I'm going to be planting a few container trees tomorrow and was going to mix up the soil tonight, but had a question about the sphagnum peat moss.

In the bag of sphagnum peat moss I have, the material looks like dry dirt.

Is this the correct stuff or is it supposed to be the long fiber that looks like this:

If your product is find grind texture, then it is regular peat moss, not sphagnum peat. Sphagnum peat moss is long fibered, many times sphagnum peat is used as a liner for wire hanging baskets. Sound like your have regular ground peat moss. - Millet (1.022-)

What fooled me is that it does say Sphagum peat moss on the package and it is ground.

I'll get to the local nursery at lunch tomorrow.

thanks

Wait! If the word "peat" appears in the label, it will be the tiny particle stuff. If sphagnum peat, it has been rotting in a bog for 500 to 1000 years. Sphagnum moss, on the other hand, is the plant (recently dead) that will turn into sphagnum peat in a millennium. It is the long-fibered stuff, and is never referred to as "peat" of any sort.

mgk65: So which one did you use in your container, presumably to mix with the CHC?

I used the exact sphagnum moss pictured above, which I found at Lowes and Home Depot.

In my visits to several big box stores and local nurseries, I found "sphagnum peat moss" to be the tiny particle stuff.

Was this by choice to use to the peat (vs continue searching for non-ground peat moss)? If so, understood. If not, than either I'm confused or I missed where someone said Sphagnum peat is an acceptable substitute for peat moss in the CHC 4:1 mix for long term container plantings.

I've used that exact peat in the first picture for top mulch in small containers and for a "short-term hospital container" for which it works well. It's lofty and retains water ok and great aeration. But it degrades easily, in terms of pieces falling off the strands and they fill up the small gaps and start compacting. And as usual, once dries it repels water, but so does peat moss.

Just wondering.

I used the long vine stuff, which is pictured as Sphagnum Moss.

As Dr. Manners says, everywhere I saw Sphagnum peat moss, I found the ground stuff.

i know this is an old post , but i have a few questions
when i repotted my lemon and kumquat, i used the ground peat and chc, 4:1 - did i do wrong? will this be ok? does everyone use the strandy stuff. your help would be much appreciated.....cheers simon

I hope you meant CHC/ground peat: 4/1
Not the opposite.

Yes, the ground up small particle peat is the correct product. Some years ago (perhaps 6 or 7 years ago) I tried a blend of CHC and long strand Sphagnum Moss, ---- it did not make a usable medium. - Millet (755-)

Sphagnum is genus of moss, there are several species. Sphagnum Moss is in whole strand form and used for growing orchids, air plants and such. Its a light beige color.

Peat is any vegetation that is broken down, the only peat Ive ever seen available is Sphagnum Peat Moss, but by definition can be from grass or anything vegetative.

Sphagnum grows in bogs where it degrades into peat; Sphagnum Peat Moss is like a light dry dirt. Its brown in color.