October 2020
Peat Moss: A Sustainable Component of Growing Media
Thursday, September 17, 2020 | Ed Bloodnick
Reintroduction of live Sphagnum peat moss to a bog that is being restored in Sept-Îles, Quebec. Source: Premier Tech
Peat bogs were formed thousands of years ago after the last receding ice age. As peat bogs continue in their evolution, mosses and other plant debris slowly accumulate in thick deposits. In Canada, peatlands cover 280 million acres (113.6 million hectares), or 13% of the land area of Canada. Of this, less than 74,000 acres (30,000 hectares), or 0.03% of the total peatland area, is harvested for growing media.
In Canada and many European countries that harvest peat moss, guidelines have been established with environmental protection and conservation groups for the harvesting and preservation of peat bogs.
Why Should Peat Moss Be a Sustainable Component?
Sphagnum peat moss is unique in that it simultaneously grows and dies, leaving behind what we call peat moss. Peat moss is the accumulation of dead organic material from partly decayed leaves, stems and roots of various mosses and other plants that have accumulated in a water-saturated environment in the absence of oxygen. This plant material breaks down very slowly, so peat accumulates in layers, year after year, forming a deposit which can be up to 65 feet (20 meters) thick. In places where peat is harvested, other sections of the peat bog continue to grow.
Peat is also an accumulator of carbon that is sequestered from the atmosphere. Peatlands contain roughly 30% of all the carbon found on land, worldwide. Although only 0.03% of the peatland area is harvested for horticultural purposes, it’s important to manage these sites in a responsible way, so they will be around for many generations and continue storing carbon from the atmosphere.
What are the other functions of peatlands?
Peatlands have more than just carbon storage functions. They can harbor an important variety of plants and animals that play an important role in this ecosystem and in the food chain. Peatlands are also 90% water and act as vast water reservoirs, contributing to the future environmental security of humans and ecosystems.
In Canada and many European countries that harvest peat moss, guidelines have been established with environmental protection and conservation groups for the harvesting and preservation of peat bogs.
Why Should Peat Moss Be a Sustainable Component?
Sphagnum peat moss is unique in that it simultaneously grows and dies, leaving behind what we call peat moss. Peat moss is the accumulation of dead organic material from partly decayed leaves, stems and roots of various mosses and other plants that have accumulated in a water-saturated environment in the absence of oxygen. This plant material breaks down very slowly, so peat accumulates in layers, year after year, forming a deposit which can be up to 65 feet (20 meters) thick. In places where peat is harvested, other sections of the peat bog continue to grow.
Peat is also an accumulator of carbon that is sequestered from the atmosphere. Peatlands contain roughly 30% of all the carbon found on land, worldwide. Although only 0.03% of the peatland area is harvested for horticultural purposes, it’s important to manage these sites in a responsible way, so they will be around for many generations and continue storing carbon from the atmosphere.
What are the other functions of peatlands?
Peatlands have more than just carbon storage functions. They can harbor an important variety of plants and animals that play an important role in this ecosystem and in the food chain. Peatlands are also 90% water and act as vast water reservoirs, contributing to the future environmental security of humans and ecosystems.
Research on a restored peat bog in Quebec. Source: Premier Tech
The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association, which represents the peat moss industry, has been investing millions of dollars in an Industrial Research Chair in Peatland Management, who is working with environmental agencies and government officials to develop sustainable practices to maintain this valuable resource. The research team is headed by Dr. Line Rochefort of Université Laval (Quebec, Canada). Since 1992, this research group has led many projects, including:
All this research has provided sustainable peat harvesting techniques, peat bog management and procedures for closing and restoring peat bogs. These methods are used and respected by all peat industry stakeholders, so the peat industry does its part to contribute to the long-term viability of these ecosystems.
As a result, strict procedures are now used when opening a peat bog and preparing it for harvesting. Once vegetation is removed from a virgin bog, the peat bog surface is exposed to reveal the live Sphagnum moss. The live moss is removed and relocated to other sections of peat bogs that are in the process of being reclaimed. The live Sphagnum moss will begin to establish and grow, allowing the ecosystem to be restored to a fully sustainable peat bog within a couple of years. Once again, a restored peat bog will be as effective as natural peatlands for sequestering carbon and supporting animal and plant populations that inhabit these ecosystems.
- The development of bog restoration techniques for peat bogs that are no longer harvested;
- Natural plant recolonization after harvesting;
- Understanding the hydrology, geochemistry and microbiology of natural, harvested and restored peatlands;
- Developing peatland conservation strategies;
- Determining and establishing populations of arthropods, amphibians, birds, and mammals in restored peatlands;
- Sphagnum peat moss ecology and productivity.
All this research has provided sustainable peat harvesting techniques, peat bog management and procedures for closing and restoring peat bogs. These methods are used and respected by all peat industry stakeholders, so the peat industry does its part to contribute to the long-term viability of these ecosystems.
