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Scotts Peat Moss?

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I've read in so many places that Scotts is either good stuff, or terrible for CPs, but so far that is all that I have found. I have heard that Shultz and Lamberts are good alternatives but then I've also heard bad things about at least the Shultz brand too.

That said, does anyone have any advice? I don't want to kill a couple of nice VFTs I have coming bare-root, but I'm also unsure which brand of medium to use at this point. I am operating on the assumption that Scotts Perlite is still okay but unfortunately I now have serious doubts about their peat moss.

Who carries the Lamberts brand, by the way? I've never heard anything bad about that, so if I can find it perhaps I will return the Scotts.
 
okay....here is my experience.

I thought schultz bag of moss would be good as it is a smaller bag and I dont need a bale. I made my entire terrarium and then noticed that there is actualy a slow release fertilizer in the moss.

I had to return the schultz bag and I finally found a small bale of that stick filled compressed peat which is pure sphagnum. and the VFT's are kicking well. All of mine are growing and I got them as bulbs too.

Basically the moral of the day is "Get one of those big bales of peat moss 100% and avoid the flashy brands like schultz or scotts.

The problem comes when the big brands want to attract consumers by adding stuff which helps regular plants grow. But this can be lethal to VFT's.

http://www.terraforums.com/ib312....t=26146

That is a link of my post earlier.
 
I have used Scotts and Shultz with no problems for over 3 years now. I thing I started to do some time ago after playing with my TDS meter is to wash my peat before use.
Unwashed peat was around 100 ppm and after washing dropped down to the 20 ppm.
 
For me, bales are much better because they are very cheap, and also last you for years.

-Ben
 
I use Scotts. No problems thus far.
 
I have had problems with slow release fertilizer pellet contamination in Schultz Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss. It doesn't seem to bother my 3 N. ventricosa plants, but it has slowly killed any other CP I planted in it, no matter how much rinsing I did. Like Ben, I now buy my peat in bales. A small 2.2 cu yd bale has lasted my daughter and I a couple seasons now.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (elgecko @ Oct. 15 2006,3:02)]I have used Scotts and Shultz with no problems for over 3 years now. I thing I started to do some time ago after playing with my TDS meter is to wash my peat before use.
Unwashed peat was around 100 ppm and after washing dropped down to the 20 ppm.
What is the best way to 'wash' the peat, just basically soak and strain or something similar? I will definitely try and do this before I use the Scotts. Can't hurt anything and if I don't wash it and have problems, I'll probably wish I had.

Thanks for the advice! I will try and keep this thread updated after I've potted the new arrivals and given them a few weeks to get used to the new soil.
 
I have seen Lamberts at Home Depot. Read the ingredients of the various available brands. If it has fertilizer, it is best to stay away from it. There are a variety fo approaches to washing CP soil media. I like to use anything that is like a sieve, with small holes in it, such as a collander or a pool filter basket. I simply place the media in it and add water. Then I knead it like bread dough, so that it is thoroughly mixed. I keep adding water to rinse out whatever impurities there may be. You can use tap or rian or stream, whatever, just make sure that in the end you are using rain, distilled, RO, or deionized water. Personally, I buy the big bales, as opposed to the small bags.
 
By way of an update, I just wanted to let everyone know what my experience with Scotts brand sphagnum peat moss has been.

Thus far, it appears none of my VFTs have done anything unusual in this peat. Some grow extremely well, others pretty much average, but they all come from different sources and so I attribute the variation in their growth more to that then the growing medium.

I have had absolutely no losses that I can pin directly on the soil, and in fact extremely good growth from a few of my plants. It's been more than a few months now, so I presume I'd have started losing plants if the stuff was replete with fertilizers or anything.

Still, I've grown weary of trips to Home Depot or anywhere else to pick up more peat. Those bags never seem to have enough and I always run out in the middle of potting up my latest acquisitions.

To that end, I splurged a few dollars and got myself a massive bale of compressed (3.8 cu ft.) Canadian sphagnum peat moss.
boogie.gif


It's the 'Black Gold' stuff that I've heard so many good things about. The compressed bale is apparently the largest available, at least according to the bag. Sucker weighs a ton and I'm amazed I even got it inside, but I'm still glad I got it.
woot.gif


Anyway, should keep me more than supplied for the next few growing season (and many moons thereafter). If only I could find perlite that cheap and in such large quantities.

It's funny, I never thought I could get so excited about having a giant bag of soil. See what this hobby has done to me?
crazy.gif
 
  • #10
Those bales are fan-******-tastic!

They last forever and as long as you keep them dry they'd probably survive a nuclear bomb.

Unless you're cornholio lol
 
  • #11
For me, bales are much better because they are very cheap, and also last you for years.

-Ben

Good for you ben,
I have a bale a week habit.
LOL
Lois
 
  • #12
I would definately advice a bale as well. There are some small ones available like around a cuboid of it sold at 4$ or so....my variety was Canadian Sphagnum peat moss sold marketed as "the Gardener" ..it was a yellow bale.

I tried schultz intitally and I strongly recommend against it as it had slow release fertilizer balls in it.
 
  • #13
I saw bales of Canadian Sphagnum peat moss at Lowe's. They usually have bags of domestic (US) LFS too.
 
  • #14
Can you assume if it does not say fertilizer on the label that their is no fertilizer in it. I've been using Schultz sphagnum peat and no problems...even in fishtanks where I'd think fertilizer would cause algae blooms.
 
  • #15
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Not a Number @ Jan. 08 2007,7:34)]I saw bales of Canadian Sphagnum peat moss at Lowe's. They usually have bags of domestic (US) LFS too.
So the Canadian / Black Gold brand also has LFS available? I've not seen that yet, anywhere. Every Home Depot I go to has, if I'm lucky, the Scotts brand sphagnum peat moss, but nothing else.

They don't even have the bales of Canadian stuff. They're supposed to have it where this big Peat Moss sign is in the back, by the other huge bags of soil, but all they have stacked up there is steer manure.
wow.gif
 
  • #16
Home Depot and WalMart does not carry LFS. Lowe's carries the MosserLee brand (domestic/US LFS).

If you want Canadian or NZ LFS I'd try a nursery that specializes in orchids and orchid grow supplies as orchid growers love using LFS.
 
  • #17
What is the difference between domestic/US LFS and Canaian LFS?
 
  • #18
The Canadian and New Zealand Sphagnum bogs haven't been as extensively exploited and depleted like the US sources. The quality tends to be higher, more pure without a lot of sticks, dead leaves etc. that are not Sphagnum.

New Zealand is supposed to be using sustainable/renewable harvesting methods. I don't know about Canada, I would hope so. As far as I know the US suppliers are not using sustainable harvesting methods.
 
  • #19
:cuss: I bought a couple of 8 quart bags of Scott's Sphagnum peat moss. I open one up and the top of the peat is covered with a thin layer of tiny (<= 1mm) white balls of something. Fertilizer? Mold/Fungus? Zillions of insect eggs? I dunno. There are springtails and/or fungus gnats in it too.

I open the second bag and it's just peat. The first bag goes back to Home Depot I guess, or do you suppose it's ok to use on non-CPs?
 
  • #20
When in doubt throw it out. Or return it :)


Anyone but me LOVE the smell of LFS and to a lesser extent peat? I mean.. it's just so earthy and fresh smelling!

I try not to breath in dry peat, though :(
 
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