10
That peat moss I bought from the big box store turned out to be full of weed seeds
Picked up two bales of what I thought was pure sphagnum peat from the garden center over on Route 9 about 3 weeks ago. Mixed it into my raised beds for my tomatoes and peppers. Now my entire bed is covered in some kind of fast growing grass and little clover looking things popping up everywhere. I spent last weekend pulling all of it out by hand and I'm still finding sprouts today. Has anyone else gotten bad batches from those pallets they keep outside in the rain?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
moore.beth1mo ago
Scrape the outer layer off next time.
6
karencampbell1mo ago
The grass and clover are probably not coming from the peat itself but from windblown seeds landing on top of the bales while they sat outside. Those pallets get rained on, dirt splashes up from the ground, and birds and weeds drop their seeds right onto the plastic wrap where they get stuck. If you peel back the outer layer of peat and dig into the middle of a bale, that stuff is usually sterile and clean. I've been using the big box store peat for years and never pulled a single weed from the deep stuff, only from the top inch or two that got exposed to the elements. Your raised bed might have also had dormant seeds in the soil that just needed the moisture and warmth from the new peat to germinate. I'd say try scraping off the outer layer of the bale next time before you mix it in, and save yourself the backache.
5