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peat moss question

21 years ago

As a newbie, I have a lot of questions. First of all, what is the difference between peat moss and sphagnum? I bought a bale of peat moss to use for my hypertufa troughs, and the label includes the words "Canadian Sphagnum). However, the big letters on the bale clearly say "Peat Moss).

Another question. I know what the cement does, it holds everything together. But what is the function of the peat moss? If it deteriorates over time, could one make a Hypertufa trough out of just cement and perlite?

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Comment (1)

butterflybush
21 years ago
Probably should have posted this question over in discussions to get more notice. But peat moss added to the recipe is to create the look of real "TUFA", which has lots of holes and looks old. The peat will rot away with time, giving the piece that old "real tufa" look. "Hypertufa" was a recipe created to emulate the original tufa stone. Yes, one could make troughs with perlite and cement, however, I, personally, would add some course sand for strength. But that recipe would not be emulating the original "tufa". Which is okay, if that is what you want. Hope that helps answer your question.
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