Ph Of Peat Moss
The chart above clearly shows that peat moss is acidic with a ph of about 5 5.
Ph of peat moss. Plants may hold 16 to 26 times as much water as their dry weight depending on the species. What is the ph of peat moss. Peat is a less expensive amendment in potting and garden soils. Peat moss is slightly acidic which means it is great for acid loving plants.
I suspect that the sudden increase in ph is due to the addition of alkaline tap water and the leeching of acids out the bottom of the pot during watering. If your soil is already acidic adding peat moss will probably make it less productive for most plants blueberries azaleas and other acid loving plants being the possible exception. After only 1 day the ph was 6 5 and remained there for the duration of the test. The ph of peat moss is slightly acidic.
Most plants thrive between 6 0 and 6 5 because the most nutrients are available in that range. Peat moss is. Peat moss is sold in compressed bales and like milled sphagnum moss it is used in potting and garden soils. Higher ph numbers indicate alkaline soils.
Soil commonly ranges from a ph of 4 to 8 5 so it s sometimes necessary to acidify soil to lower its. Because peat moss is so acidic adding it to soil will lower the soil s ph. Sphagnum is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses commonly known as peat moss though they are different as peat moss has a more acidic ph level. Whereas sphagnum moss has a neutral ph peat moss is very acidic and is high in tannins.
If your garden soil is not acidic add a bit of peat moss to make your acid loving plants thrive. Liming material required depends on the ph of the peat the degree of decomposition the particle size of the liming material its chemical and physical properties. There are many plants you may wish to grow that require slightly acidic soil such as camellias and blueberries. As noted above peat moss has an acidic ph generally in the range of 4 4 a ph of 7 is neutral.
A ph between 6 6 and 7 3 is neutral. Acid loving plants like blueberries and camellias benefit greatly from peat moss applications although plants that require neutral or basic phs may not benefit from too much peat moss in the soil without additional more alkaline amendments.