Peet Moss

[ACutAbovesiny]

I've posted a similar question last year but had very little response.

During our Spring clean-up we power rake, lime, fert, and seed. Now the question I have is this...
When seeding, my partner wants to top dress with Peet Moss instead of Top Soil. My opinion is that the Peet Moss is too acidic but he insists that its ok to use.

Is the Peet Moss ok to use?? I need to know before we go out and buy the stuff in bulk.

[Allure]

i would start with a soil test first.

[Dstosh]

Peat Will only hold the water, I dont beleive it has a ton of nuitritional value. Maybe you should top dress with a mixture of the two?

[RAlmaroad]

I've done that for many years and have never had any problem--I subscribe that it will hold a little moisture. We do anything to hold the moisture in the dry hot parts of the country The only trick is to apply when it is fairly calm as the wind can blow it around fairly easily.

[PatriotLandscape]

Stick to soil, Peet moss has no organic value in the landscape and is used for water holding capacity. For Staten Island your are better off using top soil adding which will add nutrients and water holding depending on the type of soil. Are you top dressing the entire lawn or just the areas overseeded?

[Dreams To Designs]

Peat Moss adds no nutritional value, yes it may hold some moisture, but it will great affect the soil ph by making it more acidic. First, take a soil test and determine what if anything is needed. Take a few samples from each property, separating yards, front, back & side if possible. If you are going to topdress with topsoil, determine it's test value also. If you are getting soil from a reputable dealer, that information should be available. If you are working with irrigated properties, resetting the irrigation for the first couple of weeks will assist in the growing of your newly seeded areas without harming the established lawns, just make sure to reset the irrigation to an appropriate cycle when the new turf is established. If you are working in nonirrigated areas, Penn Mulch or similar products would be a better solution to get the new turf established. Don't just add chemicals or amendments because that's the way we always did it. Test the soil and find out what the soil needs and amend accordingly.

Kirk

[Az Gardener]

I use peat a lot here because our PH is so high 8 or higher.

I am surprised no one has suggested using compost for top dressing after overseeding it is full of nutrition, microbes and enzymes. It also will hold in the moisture and it will kick start any existing turf you may have as well as help the new seed.

IMHO a much better solution than peat or topsoil. Just be sure you are using compost not mulch and that it is completely composted.

[salandscape]

Compost, or a high mix of compost/ loam to top dress. If you are going to be seeding and topdressing it is worth it it to aerate first

[lawn king]

Peat moss holds 9 times its own weight in water. Before hydroseeding was invented, we would blanket our lawn installations with pulverized peat, it worked very well!

[ACutAbovesiny]

Stick to soil, Peet moss has no organic value in the landscape and is used for water holding capacity. For Staten Island your are better off using top soil adding which will add nutrients and water holding depending on the type of soil. Are you top dressing the entire lawn or just the areas overseeded?

The whole area. After power raking we seed the entire lawn then he wants to top dress the entire lawn with peat moss.

[Dreams To Designs]

As AZ has suggested, clean finished compost will create a great seed covering, due to organic matter, will hold moisture and add beneficial microorganisms, micro nutrients and improve the tilth of the soil. It will benefit the soil which will improve the entire lawn. Finished compost should also be available with a soil test and typically is neutral.