peat moss and other potting media

[arvin555]

Hi Guys, I have been having a lot of problems finding peat moss in the Philippines, was wondering if you guys don't have this problem in your areas? Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia? I don't know why plant stores in my country doesnt carry them anymore. I assume that all Peat mosses are imported? If however you guys know of a manufacturer or importer of peat moss in your area that has a website, can you please post here so maybe I can consider importing some from there?

All we have here now is Dried Sphagnum moss, but I'm not even sure if they are real sphagnum moss.

Above said, I wonder if anyone of your guys are using any alternatives for VFT potting mix?

And yeah I have been dreaming of a a mini bog garden, which needs 12 inched deep, a lot of peat moss and sphagnum moss.

TTFN
Arvin

[hongrui]

hi there,

there is a Singapore company that packs their peat moss, although i'm not too sure if they export to the Philippines.

this is their website, maybe you can try emailing them to see if they have a distributor or something near you. the product is 'Horti moss' which is actually peat moss. they also have sphagnum moss and their orchid potting mix works well for neps when extra perlite (or other coarse materials) are mixed in.

[italoamericano]

Hi Arvin,

I just checked on ebay here in the (www.ebay.com) USA and there are several sellers on ebay that are selling Peat Moss. Before you bid you may want to ask them if they ship to your country? They probably will if you pay them a couple of dollars more in postage.
If you absolutely can not find any Peat Moss, contact me and I will mail you a small amount of Canadian SPHAGNUM PEAT MOSS.

Giovanni

[David]

Arvin,

Sphagnum Peat Moss is available in Malaysia but these suppliers also get their stocks from companies like Horti etc. and alot of times they are legally bound to only sell within their region or country.

[arvin555]

Thanks everyone for your reply. Will try to contact the Singaporian company first because they are nearer to the Philippines. I will have to make sure it's "pure" I don't want other inclusions as I want to use them for a Bog (VFT, Sarras, etc) I actually was able to find peat moss in a Japanese home depo in Osaka, but I seldom go there and it's a bit difficult to bring in soil looking stuff through check in baggage. But my worse case scenario is currently to buy from Japan

Thanks for your offer Giovanni, very generous of you to offer to send, but I'm hoping I won't have to take you on that offer I also need to get in touch with our Dept. of Agriculture about laws or permits in importing peat moss

I'm guessing no one really has figured out a substitute for peat moss. Coco Peat isn't really a substitute as it is not acidic enough.

TTFN
Arvin

[caseyhoo]

May be you can use blended/choped Sphagnum moss to substitute peat moss...

[italoamericano]

Hi Everyone!

If you do not wish or can't use SPHAGNUM Peat Moss the only other alternative is Clay Pellets:

This man-made product is often called grow rocks and is an extremely good growing medium. It is made by baking clay in a kiln. The inside of the clay pellets is full of tiny air pockets which makes this a light weight medium.
Attributes:
*Lightweight
*Increases oxygen retention of the surrounding soil
*Do not retain too much water, but retain some
Some Minuses:
-Frequent waterings needed to stop roots drying out
-Some of the pellets may float on water, so the soil will not stay around the plant's roots
-Can be dusty
You should try 50% Clay Pellets, 25% Perlite, 25% Silica Sand.
Just my humble opinion.
Giovanni

[arvin555]

Giovanni, I read somewhere that even using Clay pots is not advisable because apparently clay pots might accumulate salts that might not be appreciated by VFTs! Also I imagine that Clay Pellets won't be acidic enough. I sure will try to mix Sphagnum moss (dried), Perlite, and the little peat moss that I was able to buy in Japan. I am not sure if this will allow me to make a bog garden that I envisioned, but we'll see.

[italoamericano]

Hi Arvina,

Yes, clay pots do produce salt which can leach into the growing medium.

Clay Pellets do not because they are sealed and they are the only growing medium that you can use to replace Peat Moss. Perlite, Silica Sand, Vermiculite and Charcoal are only additives to the growing medium that help to enhance it.
Hope this helps,

Giovanni

[arvin555]

Thanks Govanni, I will try to see if I can find supply for Clay pellets here, i think I saw some in a shop before, but not sure. Anyways will see. I can use them as additives to a mix, if my peat moss proves to be insufficient in quantity to make a bog.

TTFN
Arvin

[italoamericano]

Hi Arvin!

Here is a great site about making a plant bog.

www.jamesjonesinstruments.com/familysites/bogsite/index.html

Let me know what you think?


Giovanni

[arvin555]

Thanks Giovanni, visited the site, very nice. I did realize that I am not really planning on making one that big, I think I will try my hand with a mini bog first, as I will never be able to find a local supplier of that much peat, even if I will import I am sure it will cost a lot to bring in that much peat

TTFN
Arvin