RoseBlush1 said:
Dana ... since this is a public forum, I am going to throw in some information so that others won't think the information you are providing is universal, but rather "it depends". Any soil amendment that has too much peat in it that is used in my hot dry climate is the kiss of death if it is allowed to dry out for even one day for plants because dry peat repels water when it is used in a full sun site. I actually use that kind of "compost" for a weed barrier and it is quite effective. It works better than concrete !
I think it depends on how well you mix the peat with the clay soil and also how much you use. I think it works very well in conjunction with compost and other soil amendments and I live in a hot and dry area of the world. We haven't had rain but twice in the past 2 months and my ground cracks open like an earth quake has hit it's so dry but peat moss has incredible water holding capabilities and tends to not only loosen the soil but help hold moisture as well. granted in large concentrations or not mixed thoroughly with the soil it acts like a wick and if exposed to the surface will dry the whole planting hole out fast. The only real bad thing about peat 1 it's not a renewable resource, and 2 it will change your soil's PH making it more acidic but so will compost just not as bad. For blueberries, azaleas, rhododendrons, and other low PH loving plants it's great but for fig trees and many other plants I personally grow they tend to like a little higher soil PH so I always toss in a little lime for good measure when using peat moss.
typical the more goodies like peat, compost, azomite, lime, sulfur, blood meal, bone meal, kelp, ect you can mix in the planting hole the better the plant usually responds, unless you are growing plants that only grow in certain soil type like desert plants, wetland plants, or woodland plants then it's best to try and replicate those condition as best as possible to achieve the best growth from your plants. good drainage when wrote on a label is such a broad term it's better to research each plant and learn about where it grows in the wild then you'll know how to best amend your soil for that plant.
