss.

Increased CEC

Why is the use of peat moss so popular? Gardeners have found that peat moss allows them to dependably maximize crop performance. Peat moss has one of the highest measured cation exchange capacities (CEC) of mix component or amendment, while coir and aged fir bark have roughly half the cation exchange capacity of peat. This higher CEC maximizes the nutrient retention wherever peat is used for growing. When you use peat moss as a garden amendment, you can immediately reduce the need to fertilize and water as often.

Reliability

Historically, homeowners have purchased premium Black Gold (Sun Gro Horticulture) products because of their consistently high horticultural performance. Homeowners can also feel confident that our products are made from resources that are plentiful, renewable, and sustainably sourced. Our company cares about the natural environment. That is why our peat moss products are both OMRI Listed and Veriflora Certified. If you still have questions about the sustainability of peat moss, we suggest you read The Leader in Sustainability Peat Resources article. Want to know how much Black Gold Peat Moss to add to a given area? Use this simple amendment application formula.

Amendment Application Formula

([area to cover] ft² x [depth in inches desired] x 0.0031 = ___ yd³).

Example: If you wanted to cover a 20 square foot area with 2 inches of compost, the result would be: 20 ft² x 2 inches of compost x 0.0031 = 2.48 yd³.