DONT Waste Your Money on Peat Moss For Renovations and Seeding 

Cam, awesome topic! I just renovated my back yard(5000sqft) and decided not to use peat moss. Didn’t want to invest in a spreader or the peat moss, for that matter. I was worried that not putting it down would mess with germination but it came up great! I think you nailed the topic! Just got to keep it damp and I had a timer for my manual sprinklers, so boom, it came up great! Love the content, keep it coming!

Great video and great information. I had just heard about the problem with using peat moss. Thanks for sharing with us. Beautiful lawn as usual. Love you family

Just seeded a new area without peat moss for the first time and had now issues, saw germination in 5 days too. Great piece of informative content, thanks for sharing.

I just had my best growing results using peat moss to cover my seed and I just kept watering everyday did germination.But I’m listening to you and your knowledge.

The spreader is excellent for organic lawn care as you can spread compost every spring to help add organic matter as well as the beneficial microbes and fungi.

I agree with you on your reasoning. Certainly a product that isn’t really needed. Great video. (Thanks for the shoutout as well)!

I agree, as long as the seed and soil can stay moist, then you don't need Peat Moss, but for me, I just threw down Peat Moss for my front lawn renovation because I don't have an automatic irrigation system and it definitely helped to retain moisture for me during the days I'm in the office and unable to water in the middle of the day. Along with the liquid cocktail I sprayed, I got germination of KBG within 8 days.

Glad you mentioned the Pete video - Pete has totally been giving clues that he questions the peat moss being worthwhile too.

Just got my MT View seed from newsome and planning on putting seed down next week. Grubs and fungus got me towards the tail end of summer. Great vid Phi.

Excellent points discussed in this vlog. Thanks again.

Was going to add peat moss to my fall overseed but decided against it after watching your video. Thanks for saving me a lot of dirty work.

I’m so glad you did this video. I’m about throw my seed down for a reno. Everyone has been talking about their peat moss. I was getting so stressed out. I didn’t own a Landzie and was hesitant on getting one. Reasons for what you said. Too expensive, storage, and how many times would I actually use it. I have done small Reno’s in the past with no peat moss and was pleased with my outcome. So I’m going to put seed down and water.

Love the channel man, thanks for the video!

It’s like a back-up camera on a car... helpful, but not necessary. Where I live last year we were in an extreme drought and would get fined for water our lawns. (Oops, wrong time to reno my lawn I guess haha)... so I used peat moss to keep in the moisture with less watering. It helped but I doubt I’ll use again. Good vid!!

I seeded my lawn without peat moss or grass seed. Came up fine. Looks great. Very thick.

Great video, yard looks great 💯💯👍. Thanks for the tips

After watching this video, I'm guilty of using peatmoss for seeding my baron back yard lol. Thought hard of renting a roller to spread this stuff, ended up just opening up the bags and flinging it as I went through each section of my yard. About 2500 sqft of space. I'll focus on my water schedules and fine tune them based on weather. Great video! Didn't know any better for my first year of doing my lawn reno at home.

Great video, I watched Pete's video a week ago and heard in his disappointed voice that maybe peat moss wasn't the best cure all. I'm glad to see your video. I'm sure there could be some benefits for the soil overall but I now am sure it's not the best thing during seeding. Thank you for your input about this.

Very convincing presentation. Gonna save me unnecessary time money and effort this fall and I will not miss having that spreader cluttering up my garage. Thank you!

I haven’t used peat moss in a while. I’ve had good results with it and without it. I’m definitely all about conserving space and cutting down on equipment.

I like to use peat moss, but ive noticed it does slightly raise the ph if put on to heavy. Cheers bud, the lawn is looking fantastic!!

Facts!! Seed to soil is all you need!

lown looks incredible man, iv'e had hard time getting success whenever i haven't used peat moss. Definitely believe it's possible, but for me, it's definitely been helpful. that said... i do have a peat moss spreader. lol.

One of my neighbors spread a good screened compost throughout the season maybe 3 or 4 times and had a wonderful lawn. I just ordered a Landsie tonight. No regrets.

I agree with you. I’m in the process of a renovation and using peat moss. Not a fan of it. It’s very messy and the germination hasn’t been as good as I thought it would be. I had better results using straw. Good video!

Interesting topic. Average home owner here. I’ve done a couple small, bare dirt renos. The best luck I’ve had is using the garden weasel and Ez Straw. Peat does ok but I watch it too closely and tend to over water… and it ALWAYS washes out. I have the Landzie spreader and it does a good job but not sure it’ll get used again.

I always lightly topdress over seed and lately I mix seed with soil amendment then spread. I like to add a light coat of soil amendment mainly in bare areas when seeding and that will never change. Do what works for you as long as it's working. I've used peat, triple mix, peat sand mix, and they all work great. I make sure to keep the coat thin and watered and Bob's your uncle!

