Shredding & blowing peat moss on lawn?

Got it now. :)

Reply to
Doug Kanter
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Nobody else knows where to buy one, either. Imagine trying to blow feathers onto your lawn, or flour. That's what it would be like to try and blow peat moss onto the lawn.

The responses became sarcastic when the OP decided she didn't like the answers, and only wanted to hear "yes", when in fact, the answer is "no". If you don't have an open mind when you ask questions, then don't ask.

Reply to
Doug Kanter

I take it that you haven't tried this, either, so your word carries no more weight than anyone else here. (Actually less, since you haven't built any credibility yet.)

So why do you think that peat pots partially burried wick water out of the ground?

It's because the peat is exposed to the air. Then the peat touching the ground wicks water away to replace what is being dried out by the air. Spreading peat on top of the ground will have the same effect. Peat, in order to retain moisture, cannot be exposed to the air. Peat exposed to air will dry out, and will then grab any moisuture it can. The peat pot partially exposed is very much the same as shredded peat laying on the surface in this regard.

Also, if you shred peat, and let it dry out, it will be very light. So yes, some of it will blow away.

There are plenty of old wives tales out there. This one makes sense only if the depth of your thinking goes one level. (Peat wants to hold water, so it must hold water close to the seeds if I spread it on top of them.) If one isn't capable of thinking one step further, then it makes sense to them, and they'll be puzzeled at why they have to water so much more than the guy who though ahead and didn't spread peat on top of soil.

Not only don't you know anything about peat, you don't know what sarcasm is, either.

What do you think our motivation is? Our motivation is to stop someone from doing something stupid and wasteful based on half-baked ideas.

Peat laying on top of soil will dry out. The only way it will not dry out is if you water *more* than you would if it wasn't there.

If you really want to use peat to retain moisture, you need to work it into the soil so it's not exposed to the air. You can't just shred it, and blow it. Give it some real thought, and you'll see that this is not a position of ignorance. Thinking the peat laying on top of the soil does any good is a position of ignorance.

Reply to
Warren

Thank you.

I've since found out that Toro makes shredder blowers for around $80.

Exactly. We have a sprinkler system. Now maybe we don't even need the peat moss, and we could just turn the sprinklers on a few times a day to keep the soil moist. The problem last year was that we didnt get the new sprinkler system installed until the weather was already warm and the weeds took over this new lot. we had to battle them. Now we have about 50% grass after the battle of last year and want to get 100% grass by this year.

That's what I was thinking.

Ask a simple question on usenet and everyone is an expert, even when they don't know what they're talking about.

Reply to
Mama Bear

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51598 Ultra Blower

# Variable air control # 225-miles-per-hour maximum air force will clear just about any lawn # Metal impeller for efficient mulching # Reduces 16 bags of leaves to 1

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Steps

  • Spread grass seed using a drop spreader at the amount per square foot indicated on the package. Different varieties have different ratios. Try setting the spreader at half this rate and apply the seed in two passes at right angles to each other. * Rake in lightly. * After seeding apply a thin layer of peat moss over the entire area. This helps retain moisture and holds the seed to ensure a quality product.

I'd like to know how I can do something, not how I can't. Crapping all over anything anyone wants to do, is not helpful. It looks like usenet is a useless wasteland of frustrated hourly workers who take out their frustrations by flaming anything that anyone posts.

Thanks a hell of a lot.

Reply to
Mama Bear

chipper/shredder to launch the peat moss everywhere. I had no idea you were going to try and use a leaf blower to spread the stuff around.

Please, please, please, get someone to make a video of you using the leaf blower.

For what it's worth, in the spring time, I just buy a few bags of composted steer manure and spread that around with a rake.

Reply to
Snooze

Mama Bear wrote in news:Xns979ED05866210Mama@216.196.97.142:

it's for shredding leaves for compost, not blowing peat moss on the lawn. it would not do what you wanted. it would make holes where the discharge chute is. we have a chipper/shredder & use a tarp under the discharge chute.

you really should have done your seeding in the fall. grass grows better when fall seeded. as you found last year, when you spring seed you get a lot of weeds. i would seed now with a blend of something fast growing (like annual rye) & then reseed again in the fall with more perennial turfgrasses for your area. just don't expect your lawn to look great for another couple years. 8000 sq.ft. of lawn just sounds like way too much bother, but that's me... and i have cute llama lawnmowers. lee

Reply to
enigma

Why do you say that? Further conversations with this individual?

Reply to
Doug Kanter

That advice is incorrect.

If you want to know how to plant a new lawn, then that's the question you should ask. You would've gotten plenty of positive and useful feedback. But, you DID NOT ask that question. This is what I saw in your first post, with regard to "blowing peat moss on lawn":

"I've been told it can work. But go ahead. What is it, and can it work?"

Are those your words?

Reply to
Doug Kanter

As peat moss dries, it sometimes forms a crust which can be difficult for seed to penetrate. This is why it's supposed to be mixed into the soil. I have a question. Have you ever actually handled peat moss that's been broken down from chunks into a powdery state? I mean....have you touched it with your hands, especially when it's dry?

I have another question. Two, actually. No...wait. Three.

