We review the differences between black and blond peat and help you decide which best suits your crop or how to combine them.
When creating a good substrate for our plants, there are many factors we can take into account to decide between the different brands on the market. Factors such as the type of plant we want to grow or knowledge of the characteristics of the starting substrate will be decisive.
In general, it is not a matter of growing solely in one medium or the other, but of combining both peats in our substrate according to the different properties that each of them has.
Differences between blond and black peat
Both types are the same kind of plant material, but with different degrees of decomposition. Blond peat is light in colour, has a more porous, aerated structure as well as a greater amount of organic matter and a higher degree of acidity. Black peat, on the other hand, is dark in colour, is more decomposed and has lower acidity.
Black peat
Black peat is extracted from the deeper areas of peat bogs, so the organic matter is quite degraded. This makes pH levels range between 7.5 and 8. It also contains a large amount of humic substances, which are natural soil conditioners, and has a high water retention capacity.
Blond peat
This type of peat is extracted from the most superficial layers of peat bogs. It is a material composed mainly of the partial degradation of Sphagnum mosses, has a high particle-to-air ratio with great drainage power and an average absorption capacity of 10 to 15 times its weight in water, while its acidity level is relatively high, with values of 3.5 to 4.
What to consider when choosing black or blond peat?
To decide on the use of peat in relation to its application in soils or in the creation of specific substrates, at least three basic aspects must be taken into account: water retention capacity, particle porosity and the degree of decomposition of the organic matter.
On the market you can find substrates with equal percentages of blond and black peat, the most common blend being 70% blond and 30% black.
