Just to set the record straight! "Angel Moss" is actually Sphagnum Moss. It is Sphagnum Moss from New Zealand. I have seen where it grows and where they pick it from..... Definitely Sphagnum Moss. It's latin botanical name is "sphagnum christatum" & sometime they told me it has some 'sphagnum subnitens' (aprox 10%) mixed in with it as that is how it grows together. you can actually see the 2 different varieties once you know what to look for. It is a far cry from Chilean, Chinese & Peruvian moss in terms of quality...... New Zealand Sphagnum Moss isn't "picked by poor natives and sold as gold in western countries" The writer of this comment then suggests to use "Chinese moss" (Talk about poor natives). Obviously the writer of this comment has never done any investigative journalism and if he/she had toured NZ and seen the different Moss companies as I have, they wouldn't be so quick to pass a judgement on what the facts actually are. It is not a mixture of New Zealand, Chile & Peru moss as has been suggested. It is pure straight New Zealand Sphagnum Moss. As the company tells it, Angel Moss is just a brand name. (I guess kinda like Coke is one brand of the Coca Cola Company here in the US). New Zealand moss companies have been selling their Sphagnum Moss to Asian orchid growers, Bromeliad growers, Carnivorous plant growers etc. for 30+ years and it is known to be some of the best product out there. I'm guessing that's why it commands a higher price that other country's Sphagnum Moss. As far as the acidity of it goes I couldn't say exactly. but according to a test result on the Pacific Wide NZ Ltd website it is somewhere around 4.8. If that isn't acidic I don't know what is! I have tried to find information on growing Sphagnum Moss but there isn't much info out there and it is actually quite hard to do. If try and grow some and you feed the moss any type of fertilizer it seems to die, die, die! There is a .pdf document online I found someplace from a guy in England that grew some. but I forget where it is. I have it someplace. The Moss that you buy in store is dried so I don't think you'll propagate it at all. you need growing tips of the Sphagnum probably as it self propagates like this & some papers I've read says that it can propagate from it's seed pod thingy's they open up and kind of spray around like a kind of spore. I think sort of like mushrooms. I found the study that I did on Sphagnum Moss very fascinating and enjoyable..... It was quite a job to find all the facts and information on the subject. Simple.... Do your research People. or visit New Zealand moss companies like I have. they are very helpful and friendly. (incidentally it's a very nice country to vacation in by the way)

its a clay product, similar to kitty litter, which has been discussed in the infamous soil discussions of Talpa's. It is sold as a soak for oil (and as a potted plant soil conditioner if you can believe the bag) It doesn't seem to make a good replacement for turface, though this has been debated as oil-dry purchased in different areas seems to act somewhat differently. It does tend to break down if left in standing water (for me, though this is part of the discussion as it doesn't seem to do this for everyone) but as a soil additive it seems to hold some moisture while keeping particle size bigger than peat would (thus not encouraging soil saturation). In rooting, its smaller size to turface (at least the turface I purchased as soil conditioner) might be a plus. This is my first real trial with it and it seems to be working well. Perhaps Talpa would chime in with his own experience if he's tried it. ~Chills

I mixed mine half moss and half compost and spread as mulch in herb bed. It does seem to mat pretty bad but does hold the water in and prevent weeds. I can post a picture if you want? I would pay you for your extra bale? It makes the best potting mix I have ever used: 2 parts compost, 1 part SPM and 1 part perlite/vermiculite.

In my first raised bed I used the baled peat moss. Man, it was close to impossible to get that stuff to absorb water LOL Finally it did but it was after I had mixed it with the other ingredients. For my next beds, I used the bagged kind from MiracleGro. it was so much easier. Thanks for your tip on how to work the baled peat moss -- when I build more beds, I'll use it because it is so much cheaper than the bagged stuff! Here is a link that might be useful: Judy's Square Foot Garden Blog