1) Tell me how long I've been gardening and how many dozens of books I've read on the subject. 2) How long have you been gardening and how many books you've read on the subject. 3) You said "everyone is an expert". When you asked your original question, did you want advice from someone who was NOT an expert? If so, why didn't you ask anyone who knew what they were talking about to please refrain from answering?
Reply to
Doug Kanter

Your claims here that you are speaking from authority make you sound like a midaeval church official who denied that heavy bodies fall as fast as light ones. You have never tried this, or spoken with anyone who has. Experiment is a lot more conclusive than theory.

As for wicking, if peat is mixed into soil many pieces of peat undoubtedly stick out a bit. Yet the peat-soil mix is not dried out by any wicking effect. It is, in fact, a recommended mix for starting sod where peat is cheap. Yes, I have handled peat. I have also tossed handfuls of it onto my garden and seen them in the same spot months later, having failed to notice your opinion and blow away. (and yes, that's sarcasm.)

Reply to
Andrew Ostrander

In order for her to do that, she would've had to listen to people who she calls "experts". But, in an earlier message, she said disdainful things about "experts". Maybe she should tell us what authorities she DOES trust, and how she decides who to listen to.

Reply to
Doug Kanter

"tried this" - I assume you're talking about mechanically launching peat moss. That's correct - I haven't seen it done. Let me ask you something: If you see 1000 landscapers create new lawns, and NONE of them "blow" peat moss onto the surface, does that tell you anything? Let's assume also that 10% of these people are not private business people, but work for municipalities, which often have plenty of money for the latest equipment.

Why do you suppose you and I haven't seen this launching idea done with peat moss?

I noticed that the OP has now said that the person who suggested the idea to her in the first place might not be so reliable. Maybe she'll explain why later today.

Reply to
Doug Kanter

I expect blowing on peat moss is not the most cost-effective way to establish a new lawn in most situations. But the OP did not ask how to establish a new lawn, she asked where to buy a tool, and in response she got general advice. This advice was presented as factual but it was not based on experience, and I did not and do not agree with the advice. I reproduce it here:

< Peat moss also dries out very quickly when exposed to air. Then, two things < happen: First, it acts like a sponge and sucks moisture out of adjacent < materials, like your soil. This assumes it remains in place, which is < probably won't if it's been pulverized and there's any wind. The only < correct way to use peat moss on a lawn is to work it into the soil, not just < put it on top.

I will also point out that she is not starting a new lawn but trying to fill in an existing lawn, so comparisons with starting new lawns are not very informative.

Reply to
Andrew Ostrander

She said "8000 sq feet", so new lawn or not, she's considering a major expenditure for a substance that will be relatively ineffective.

Another thought: She made no mention of having gotten a soil test. If she has soil with too much clay, peat moss would only make matters worse.

Reply to
Doug Kanter

Hi,

I am a home owner with a bad lawn not a professional. I have tried using peat moss and it did work quiet well. I put down the peat moss just spreading it around with a shovel. Then I sprinkled seed and some fertilizer. Then plonked more peat moss on top.

I kept it watered using a ordinary hose and sprinkler on a timer. Worked quite well.

I got my peat moss from home depot as well as the grass seed. I live in New York and I did this last fall round about September time. Grass came up in about 5 days.

The advantages of peat moss over top soil and other admenments I think is easy of spreading it around.

As for a blower I have one of these as well. I did not use it to spread the peat moss around though. The blower I have is a RedMax 8001. It is a back pack blower. I suppose you could use it to blow stuff around, but not quite sure how that would help?

Good luck with your lawn.

warmest regards, Mike.

Mama Bear wrote:

Reply to
sacstinkytiger

And you could have had the same results with less water if you didn't have to provide enough water to both keep the peat hydrated and have enough left over for the seeds to germinate. You wasted money on the peat, and then you wasted money by having to water more.

Unless you mix the peat into the soil, there is zero advantage to using it. In fact, if you just spread it on top, it's a waste. A waste of peat. A waste of water. And a waste of effort. The peat has no nutriative value, and if it's not mixed in the soil, it does nothing to help the soil at all.

Reply to
Warren

I see two significant advantages to using peat as described -- it reduces the frequency of waterings that are needed and surrounds the seeds and provides them with a constant level of humidity. It sounds like a good idea to me.

Reply to
Andrew Ostrander

Question: In 30+ years of gardening, I've have never seen any advice indicating that peat moss did NOT need to be mixed into soil. Never. Not once, and this includes gardening veterans like James Crockett, Alan Lacy, Henry Mitchell, Fred McGourty, Russell Page, Christopher Lloyd, etc. They were gardening for 30-50 years before I even began. None of them suggest that it's a good idea to just sprinkle peat moss on top of soil.

What evidence do you have that suddenly makes this a good idea?

Reply to
Doug Kanter

Think about the purpose of using peat moss this way. It is not to improve the soil. It is to help establish fresh additional grass in an existing sparse lawn that will not be dug up. The purpose of the peat moss is to retain moisture as the seeds germinate and develop.

My evidence is my own observation that peat moss remains moist much longer than the surface of my lawn. Thus a lawn with peat moss on top will need less frequent watering, perhaps twice a day to keep the grass seed moist instead of every hour during midday. It will also shield the seeds from the direct sunlight, which could dry them out no matter what they're on.

The claims of you and your authorities that mixing peat moss into soil is the best way to use it to improve the soil, and just leaving it on top is, at best, useless, seem undeniable. But that is not the goal here or the situation. The moss will be kept moist until the grass is established. The fact that peat moss is useful when dug in does not prevent it from being useful in other ways too.

Reply to
Andrew Ostrander

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