PittMoss® Plentiful is a complete potting mix, peat-free and OMRI listed for organic use. The material is derived from non-toxic, recycled, and natural inputs that have been re-engineered to optimize air and water holding capacity while ensuring efficient delivery of nutrients to the plant and providing an excellent environment for beneficial microbial growth. This up-cycled media is fortified with pine bark, poultry manure, bovine compost inoculates, and feather meal to provide a slow, consistent nutrient source and encourage healthy soil biology in your containers, raised beds, seedlings, houseplants, flower beds, and more. PittMoss® Plentiful is a very clean media with exceptionally low heavy metal levels, so you can take pride in good stewardship of the environment and your health (see our Scientific Studies for more).
Sustainable Growing with Plentiful
PittMoss fibers are manufactured in the United States, supporting green manufacturing. All of the paper and cardboard components are obtained from local recycling facilities and hand sorted at our facility in Ambridge, PA before being fiberized by our custom, patent-pending machinery. The end product reduces runoff with enhanced nutrient absorption and superior moisture wicking, so growers can be confident in PittMoss® Plentiful’s optimization of applied resources. The carbon-rich nature of the material also encourages a living soil environment with more labile carbon for microbes to feed on. PittMoss® Plentiful’s physical structure (in reference to the aeration provided by internal and external pore sizes) makes for superior root development.
Superior Performance
Improving Soil Structure
Some growers use PittMoss® Plentiful with their existing compost, incorporating it at rates above 20% for improved physical structure. The material absorbs and holds water like a sponge, extending the time between watering and dramatically improving plant life in stressed environments. Blend rates from 20 to 50% have shown superior results. PittMoss® Plentiful provides structural resilience in handling and filling containers and can be incorporated with finer-textured materials to improve structure. The fiber structure and hydrophilic properties of PittMoss® Plentiful make the blends absorb, translocate, and release water better. No chemical wetting agent is required when blends contain 40% or more PittMoss® Plentiful.
Maximizing Nutrient Availability
By using PittMoss® Plentiful or incorporating it into a blend, organic growers can reduce the rate and frequency of supplemental nutrient drenches. PittMoss® Plentiful is charged with a natural biological balance of nutrients and optimizes the delivery of those nutrients to the plant by reducing nutrient tie-up and leaching. Many growers produce short term crops with no added nutrients, but nutrient-demanding plants may require supplementing with an organic fertilizer (nothing urea or ammonia-based). The natural supply of fertilizer in the blend will last approximately 60 days for smaller plants and 40 days for larger plants. Because of accelerated root development with PittMoss® Plentiful, nutrient utilization is optimized. Valuable nutrients are held in the container or “root ball” of the plants, reducing environmental nutrient runoff and benefiting plant growth.
Proper pH in your blend is essential to deliver the best results. PittMoss® Plentiful has a slightly acidic pH. Since most crops do best at a slightly acidic pH (5.5 to 6.5), PittMoss® Plentiful is best combined with neutral to acidic teas and emulsions. The more acidic components help to keep the pH of the PittMoss® Plentiful down in the 5.5 to 6.5 range. It is always recommended that you monitor the pH and soluble salts levels regularly.
Optimizing Soil Biology
The engineered fibers in PittMoss® Plentiful provide the most possible sites with the right environment for beneficial microbial activity. Biological activity and naturally beneficial microbial systems thrive in the more aerobic structure of PittMoss® Plentiful. The optimal porosity and high cellulose surface area of the PittMoss fibers appear to help accelerate development of beneficial aerobic microorganisms. The supply of natural organic food stuff for the microbes and the plant promote strong development. Some have suggested that biological inoculum can thrive aggressively in PittMoss® Plentiful. Added compost and microbial inoculum work well. Growers have reported the more rapid and extensive development of beneficial microbial populations. Expect natural and inoculated blends with 20% or more PittMoss® Plentiful to show enhanced beneficial microbial activity and strong plant growth.
Handling and Storage
The engineered fibers of PittMoss® Plentiful handle similar to other media components. PittMoss® Plentiful flows and blends well in most equipment. It can be fluffed up more than most components, but when blended, it will re-compact to its optimal state. The material tends to expand or fluff up more when dry than when moist, and growers suggest applying more compaction when filling containers. The hydrophilic properties of the product make it effective in absorbing excess water from excessively moist components. Note that excessive water in PittMoss® Plentiful can greatly limit its ability to blend uniformly and can cause clumping and balling of the fibers. If you are unsure when to water, we recommend sticking your index finger a couple inches down into the soil to see if the material needs re-wetted. Oftentimes the top layer of PittMoss will appear dry, but that is due to the material’s good drainage. As with any growing media, over-processing damages the structure of the blend. The PittMoss® Plentiful fibers are very resilient, but if over-processed when wet, the effectiveness of the structure can be reduced.
Containers are best filled with moistened substrate. Moisten the blend until it makes a ball when squeezed and then crumbles when disturbed. Compaction when filling containers should be a little greater when using PittMoss® Plentiful due to the very high porosity resulting from fluffing. This will ensure full containers when watered to saturation.
Exposure to air and drying in PittMoss® Plentiful is less problematic than with most blends due to the easy rewetting of the hydrophilic fibers. However, storage of moistened blends in deep piles or large bins for more than a few days is not recommended. PittMoss® Plentiful blends will compost like most moistened and nutrient rich blends. However, the biological activity appears to be greater in PittMoss® Plentiful due to the optimal nature of the fibers (see Optimizing Biology above). While composting of the substrate is not necessarily bad, ten days in a deep pile appears to be the limit for preventing excessive composting activity.
Suggested Liquid Nutrient Applications For Organic Production When Using PittMoss® Plentiful
*Note: The concentration (richness) of the nutrient materials vary greatly by supplier. Growers should expect to use about 1/2 the normal amount of nutrients. Always follow directions provided by supplier.
Leave a reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.