What's up everyone? Welcome back to another episode of the Epic Gardening

podcast. Today we're talking about Pete Moss. What is it and how do we use it? Should we

use it? Etcetera, etc. etc. So let's get into it. First of all,

Pete Moss is the decomposed remains of spagnum moss and other living things.

So what it does is it forms a dead fibrous material

over the course of millennia in peat bogs around the world.

So unlike compost, peat moss forms in the absence of air, anaerobically.

This slows the decomposition process and creates a homogeneous or homogenous material that is highly absorbent, which makes it very useful in the garden as a

soil builder and a seed starter. So let's get into a couple of the benefits of

Pete Moss. First of all, it's the material's absorbency. It retains water much better than average

soil, which increases the overall absorbency of anything that it is put in. So if you put it in a

potting mix or a garden soil, that soil as a whole will retain more water.

Second benefit, it is non-compactable. So soil compaction is a damaging thing for garden because it reduces water absorption.

It reduces the ability for plants to get oxygen.

Pete Moss remains springy when it's wet and it rehydrates easily.

Third benefit, it is a sterile planting medium. So it typically does not contain harmful

pathogens or weed seeds. In combination with its absorbency, this makes it ideal for

starting seedlings. And it's why Pete Moss is an essential component in many of the seed starting mixes that you can buy.

Fourth, pH of peat moss is slightly acidic, so if you're growing any acid living plants like blueberries,

camellias, they benefit greatly from peat moss applications. So those are

some benefits. Now, what about downsides? Why would we not want to use peat moss first of all it's one of the more expensive soil

amendments first and foremost that's because it is a relatively non-renewable resource

...