Sphagnum peat moss is the dark decomposed stuff that is dug out of peat bogs and used in potting media. Sphagnum moss is sometimes referred to as long strand sphagnum moss for clarity. It is the living stuff on top of the sphagnum peat moss in the peat bog that is harvested and dried. It is typically used for orchids and other epiphytes or hanging baskets.

Thanks for the reply and the pics.

I have bought two types of sphagnum last week. This is confusing. A small package contains the moss that actually looks like moss. It is long fibered and has no fine particles (same as moss in second picture of the post above). The other one I got, I opened the bag and it looks so fine, like potting soil that one would get as general soil. On the 3 cubic foot bag it says sphagnum peat moss. Imported from Canada. The brand is "Premier". Can I use that in 511? It just seems so fine and I am worried it will be a sponge. Is this actually the stuff that is appropriate for 511? Do I need to sift it at 1/16? My assumption is that because that is 1 element out of 7 in proportion, it doesn't matter how spongy it is because it gets offset by the bark and perlite. Is this right?

The peat moss is what you want to use, not just the moss :-) And yes, it IS a sponge, which is why it is used in such a small proportion of the 5-1-1 mix and why commercial peat-based potting mixes cause such a problem. And no need to screen.

Okay, that clears it up!

I started looking around for materials for the 5:1:1 where I live in germany, the sphagnum peat moss "soil" that I found around here is very acidic (pH 2,5-3,5), is this expected? and is it the sphagnum peat moss being referred to in the 5:1:1 mix here ? if so, wouldn't that be too acidic for most container plants ?

Thanks,

Fahmy

There is a difference between sphagnum moss and sphagnum peat moss. Sphagnum moss is harvested live and looks something like the image a few posts upthread. Sphagnum peat is mined from peat bogs and consists of dead material from well below the surface of the bogs, and is commonly sold tightly baled and wrapped in plastic. . Sphagnum peat:

Both products have very low pH, which is usually addressed by including a measure of dolomitic lime in the medium when it's being made. The lime not only raises pH to a more favorable level to suit most plants, it also has the added benefit of providing Ca and Mg, nutrients commonly excluded from fertilizers commonly used for container gardening (in the US).

What a well-made 5:1:1 mix looks like (middle image) when dry:

The bark products at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock, straight from the bag (unscreened), are each from a different manufacturer and depict products that would serve emblematically as the a base on which to build the 5:1:1 mix.

Al

There may be some confusion coming from the terms 'sphagnum' and 'moss' being added to the simple word 'peat'. If you were here in the UK you would not see these terms. We just call it peat. In Germany you want to buy Gartentorf.

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

Any of that stuff is a death sentence for any plant here. Too hot & humid.