As a result, strict procedures are now used when opening a peat bog and preparing it for harvesting. Once vegetation is removed from a virgin bog, the peat bog surface is exposed to reveal the live Sphagnum moss. The live moss is removed and relocated to other sections of peat bogs that are in the process of being reclaimed. The live Sphagnum moss will begin to establish and grow, allowing the ecosystem to be restored to a fully sustainable peat bog within a couple of years. Once again, a restored peat bog will be as effective as natural peatlands for sequestering carbon and supporting animal and plant populations that inhabit these ecosystems.
MYKE® ONLINE TRAINING
Refresh your MYKE® knowledge and train your new staff members on the benefits of of using MYKE®! Use the link below to access the 5 short videos. The trainings are easy, informative, and very helpful!
All crops have specific light requirements. By knowing minimum and optimum levels of light for our crop we can manage our environment to improve crop performance. When the ambient light exposure is below the minimum requirements we need to apply supplemental lighting in order to maintain our crop production at a healthy and consistent pace.
On the other hand when our ambient light levels are optimal we can regulate light to influence other aspects of our environment such as air temperature and humidity by applying specific products to reduce heat exposure in our greenhouse.
Light management will always be a key factor in our crop performance. As our series continues we will discuss specific products to manage light and heat within your greenhouse. Let’s take a look at some crop specific light requirements and how they affect our crop performance. DLI or Daily Light Integral refers to the number photons received by a plant that provide photosynthetic activation.
Lettuce and Herbs – Minimum 12 DLI, Optimum 17 DLILettuce and herbs are crops that can be grown in both greenhouse and indoor vertical farming. Maintaining DLI below 17 for an indoor vertical farming system is recommended in order to mitigate environmental conditions which can affect calcium uptake and cause tip burn in your crop.
Lettuce and some herbs are extremely sensitive to high temperatures. Therefore, proper DLI management inside a greenhouse reduces the chances of accumulating excess heat that could promote bolting of your crop and the proliferation of both mildew and pest. Thus, because of its influence on temperature, light management is very important to maintain optimum environmental conditions to achieve the product quality required for the market.
Tomatoes (Minimum 20 DLI), Cucumbers (Minimum 15 DLI) and Peppers (Minimum 20 DLI) – Optimum 30 DLITomatoes, cucumbers and peppers are crops with higher DLI requirements than their leafy green cousins. They also enjoy a higher temperature. One major challenge when growing tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers vertically inside a greenhouse is how to achieve a uniform distribution of DLI for stable consistent fruit generation. Tall crops tend to shade each other, creating an environment where optimal DLI levels are only achieved in the upper canopy. To counteract this effect when relying heavily on ambient light diffusion creating products, such as shade paints, must be employed to scatter the light in different directions to reach every level of the canopy.
Properly designed supplemental lighting can also be employed to reach all levels of the plant canopy and maintain balanced DLI levels when ambient light is insufficient. Too much direct light can cause stress in young leaves and also can cause sunburn issues in fruit. Remember to always use the right products to maintain proper DLI levels and control how light is entering your greenhouse.
Hemp – Minimum 20 DLI, Optimum 30 DLIHemp is a crop that loves light, and can be grown under conditions similar to tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. However, when cultivating hemp, maintaining the proper photoperiod is just as important to production as optimizing DLI. Previous research demonstrated short days promote flowering in this crop, and has also concluded that environmental factors such as temperature and photoperiod, can greatly influence the reproductive cycles of Hemp.
There are three distinct phases in Hemp cultivation: propagation, vegetative and flowering. Recent research regarding light application for high yield production purposes recommend the use of long photoperiods (18 hours) for the propagation and vegetative phases and short photoperiods (12 hours) for the flowering phase when using artificial lighting.
Strawberry – Minimum 17 DLI, Optimum 20 DLIStrawberries enjoy a much lower light requirement than vine crops. Due to plant anatomy diffuse lighting is also recommended to enhance photosynthetic activity in strawberries and avoid leaf shading within the plant. Strawberry cultivars have a strong response to both photoperiod and temperature. We can find short-day, long-day and day-neutral cultivars in strawberries.
Previous research demonstrated that the most common type of cultivar on the market, day-neutral, can also exhibit an accelerated flowering response under long-day conditions. Therefore, by the use of supplemental lighting, it is possible to promote more abundant flowering earlier in strawberries and have your crop ready for the market in less time. Lower temperatures during non-photosynthetic activation periods have been shown to improve flavor.
Microgreens – Minimum 10 DLI, Optimum 12 DLIMicrogreens are young plants with low light requirements grown in vertical farming systems using artificial lighting and harvested before ever reaching maturity. Because these crops have such a fast rate of growth it is important to monitor and maintain proper DLI levels to avoid over-stretching due to low light or burning due to excess light. Usually light-burn can be triggered when plants are too close to lamps.
An important aspect to get perfect size, texture and color microgreens is to work with good light quality. Most often the correct balance of red and blue lighting can achieve great quality in microgreens.
Click the button below to learn more about our L1000 Grow Light System.