Re: Introduction/ Peat Questions

Robert Beer (bbeer@u.washington.edu)
Wed, 2 Aug 1995 08:25:58 -0700 (PDT)

> > Adrian Slack wrote "The only peat suitable is granulated moss
> > peat...Other types of peat are not suitable, especially sedge
> > peat..." I have never heard anyone say MOSS PEAT, (does that have
> > any significance, i.e., from spaghnum moss rather than sedge?).
> > I've never heard of GRANULATED peat either. Does this mean long
> > fibre, or what? The local nurserymen are as stumped as I am over
> > what Adrian Slack meant.

It certainly isn't long fibre - that would be sphagnum moss in its raw
state. Peat is decomposed sphagnum moss. I would assume that he means
peat that comes from decomposition of sphagnum moss as opposed to sedge,
which is a completely different animal.

> Even over here in the UK (where Slack was writing) I don't seem to
> come across the term 'granulated'. I don't know what other state the
> peat would be in - sometimes it's in a compressed block, but surely
> that's no harm - it's the same once broken up and wetted.

I imagine that he means you take peat and break it up into small pieces?
I actually like the type that is a little more chunky myself; I break it
up some but the slightly more open texture doesn't seem to hurt anything.

> The words 'Moss Peat' nearly always appears on the bag though. The
> sedge peat tends to be a much darker (black) product - I have heard
> that this might even be alkaline.

I remember when I was a kid, my mom used to buy "peat moss" for the
garden; it was a very smooth, soft, black product. It certainly bears
*no* resemblance to sphagnum peat. I planted my very first venus
flytraps in that stuff. They did not like it.

Bob