# sphagnum moss peat



## lindacoates80 (1 Jul 2011)

I am going to be sorting out my 120 litre Juwel Lido shortly, I have been doing some reading up about Tesco's Lightweight cat litter and got a couple of bags (20 Litres) which are waiting to be washed out  . My basic plan at the moment is to get some Osmacote slow release fertiliser to put underneath the cat litter, but ive also been reading some threads about people using Sphagnum moss peat too. How deep would the layer of peat need to be as im needing to get some. Ive seen some sphagnum moss peat  on good old  eBay but Im not sure how much I should look at getting whether the peat should be a decent depth or whether you just need a thin covering.


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## dw1305 (1 Jul 2011)

Hi all,
You only need a small amount, people like Sphagnum moss peat because it is formed in ombrotrophic (rain fed) mires and is basically devoid of any bases (Ca2+ etc), but does contain some humic compounds. The ability to exchange H+ ions for other cations (so a Cation Exchange Capacity) is due to the physical structure of the moss cells and continues to function after the plants death. 

Peat is a diminishing resource and most of the UK's exploitable resource has gone, taking its unique wildlife with it, so there is a strong argument for not buying it, it truly is a  "nature reserve in a bag". I use a small amount of Beech (_Fagus sylvatica_) leaf mould instead

I notice your address is Dumfries, and I would expect that you could go and collect some suitable peat, any moss or heath where either Ling Heather (_Calluna vulgaris_) and Cross-leaved heath (_Erica tetralix_) grow or where there plenty of Bog cotton (_Eriophorum angustifolium_) should do.   

cheers Darrel


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