FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Prepping to soak and rinse peat for the first time, and while I've read a few guides I did have a couple questions.

So when you "rinse" the peat, does that just mean wringing it out and placing it into a fresh container, then adding more distilled/rainwater, soaking, and wringing it out again?

I've also seen guides that say to soak the peat for several days before wringing it out. What's the advantage to letting it sit for a long time? Do the salts and minerals just leach out more?

Yes you basically just soak it and then wring it out repeatedly, until your TDS meter tests the peat slurry low enough. I typically soak for a minute or so (with a little bit of stirring) and haven't found soaking any longer to accomplish anything, despite what some people say.

For the wringing part, I discovered paint straining bags which make the whole process much easier and 10x faster. No more handfuls or pouring over screens - just pick up the bag and squeeze.

I also don't find any added benefit from soaking peat any longer than needed. Just a couple soakings and rinses should be good enough.

For the first soak, I like to grab handfuls of the peat and squeeze it out under the water. This helps to hydrate the peat moss and squeeze out any air bubbles, as well as break up any clumps. Make sure that you only scoop out only the peat moss that floats on top of the water and squeeze out the excess water from it. Don't use any peat moss that sinks to the bottom.

Photo Synthesis wrote:Make sure that you only scoop out only the peat moss that floats on top of the water and squeeze out the excess water from it. Don't use any peat moss that sinks to the bottom.

I'm curious what this is about. I've only heard it recommended for perlite before (and I'm not sure why it's recommended there either, now that I think about it.) I'm pretty sure that the vast majority of the peat will sink if you let it sit for a bit anyway.

Well, I should've stated that more clearer. The better quality peat moss will stay suspended in the water. The poorer quality stuff will sink down to the bottom. After agitating it to mix it all up, after a minute or so, if you feel the bottom of the container, there will clearly be some peat moss that has settled. That's the stuff that you don't want to use. The peat moss that's suspended in the water is what you're after. Trying to scoop it out with your hands can be quite tricky. It would be easier to use something like a small mesh screen that could sift out the floating moss. Just be sure to sift it out slowly. You don't want to disturb the peat that has already settled.