How much peat moss for new lawn

What are the benefits of peat moss? Benefits of Peat Moss Peat moss is a unique organic material that provides gardeners with several benefits, including absorbency, compaction prevention, a sterile planting medium, and its acidic ph. The most important benefit of peat moss is the material's absorbency. Can you put down too much grass seed? All plants, including grass plants, need adequate soil space for roots to spread and develop. If you put down too much grass seed, you will encourage competition that will cause your grass seedlings to struggle after germination because there will be excessive competition for sunlight, soil nutrients, and water.

Why is peat moss bad? Peat moss is the partially decomposed remains of formerly living sphagnum moss from bogs.

As a soil amendment, which is what the baled product is mostly sold for, peat moss is also a poor choice. It breaks down too fast, compressing and squeezing air out of the soil, creating an unhealthy condition for plant roots. Will peat moss help my lawn? Peat moss as a soil amendment has many advantages, such as increasing moisture retention and helping your lawn's aeration and drainage.

Peat moss can hold up to 20 times its dry weight in water. But if you use it alone on your lawn there's a slight chance it increases the acidity of your soil. Peat moss absorbs water like a sponge and retains moisture for long periods of time.

This is a huge benefit when you are overseeding your lawn. Grass seeds must be kept constantly moist in order to sprout. If grass seeds dry out as they germinate, they will die, resulting in a much lower yield from your seeding efforts. In addition to moisture retention, a thin layer of peat moss spread over your newly seeded lawn protects the grass seed from birds.

If grass seed is left uncovered, large quantities of it will be eaten by birds. When you use peat moss as a top dressing, the moss breaks down over the course of a few weeks. This feeds the soil as organic matter. This provides a small number of soil nutrients. Peat moss is slightly acidic and releases acids into the soil, so using it for top dressing when overseeding can make your soil less favorable to grass growth long term.

It is important to note that peat moss is very poor in nutrients compared to other overseeding materials, such as compost. Also, unlike compost, peat moss does not contain soil microbes that help feed your lawn. Make several passes to break up the soil into a fine mix. Remove large clods of soil, weeds and rocks with a rake. Spread peat moss on top of the soil bed at about 2 inches deep.

Scatter the peat moss by handfuls evenly over the planting area. Incorporate the peat moss into the loose top 6 inches of soil with a garden tiller. Turn the tiller on its slowest speed to allow the tines to mix the peat moss into the soil slowly and thoroughly. Place starter grass fertilizer into a fertilizer spreader. Set the flow rate according to the package directions. Start at one corner of the lawn and travel in passes from either north to south or east to west to cover the entire lawn.

Using the mist setting on the water sprayer will prevent you from accidentally washing the seeds away. Peat moss can be added to seeds immediately after planting or after the seeds have germinated.

Immediately water the peat moss lightly with a water sprayer set on mist. At that point, reduce watering frequency to every few days as needed. Amanda Flanigan began writing professionally in