Great points! Not to mention how messy spreading peat moss can be… I think I might try not using peat moss when I do my next project.

Not necessery but to me it does help im never home so just did a renovation and yes used landzie. And wow day 14 after germination and its progressing nicely..

Awesome video, Awesome content, We Workin 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾

As always, excellent content!! Thank you!

BRO I CAME HERE TO TALK ABOUT PETE FROM GCI!!! So glad you saw that!! You KILLING THE GAME my guy!!!

Good one Cam! Talking straight and to the point...😁

I completely agree. I put down compost.

Just over seeded my lawn with turf type tall fescue two weeks ago because I lost so much of it through this brutal summer that we just had. Heavily dethatched it first then added some topsoil to the bare areas and then applied my grass seed and lightly raked into the top of the soil. Didi not use any peat moss. Just starting to see germination in some spots now after about 10 days.

I totally agree if you have irrigation on a timer, peat moss isn’t needed. But for people who can only water once a day, the peat moss is a life saver. Peat moss also shows you when you need to water. I guess if your lucky enough to have irrigation you can get away w/o it, but if you don’t and need an insurance policy, I wouldn’t skip it. I have seen a lot of people skip,it because it’s a messy job, and they are left with while sections that dried out and never germinated because they never got enough water. Just my opinion, I agree about not having room to store all this equipment just for occasional use, but we can add a whole list of other lawn care items to that list. I have a shed full of them 😄

You just drop that knowledge for real!

I don't always use peat but when I don't all the birds and squirrels have a feast. That's enough to make me use it again the following year. What they're eating is probably minimal but it still freaks me out.

This video just saved me some money 💪🏿💪🏿💪🏿

Great Information 👌🏾

Cam, here’s a debate question, black or red mulch! Your yard looks amazing, but wondering if you can do a video on mulch. So happy I found your channel!

This is exactly what my point was on a live call in show last Thursday! 😉

Its possible to have green grass and rock hard ground if you don’t add soil addendums, but its just less efficient and YOUR effort becomes more pronounced. If you are plug aerating and seeing clay, you need to be doing soil addendums. I suggest aeration and top dressing. Eventually those plugs become rich dark soil that allows you to feel something different in your lawn. The ground becomes fluffy and soft. Learn how to make compost or find a bulk supplier because buying it by the bag is expensive and quality isn’t always the best. I don’t know how you’ll apply compost if you don’t have a roll spreader. I’ve seen people use rakes, shovels and wheelbarrows, but if you ask me a compost roll spreader is the way to go. If you don’t have room for one, but you find space to have a wheelbarrow, maybe you put your roll spreader in the wheelbarrow! It’ll fit in there nicely. I am NOT the type of person who says I can’t do something. I ALWAYS find a way. Thats why I have a nice lawn. And its worth it to me. I don’t much appreciate houses pre 1900 where dirt was everywhere. 15,000 sq ft of grass allows two people to breath every day. Grass gets a bad rap. I’ll take it every time over mud, erosion or what you see in arid parts of the country where people use gravel and stone to avoid mud or walking on bare dirt.

Oh I’m using this Lanzie. At least for a a few years lol.

You sold me.... About to do an oversees of fescue in backyard and was going to use pear moss

Peat moss has my lawn looking top notch but I didn't spread it out the bag I used it by putting it in a large container put seeds in and added water to moisten it, let it sit to seeds germinated then I spread it out on the ground and I had a full lawn of baby grass in less than 2 weeks. I didn't have to worry about my seed dying from drying out before germination because it was germinated before I even put it on the ground

I really appreciate this one right here. Planning an overseed real soon and I’ve been debating on peat moss, or top dressing with compost or just going bare, last years was my first attempt at a full renovation and I mistakenly went the wheat straw route and ended up with quack grass all in my fescue.

I was about to say its not that hard to spread peat but then you showed the roller from Lansky. If you love your lawn just buy one. I like to mix seed right into the peat and then roll it onto the lawn when its scalped short.

We Workin Outchea 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾

The last week of April, I mix grass seeds, peat moss, and milorganite. Wait 2 days and use hose end sprayer with root ruckus. My lawn stays green year around. I use liquid soil loosener each in the at the beginning of April. First week of August I use liquid seaweed/Kelp with hose end sprayer. In November I use post emergents. (Mow lawn every 3 days at 3 inches (tall fescue) Apply Dirt Booster in January.

3:20 I mix peat moss with sole, I mean soil.

Great info.

I've seriously considered buying one of those tools to rent out haha. I tried finding one a year or two back, and nobody has them. Problem is exactly as you said...storing it those 10 months it's not being used! Great content man!

