Garden peat is one of the best substrates for our plants. It is rich in organic ingredients and has an excellent structure. There are different types and applications of horticultural peat. Find out more about garden peat and how it can be used in your garden. The article contains information on the types, uses and prices of horticultural peat.
Garden peat is used as a substrate for plants
and also for the production of peat pots for seedlings.
Garden peat is a well-known and widely used substrate for our plants.In gardens, it is indispensable especially for plants that prefer an acidic soil. Garden peat is a sedimentary rock of plant origin. More precisely, peat was created from plants that were not completely decomposed in the lower parts of the earth. This is why garden peat is so widely used in horticulture.
Garden peat - types of peat
There are threetypes of peat : high, low and transitional. The type of peat depends on the conditions in which the bog was formed.
High peatis formed in places without any drainage, where water, poor in minerals, remains for a long time. Additionally, this residual water is acidified all the time. High peat is highly acidic, its pH is approx. 3-4. It is characterized by a loose structure and a brown shade. Natural high peat, i.e. acidified or de-acidified with lime, can be obtained for sale. It is worth paying attention to what kind of peat we buy -sour peatorde-acidified peat
High peatis widely used. If we add this garden peat to the ground, we will get a looser and more aerated substrate, additionally the peat will increase the water absorption. It is worth adding high peat to too sandy or too clayey soil. However, it is not very suitable for use as a homogeneous substrate without any admixtures. Then it dries up quickly.High acid peatcan be used to acidify the soil.
Low peatas opposed to high peat, it is formed in places where there is a continuous flow of water rich in mineral compounds and well aerated, e.g. in river valleys or in floodplains. This type of peat is much more common in nature. It differs from high peat mainly in color (it is almost black) and in structure, in which there are many more completely decomposed plants, it does not have as many characteristic fibers as in high peat.
Low peatis not suitable for soil acidification. Its pH is very high, being 7.0 and sometimes even higher. This is very important because it is often mistakenly believed that all garden peat acidifies the soil. It is also worth remembering that if you want to use this type ofgarden peatyou must dig it with the ground, otherwise it will dust or stick to tools and shoes like clay. Low peat peat should be used on sandy soils, remember to dig it in!
Horticultural peat stored at the extraction site
Transition peatis the last type of peat that has the characteristics of both low and high peat. It is rich in organic ingredients like anygarden peat , but has high acidity so it can be used to acidify the soil in the garden.
Application of garden peat
As already mentionedhorticultural peatis widely used in plant cultivation.First of all, it significantly improves the structure of the soil, loosening it and making it aerated. In addition, it enriches the soil with the best form of organic material. It can also be used to acidify the soil if necessary. Peat pots can also be used to grow any seedlings.Garden peatcan also be found in filters, where it softens the water in the pond.
Garden peat price
Due to the low costs of obtaining horticultural peat, its price is not excessive. In garden centers, you will pay a dozen or so zlotys for a bag of this substrate, usually between 11.00 and 15.00 PLN. for an 80 liter bag.The price of garden peatdepends largely on the place where you buy it. In garden centers it will always be more expensive than with a direct seller. However, if we buygarden peatdirectly, we often have to buy more of it, which in the long run is not profitable for an amateur gardener.
Katarzyna Matuszak
