mix it up with good topsoil or compost and then put the hose on it.

I mixed it into the soil dry then ran the sprinkler on it. If you leave it on top as a mulch you may have problems wetting it though. I wouldn't recommend that.

Throw it in the compost bin and forget about. I really have no use for it, hard to get wet, and if it dries out in the garden the garden has the same problem. Much better to use compost and let the worms take care of the clay soil and mix it with the compost. Just my opinion.

Lee

I agree with Lee. There are many alternatives to peat that are not only easier to wet but, that are loaded with nutrients.

Wal-mart, Home Depot, and Lowe's all sell products with names like "organic compost with manure", "humus" or plain-ole manure (KOW). They are usually rather inexpensive. A "home" compost pile that has been carefully nurtured is usually much more diverse than using "purchased stuff" only. However, if someone would have told me 25 years ago that I could go to Wal-Mart and buy an ORGANIC compost with manure for a buck-a-bag, I would have laughed at them. With all the work I was putting into my compost pile back them, whew!!!

These have been mixed together and used exclusively, with great success by many gardeners in our area. I think it is wise to use several different organics to ensure a "superb" soil mix. I personally add about 1/3 of the total volume as vermiculite in my raised vegetable beds. It was expensive but, I added a little each growing season until I had achieved the percentage I was looking for. It's produced from a rock and never decomposes.

I would use less of the plain manure than I would of the other ingredients. It may burn the plants if not completely composted. Even if composted well, I don't know if it's OK to use in heavy concentrations.

Hot water is the fastest means of wetting peat moss. Pour the hot water in the bale and then let it sit for at least 24 hours to soak in.
There are many other better things to use to get organic matter into your soil. British Columbia had, when i was there, a lot of deciduous trees that dropped their leaves every fall and those alone are much better for your soil than peat moss ever will be.

Hot water is the best suggestion I have read here. I have never worked with large quantities of peat but I used hot water for smaller quantites for pots, trays and flats.

(Peat, as several above have noted, never proved to be my favorite but I have lived in several places such as The Great Basin where soil and organic matter are expensive and difficult to acquire and have resorted to peat to dilute the precious soil.)

Dish soap is a wetting agent. I use a few drops of dish soap and hot water.

I use hot water, and total submersion.

For small quantities, I use two 5-gallon buckets. Fill one bucket about half-way with peat, and up to about 4" from the top with hot water. Set the second bucket on top of it, right in the mix, and weight it down with rocks. It takes a couple of hours.

For large quantities, I use two of those large landscape company tubs. They're at least 50 gallons, maybe more. Ratio and time is the same.

Wow, thanks all for the suggestions! I've got composters going but just don't have enough amendments for the veggie garden. I thought I might get a large bale of peat and mix it in, but the suggestion of vermiculite and organic stuff from Walmart might be better. I'll give it a try.

I used to use a lot of peat moss and never heard of hot water. It really works? I always used a couple drops of Dawn dishwashing liquid.

I learned about using hot water to wet peat moss in the 1950's. Never needed any detergent (Dawn is a detergent not a soap) or soap.

Since I grow rhododendrons, I use a lot of peat moss. A member of the rhodo society told us to bring a bag of peat moss close to where you want to apply it, make a slit in the bag and with a hose fill with as much water as it can hold. Do that for several days, as peat moss expands as it absorbs water, when peat moss is completely moist, open bag and start spreading.

I use sphagnum moss to drop the ph in my raised potato beds which is a lot of sphagnum moss. I use a cheap cement mixer and even then it is very laborious but it is the only way I have found to get all of the fibers wet. I realize most wont have a cement mixer and the method is totally impracticable but if you are doing several bails it is the way to go.

The peat moss I bought by the pickup load already was well hydrated. For peat moss in the plastic bag...open bag and keep pouring in a bucket of water...every few hours.

Easy- throw the peat moss in a plastic bucket/lexan, pour water on it, mix by hand. Continue to add water and mix until it is moist. Then put the moist peat into the growing cells.

For peat in a plastic bag may I repeat two suggestions from up-thread, several years ago, (1) use hot/warm water and, (2) add a few drops of dish washing liquid?

I only wonder if the liquid soap might be poisonous to the plants. I could be wrong, but I usually try to avoid additives if I can help it.

The liquid soap is not poisonous to most peoples plants. You have a concern, therefore you should never use it. Often one's feelings toward something should be the overwhelming consideration.

I hope you're being sarcastic albert.

A small amount of soap is not harmful to plants. In fact, there are many commercial garden sprays and homemade concoctions that use surfactants to help wet the surface and spread the active ingredients around. Harmless in and of themselves. Copper soap is a safer alternative for garden fungus problems. Insecticidal soap is harmless to humans but will disturb the waxy coating on the outsides of certain bugs and kill them.

A massive load of detergent could be an issue, but a few drops won't hurt plants a bit. Surfactants are also known as 'wetting agents' and should be ideal for this purpose. Probably a couple teaspoons or less per gallon of water would do it.

Soap in and of itself is not harmful, it is just a surfactant. Surfactants as wetting agents are widely used in foliar sprays to reduce surface tension and allow products to stick rather than bead up and roll off.

There are chemical additives in many household detergents, some of which may be harmful to plants. If you have concerns about chemicals in household soap products you can search out foliar wetting agents that are produced for that express purpose.

I think the concept is a great idea, wish I had thought of it.