What is peat moss and what are its benefits?
Peat moss is the result of accumulated plant and animal material, which has decomposed in a water saturated, low oxygen environment over a period of thousands of years. Peat is valued in the horticultural industry both for its impressive water holding capacity, and also for its humus rich nature. These two attributes combine to offer gardeners multiple benefits: • Lightens and improves aeration of heavy soils, which allows oxygen to circulate easily, improves root penetration and water infiltration • Increases the water holding capacity of sandy soils • Encourages microbial activity which is the basic building block for healthy soil • Increases the cationic exchange capacity of the soil; nutrients and mineral elements bond with the humus and are released as needed to the plants roots • Improves your soil’s texture and density, making it more resistant to leaching and erosion.
