Angel Moss vs Sphagnum Moss
outsiders71
18 years ago
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Jimbob_VFT
18 years agodnieter
18 years agoRelated Discussions
coconut fiber vs peat moss
Comments (10)A copy/paste of something I wrote to compare Peat vs. Coir Sphagnum peat and coir have nearly identical water retention curves. They both retain about 90-95% of their volume in water at saturation and release it over approximately the same curve until they both lock water up so tightly it's unavailable for plant uptake at about 30-33% saturation. Coir actually has less loft than sphagnum peat, and therefore, less aeration. Because of this propensity, coir should be used in mixes at lower %s than peat. Because of the tendency to compact, in the greenhouse industry, coir is primarily used in containers in sub-irrigation (bottom-watering) situations. Many sources produce coir that is high in soluble salts, so this can also be an issue. Using coir as the primary component of container media virtually eliminates lime or dolomitic lime as a possible Ca source because of coir's high pH (6+). Gypsum should be used as a Ca source, which eliminates coir's low S content. All coir products are very high in K, very low in Ca, and have a potentially high Mn content, which can interfere with the uptake of Fe. I haven't tested coir thoroughly, but I have done some testing of CHCs (coconut husk chips) with some loose controls in place. After very thoroughly leaching and rinsing the chips, I made a 5:1:1 soil of pine bark:peat:perlite (which I know to be very productive) and a 5:1:1 mix of CHCs:peat:perlite. I planted 6 cuttings of snapdragon and 6 cuttings of Coleus (each from the same plant to help reduce genetic influences) in containers (same size/shape) of the different soils. I added dolomitic lime to the bark soil and gypsum to the CHC soil. After the cuttings struck, I eliminated all but the three strongest in each of the 4 containers. I watered each container with a weak solution of MG 12-4-8 with STEM added at each watering, and watered on an 'as needed basis', not on a schedule. The only difference in the fertilizer regimen was the fact that I included a small amount of MgSO4 (Epsom salts) to provide MG (the dolomitic lime in the bark soil contained the MG, while the gypsum (CaSO4) in the CHC soil did not. This difference was necessary because or the high pH of CHCs and coir.) for the CHC soil. The results were startling. In both cases, the cuttings grown in the CHC's exhibited only about 1/2 the biomass at summers end as the plants in the bark mix. I just find it very difficult for a solid case to be made (besides "It works for me") for the use of coir or CHC's. They're more expensive and more difficult to use effectively. The fact that some believe peat is in short supply (no where near true, btw) is easily offset by the effect of the carbon footprint of coir in its trek to the US from Sri Lanka or other exotic locales. That's the view from here. YMMV Al...See MoreMoss vs bark
Comments (7)The bark you are referring to is Orchiata and is available from CalWest for you west coast people. If an orchid club gets together you can get a pallet of it for slightly less than $18.00 per bag. You can get a mixed bark size pallet - it doesn't have to be one size only pallet. I switched my Masdies to Orchiata seedling bark and clay pots last March and have seem tremendous improvement in the root systems. One of my Masdies I got awarded lost it's roots and it would start to grow new roots, they would rot off again, repeat and repeat and repeat. I put it in the bark/clay and the roots grew back and I've finally been able to divide it once and it is ready to be divided again. For me I had many Masdies that loved sphag but some really had issues. I've not found any Masdies that doesn't like the Orchiata. Brooke...See MoreMoss by the yard???
Comments (1)you should be able to get sphagnum moss at any local nusery, or at a lowes or home depot. it shuld be near the plant section or near the potting soil....See MoreSphagnum Peat Moss vs sphagnum moss
Comments (11)Thanks @tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a) for the clarification, very helpful as usual :) , thanks @floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK, here in Germany the products are labelled differently indeed, as far as I know, there is the "Gartentorf" which mixed peat with some soil to be acidic , and then there is the "Schwarzetorf" which translates to black/dark peat which comes from the deepest layer of the bog, then there is the "Weißtorf" which translates to white peat, although the color is light brown, this is the top layer of the bog, where you can still recognize some plants remains, labeled most of the time as soil aeration products, and finally there is the "Moostorf" which the the sphagnum peat Moss, it is the hardest to find here, mostly imported and expensive, I am still trying to get some peat Moss for a reasonable price, else I am considering the white/brown peat, which also has high water retaining properties but on the down side a very fine structure I was mainly wondering about the high acidity and whether the peat moss in north America is treated to be pH-neutral (those products are available online), but now this is clarified, the lime is added to the mix to increase pH in the 5:1:1 ! Thanks, Fahmy...See Moreoutsiders71
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