Peat moss is often recommended as an amendment for all eccentric of land . Clay is one of the most difficult soil textures to work with , demand more space between the grains of soil to permit melodic phrase and water to move through quickly . The combination of peat and clay can be good for many plants but understanding the alone prop of each one will grant you to make the choices that benefit your plants the most .

Clay Soil

The atom that make up corpse grime are flat , like lilliputian plates . Like crustal plate , they heap well , entrust little space between them for the melodic phrase that radical require . They give soil a sticky , obtuse grain that necessitate soft handling . Too much digging while it ’s wet or too much standing on the beds will pack together it and further reduce the tune space . Clay holds moisture and nutrient well , but is hard to wet once dry out . The recommend remedy for an excess of clay in the soil is organic matter . Not only do organics hold water and food like a sponge , they decay into a sticky inwardness shout out humus that will tie clay atom together into sand - like caryopsis , leaving more space in the soil .

Peat Moss

Peat moss is the decayed or partly decayed corpse of a sphagnum moss that grows at the top of bogs with high acidity . As the peat bog age , the layers of dead moss become deeper , finally impart dull , brown peat and little else . Most peat moss deal now comes from northerly Europe and Canada and is often the partially decay remains of sphagnum moss rather than the impenetrable blocks that were burn as fuel several hundred yr ago . Peat is acidulous and very low in nutrients . For transportation , it is thoroughly dried and may be unmanageable to wet before using . A bit of dish soap added to water will help , as will using hot body of water rather than moth-eaten .

Mixing Into Soil

Spread a 2 - in layer of moistened peat moss over the ground you wish to better . Do not meld when the dirt is wet . Wait until it has dry out to the mite through the top half inch . ruffle the peat with the top level of soil to 12 inches . Be measured to avoid stepping on the fresh turned background if potential .

Fine Tuning

Since peat is acidic , it is an splendid amendment if you bid to farm blueberries , rhododendrons , azaleas or other acid - roll in the hay flora . If planting a vegetable garden , add ground limestone to set up the pH to nearly neutral . Most vegetables favour a slightly superman to electroneutral soil , 6.5 to 7.0 . potato are an exception , choose a pH below 6.0 .

Care

Peat moss decays slowly , pick out several years to transform to humus , while compost may be gone in less than a class . The humus binds the clay speck , but the fiber that loose the soil and supported more air spaces is operate . Keep adding more constitutional matter each year , constantly renew the fibrous grain of the soil .

References

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