peatmoss as mulch?

[tuffy]

Hi, Is it ok to use straight peatmoss for mulch around tomato plants? 2 yrs ago I did and didn't have any weeds, but also didn't get good tomatoes and I don't know if it was the peat or the weather here in the northeast. Some yrs are good for growing, some too cold and rainy. I also have peppers, cukes and zucchini peas and potatoes that might benefit from mulch~ PS- the soil ph is about 6 where the tomatoes are planted. thanks Lynn

 

[lesa]

There is some controversy about using peatmoss...it seems we are depleting the peat bogs. If you want to mulch- and I do recommend it, especially with the blight fear, I would use straw. It is cheap and pretty easy to come by...

 

[vfem]

There is some controversy about using peatmoss...it seems we are depleting the peat bogs. If you want to mulch- and I do recommend it, especially with the blight fear, I would use straw. It is cheap and pretty easy to come by...

Which I so agree, but I think its due to the fact we destroyed the wet lands by over hunting the beavers that created them for so long. I think if the beavers keep repopulating and we stop moving them the wet lands will come back.

With that said... there are cheaper, and better options to use as mulch. There is hay or straw, mulched / shredded/ chipped trees, grass clippings from your own yard... and much much more!

With your PH, I wouldn't use pine straw though!

p.s. - if I hadn't said it before.

 

[tuffy]

Thanks you for the replys. We do have horses,so have hay bales. I thought the hay as mulch would drop seeds in the garden and create more weeds. Am I mistaken?? L

 

[patandchickens]

First, peatmoss is not a great mulch for most situations because rain does not penetrate it well once it has dried out. Even if you have drip irrigation, it still seems silly to have a semi-waterproof mulch; you may as well take advantage of what mother nature offers Also peat tends to be dusty and erodable. And rather expensive compared to other mulches

Second, as others have said, most commercially available peat is harvested in a way that depletes peat bogs. Peat bogs are not the same things as beaver-dam swamps btw. There is SOME quasi-sustainably-harvested peat on the market (that is, it's being harvested no faster than it is being regenerated in those bogs) but that is a minority AFAIK.

There are lots and lots of things you can use as pretty decent mulch, ranging from dried grass clippings (free) to straw (cheap) to fancy garden-type bark or wood mulches (pricier). Any would be a better choice than peat, IMHO.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[patandchickens]

Straight alfalfa hay is ok as mulch (e.g. if you have some moldy/dusty portions of it you don't want to use as feed). Saltmarsh hay is usually ok too, as far as weed seeds, though I doubt that's what you have

Any other hay (grass hays, or mixes) most often does have a considerable amount of seeds in it. I know that in theory good hay shouldn't, but meanwhile back in the real world it usually does

If you are desperate it can sometimes be worth using. Otherwise though you'd be better off with other materials. Do you have any 'wild' (meadow or roadside) grass that is growing tallish but not yet setting seed, and containing no weeds that are setting seeds yet? If you cut that and lay it on the garden, it makes a pretty decent functional mulch. Or lay down a few sheets of newspaper and top with year-old composted manure. Or get a bale or two of straw. Or used stall bedding, with most of the manure removed.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[hoodat]

Hi, Is it ok to use straight peatmoss for mulch around tomato plants? 2 yrs ago I did and didn't have any weeds, but also didn't get good tomatoes and I don't know if it was the peat or the weather here in the northeast. Some yrs are good for growing, some too cold and rainy. I also have peppers, cukes and zucchini peas and potatoes that might benefit from mulch~ PS- the soil ph is about 6 where the tomatoes are planted. thanks Lynn

I don't know where you garden but if your soil is already acid, peat moss adds to it.