I’m hearing you out. But I have used Peat Moss on on a certain section of my lawn it came in very thick and green. The other section of my lawn I didn’t use peat moss. The grass came in very green but wasn’t as thick. But I’m knocking what your saying, since we just here hearing each other out. Bottom line if you want to use Peat Moss go for it, if not no problem there no right or wrong answer here. BTW our local HomeDepot (UpperMarlboro) rent out an Peat Moss spreader for 15.00 for 4hrs.

Another great advantage peat moss has is the organic nutrients it gives to the lawn and to the microorganisms in the soil. It also deters the birds from eating the seed. Give me peat moss any day. Its dead cheap also. The roller is the only disadvantage as it is expensive but you can hire it I believe…

Thanks for the info, as much as I liked the idea of a Lansky the price was making me hold off. Now I will hold off on the peat as well. lol Old dude from NW Canada that is still young enough to learn new tricks......

I used gypsum and had amazing results but I live in Virginia. About to do a nitrogen blitz for the fall

You could try doing a tool rental place for a peat moss spreader. Its nice, but agree its not needed for many other projects and will eat up too much space. Once I learned about tool rentals, it opened up a lot more options for projects I could get done in 1-2 days and the fee I see is more to get rid of it when its done.

Agree. You don't need Peat Moss. I've planted lawns using bare dirt. You need good seed to soil contact. Also, my overseeding experience has be more successful when I dethatch vs aerating. With regard to the compost spreader, it is an important piece of lawn rquipment in my arsenal. I use it to spread compost onto my lawn. Much better than my old shovel method.

I mostly use peat moss because it helps me save more seeds from birds. Its kinda stops them from eating all the seeds

👍🏻 Great info!

Pete from GCI did have better germination on the area without the Petemoss but he did also use seeding blankets over the entire area which may have been over kill for the area already covered with petemoss.🤷🏿‍♂️

A roll spreader is a good investment. Mine hangs high on the wall of my shed. Take the handle out. You can’t beat the results you get doing the top dressing. Mix seed with high quality bulk compost. The roll aerator is another great tool. Makes aeration something you do a few times a growing season. Not just once or twice. Another thing you can do is dethatch. This allows your spraying and granular apps to get down through the canopy to the soil. If you have the right tools you don’t have to water so much. I buy. I don’t rent. Its more convenient and you do it more often. Golf courses are aerating all the time. Dethatching. Overseeding. If you want good results you need a roll spreader, dethatcher and roll arrator. And I digress by owning these three things you will save money, especially if you know how to compost fast. I’m not talking about making compost in a year. I’m talking about weeks.

Great video, but not gonna lie, I was very distracted by the crooked pillow on the chair 🤣🤣🤦🤦

I agree with buying a peat moss spreader. That’s why I didn’t buy one.

You just saved me money I was going back and forth whether I should get the spreader or not but this clears it up for me. I would like your opinion on something though I am located in the bottom of transition zone border of Texas and Oklahoma I would prefer to have a nice green lawn through the cool season cause thats when i enjoy outdoors so I bought turf type tall fescue I got from united seeds. Going to be testing it out on 1,000 sq ft section of my lawn. Do you think it will survive summer heat cause I barely do lol either way I got the seed and I'm going down with it so I'll find out lol.

The spreader can be rented.. HD has them. But i think it applies ur too thick. Spreading by hand is easy but it takes time. On slopes i add some slope master by pennington on top of the PM. I've used PM for years and it's better than completely covering the seed with dirt. Heavy rain/water is an issue

I tried the no pest moss way and didn’t have good results mainly because my grass is on a hill in Direct sunlight so the water tends to flow down the hill and water it’s not being retained where I need it so well , so I tried the peat moss method and it worked awesome !! but I didn’t need to use it in my backyard where the ground is flat I just use the scarifier and threw down some seed and I was good to go didn’t need any Pete moss there. Just thought I’d throw that up here .

Great video, would you use the the spreader for top soil?

I am about 10 days into seeding a few spots on my lawn after a concrete job, and didnt use pete moss for any of it. the results have been very good. i completely agree that pete moss is 100% optional, and likely doesnt provide much more than a small benefit

When I saw the the title of your video, I was like this dude is crazy lol. Now that I have watched your video, I am like this dude knows what he’s talking about lol. Keep working…”work ain’t hard”

The spreaders can be rented for under $30, my local library even has a tool lending program that lend yard tools out for free. They are super handy for more than just peat moss. If your top dressing with soil or compost the spreader sifts out all the large pieces. I'm sure the peat moss isn't necessary just as long as something is covering the seed. I've used bags of humus and it seems to work just as good.

Question: How do I keep the birds off of the seed? As a minimalist I appreciate this advice! I'm starting a brand new lawn and I was hesitant about the peat moss just because Where the heck are we gonna store it afterwards? Lol. Love your beautiful smile as well 😊

For our clay soils in Northern MN definitely using peat moss.

