How Important Is Peat Moss In A Hypertufa Recipe?
Is It OK to Substitute Another Kind Of Moss??
I received an email in late winter from Becky asking:
Claudia, Thank you so much for writing the Hypertufa How-To eBook as you did an outstanding job! So much info to pour over. It is a great resource guide for newbies like me.
I can’t wait to get started! But my problem is that I’m having trouble finding “PEAT” moss. I have found Reindeer moss, sheet moss, Spanish and Wood moss. Will any of these mosses work?
Is one type of moss better for a hypertufa recipe than another? Thanks for your time, Becky
My reply:
Hi Becky:
First, THANK YOU so much for the kind compliments. I tried my best to “over deliver” the information in my Hypertufa eBook.
About peat moss … I looked at your eBook purchase receipt and see you live in Ohio. Well…you should have NO problem finding PEAT moss (no … it is not the same as any of the mosses you listed). To be more specific, you want to look for “sphagnum peat moss”.
It is pretty darn easy to find, too. You’ll be able to find peat moss at any Lowe’s or Home Depot, or any gardening center that sells packaged soils. It is around $4 or $5 (cheap) to buy a very large package of it. (I suggest you go and look where all the packaged soils are kept in the outside garden depts. of the stores i mentioned. You’ll find peat moss, not to worry!)
The kind you want to buy is compressed into a rectangular “bale” and wrapped in plastic like this photo: 
I don’t know the brand name off-hand that Lowe’s or H-Depot sells, but the point I’m making here with this photo is go and look for a very large squared/rectangular shaped compressed bale.
I know I can buy it right now at either store, but I am here in Tennessee and maybe because you are in Ohio and it is still super cold up there, they might not have it stocked yet. But they will … gardeners use it all the time to amend their garden soils with.
This should be the answer you were looking for. 
And welcome to making garden art with homemade hypertufa recipes! Have fun with all your ‘tufa projects!
