I am comparing what is being sold as peat in Southern Ontario. You know Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss. All the farm suppliers and box stores are selling the same crap. I stumbled around paying often big bucks for peat that didn't do the job. Eventually I had to develop my own solution, and it WORKS.
My interest was seedling soil and the PEAT didn't cut the mustard. Salt in coconut coir is probably an old wives tale without substantial merit.Certainly I never encountered salt in coir. The peat producers bought the disaster on to themselves by trying to go cheap.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?BCJYP 31 May 2012 Seedling soil.
It was a nice day and all the ingredients were available, so it was decided to make seedling soil for the 2013 season. The underlying nutrient soil was the compost heap. It was modified using some knowledge and information from previous subjective experience. Ingredients added to the basic underlying compost was, coconut coir, mason sand, some garden earth, wood chip shavings, a bit of urea. My mental process was this. Coconut coir for moisture retention. Mason sand to inhibit coagulating of the basic compost. Garden earth to supply a few microbes. Wood chips shavings for aeration.Urea to replenish any nitrogen lost as the wood chips compost or break down.The wood chips also are an indicator of how through the mixing is, since they are easily seen.
The subjective quantities selected were mixed thoroughly on the compost pile using the Honda FG110G rototiller. The finished product was stored in 20 litre buckets and closed with lids tapped into place with a rubber hammer. A total quantity of about 540 litres was obtained for use in the 2013 season.Holes were drilled under the lid lip of the 20 litre pails to allow air in.