Interesting… never really thought too deep about it I just would throw it down. Great video

Hi bro, I'm in the UK. I totally agree with your thought process. But I also disagree ie I use compost to cover the seed after renovation. I don't use compost as a replacement for watering. I use the landzie as its economic and its easy on my old back. But very interesting video and a good one. Thumbs up. All your principles are spot on. Great video. God bless.

I agree with all your points and I don't find it necessary for most overseeding jobs but I have much better success using peat moss on thr bare spots vs not using peat moss

The proof is in the pudding i guess. I will try no peat moss. Thank`s ! Great info.

You have an amazing lawn but I have to use peat moss to get results. The Landzie spreader fits nicely in my crawl space.

Great information I have a side yard maybe 20 x 40 foot and was going to do the peat moss after seeding but the roller like $200 bucks that what do I do with it. Not sure why I can't just throw some straw on top.

Glad I found your channel. Really taking advantage of this space and asking lots of questions. Is there anyway I can contact you and speak to you. I’m in the middle of this whole process and want to make the right decisions. I’m doing a bare dirt renovation pushing 25-30k square feet between my front and backyard. I have triple threat plus seed, Protene starter fertilizer, and don’t know if I need anything else for an immaculate yard. Hit me up if you get a chance. Young black man in this space is awesome! Shout out Pete and Paul for their influence as well! Have a good one.

What would you suggest if anything to protect seed from birds or to hold it in place from rain/wind etc?

Peat moss camouflages the seed from birds.

All facts as usual in this video....

Was considering peat moss. You have changed my mind. I just bought 5 quick snap sprinklers for when I overseed this fall. Will 3 times a day 10 minutes each time do the trick? And for how long? 3 weeks?

I rely on peat moss for moisture for both seeding and lawn watering. I'm on a high elevation, have almost 2 acres and on well pump. There's no way I can water my lawn as I would like without burning out my well pump. Peat moss retains the proper moisture necessary, and keeps my lawn sustained. It is also biodegradable. It can make a lawn a little acidic, so I use Scotts Green Max to fertilize. The iron in it balances it out

I agree with the peat moss being a waste if your watering is right. Yeah it's supposed to hold moisture better, which is the only real compelling point I've heard about it, and hide some of the seeds from birds.. But you can do that with soil as well. What the Doc was saying about seeding is that he basically does 3 layers, one that gets pushed down an inch, one that gets raked in afterwards to about 1/2an inch and then a 3rd layer sitting right on top barely covered with 1/8th of an inch gently raked into the soil. This to me is what makes the most logical sense combined with proper irrigation to keep the seed moist. 👍

Really nice coverage for newbies, That help lot to us, I have one question I live in Illinois, It is good to do a overseeing in early fall or no please let me know.

Hey cam, do you think raking in seed and rolling is the ticket, or do you think slit seeding is necessary? I’m gonna try no peat this year

We just completed our reseeding this past weekend, rented a de thatcher and oh boy, I’m sore from raking. We live in CT and bought the seeds you recommended (mountain view) but wondering if it’s ideal for this region, considering that it’s much colder here?

What would you recommend I use to cover the seeds when overseeding bare spots so that birds can't get to the seed? I saw a video recommending using peat moss for that...

In the southeast with warm season grasses peat moss helps additionally to moisture retention because it is very low pH and most of the grass varieties prefer a soil pH around 6.5. I'm not too familiar with cool season grasses but I know most prefer a higher pH, wouldn't the extremely low pH of the peat also have a slight negative affect on cool season grass as it is not the correct pH it prefers?

nice thumbnail and title dude 👍👍

Another point is Peat Moss in general is not harvested sustainably. There are only so many places (mainly Canada) where Peat Moss can grow and this causes a major issue in such ecosystems. If you must use a top dressing, use a good screened soil or compost.

I just did a Reno and raked in the seed and used slopemaster on really bare spots that I thought would get washed. No peat moss. Yard is coming up great. Peat moss is certainly not needed.

Welll...shoot! Getting ready to overseed and level out this weekend. I was planning on using peat moss/top soil mix as a leveling agent. Would you still NOT suggest using peat moss to level my lawn? Another great video

Good morning ☀️, are you located in a cool season grass zone or warm season,? Just seeded with tttf from gci, it's sprout 🌱 ing, I used peat moss, it's coming in fairly well, you brought up a good point

But the "Lawn Care" Guide told me to use it! LOL.

What are your thoughts on compost as a top dressing during overseeding?

I’ve renovated about 12k of lawn over the last 3 years and not used peet. Well. I have in small areas with wash out. But it’s too expensive in my opinion