Re: Peat Moss vs. Oak Leaves

["David A. Youngker" <nestor10@mindspring.com>]

From: Jody
Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2001 4:02 PM

> Unfortunately, I don't have any scales handy.
> Approximately how much peat in *volume* is in a
> gram, 5 grams, etc.?  A handful, two handfuls,
> a cup?

Oh, about a teaspoon per gram or so.

The original intent was not to "quantify" the amount so much as to see
_what_ the peat could do. Peat filtering is usually so easily recommended
that I've seen it suggested for everything up to "liquid rock" water sources
as *the* answer to everyone's prayers. Quite a few who were recommending it
as such were doing so without an obvious understanding of its real effects.

Peat is not and can not be a replacement for DI/RO as such. Its value lies
in the consumption of alkalinity and the release of humic acids. (The
humics, by the way, also provide a good measure of chelation for your
plants.) So the idea was to show that, even with an abundance of available
peat, not too much would happen to "hardness".

My own "reactor" is a 33- gal RubberMaid trash can containing about 1/4 of a
"1 cubic foot - compressed" package of garden peat. The peat merely
"percolates" through the water, kept in motion through a stream of air
released at the bottom of the can. When I draw water for a change, I turn of
the air for a couple of hours to allow things to settle, then draw from the
top and strain through a clean, white paper towel. A coffee filter will clog
too easily. Then water is replaced straight from the tap.

Since my change- out regimen calls for changes every other day, and I never
draw more than about 30-40% of the total can volume, the "cycle" keeps the
chemistry quite stable. Every month to six weeks, I reach down to the bottom
of the can, squeeze out a few handfuls of peat and replace with fresh. The
"old" peat then becomes a soil additive for everything from worm bins to
planting pots. With most of its acidification depleted, it works well for
those secondary aims without affecting their pH significantly.

>> The peat was sifted through a kitchen strainer to
>> remove woody chunks

> Like a collander used to drain pasta?  Is it laborious
> getting the peat to go through those small holes?

Since I was using water samples in plastic "milk jugs", working with small
samples, I was aiming to make sure that it *was* peat I was adding and not
just wood. The strainer was one of those handles baskets with holes about
1/4 inch. Not so hard, then...

-Y-



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