- Dried peat moss has been used by some cultures as a heating fuel, and is currently mostly used for gardening to help provide more nutrients to soil and for seed germination.
- Rip off the top layer of peat moss with a harrow (a type of farming equipment that is similar to a rototiller or plough) about 4 inches deep.
How do you harvest and package peat moss for sale?
Use this only for large areas of peat harvest, such as a 100 acres or more. Harvest by hand for smaller areas of peat. Process and package the peat moss for whatever use you want it for. It can be packaged in something as simple as ziploc bags, or with more high-tech equipment if you are selling it for a purpose.
How do you get rid of peat moss in a bog?
Use the shovel and your hands to remove any vegetation that is growing on or near the surface of the peat bog. Rip off the top layer of peat moss with a harrow (a type of farming equipment that is similar to a rototiller or plough) about 4 inches deep.
What is peat moss and how is it formed?
What Is Peat Moss? Peat moss is a soil amendment that is harvested from peat bogs. Many of these bogs are found in wetland areas of Canada. Peat bogs are formed, over the course of very long periods of time, as organic materials partially decompose.
Should you add peat moss to your soil?
An ideal soil will retain enough moisture to keep your plants irrigated. It is a delicate balance, and peat moss, with its ability to also retain water, will help you achieve that balance. The popularity of peat moss as a soil amendment can be accounted for by listing the following pros:
Why is peat moss being banned?
Sale of horticultural peat to be banned in move to protect England's precious peatlands. The sale of peat for use in the amateur gardening sector will be banned by 2024 to protect peatlands and the natural environment. Rewetting Risley Moss, a peat bog in Warrington, England. Credit: Paul Thomas, Natural England.
Where do they harvest peat moss?
CanadaMost of the peat moss used in crop production comes from Canada and is composed mainly of mosses from the genus Sphagnum (of which there are 160 species of sphagnum found globally).
How is sphagnum peat moss harvested?
A vacuum harvester is used to collect the peat moss, after which it is transported to the factory for processing. Sphagnum peat moss is harvested in Canada between the months of May and mid-September.
Is harvesting peat moss bad for the environment?
The loudest argument, though, in the call for “bogs not bags” — as in, don't harvest it from the bog to bag it for sale — is the critical role of peatlands as vast carbon sinks. Peat extraction releases substantial CO2, a greenhouse gas, contributing to climate change.
How peat is harvested?
Contrary to what some believe, peat is no longer cut into large bricks for harvest. Instead, peat is collected from fields very carefully using vacuum harvesters, which collect fibers from about a 1/4-inch top layer (Figure 3). The use of vacuum harvesters reduces physical disturbance to the peat.
What is peat moss best used for?
Peat Moss Uses Gardeners use peat moss mainly as a soil amendment or ingredient in potting soil. It has an acid pH, so it's ideal for acid loving plants, such as blueberries and camellias. For plants that like a more alkaline soil, compost may be a better choice.
What's the difference between peat moss and sphagnum peat moss?
The core difference between peat moss and sphagnum moss is that sphagnum moss is typically sold as a living plant, whereas peat moss is a mixture of decayed organic materials found in cold water bogs. The decomposition process occurs at the bottom of the bog over thousands of years.
How long does it take peat to dry?
The soft peat is cut into slices and laid across the moor using a tool is called a “tairsgear”. This has a long wooden handle with an angled blade on the end, a foot or so in length that both cuts and turns the peat. The peat are then left to dry out for up to 2 weeks.
Does peat moss regrow?
Sustainability. Peat moss is natural, but it takes a long time to form. To extract the peat, the bogs are drained of water and mined. Not only do peat bogs hold carbon that is then released into the atmosphere, the bogs themselves take a long time to form and regenerate after harvest.
What can I do with leftover peat moss?
Whatever you do, don't let used peat moss end up in a landfill somewhere. Compost it, bury it with some kitchen scraps, or find another way to reuse it or return it to the ground.
Is the world running out of peat moss?
Sphagnum peat moss is not being replenished as fast as it is being harvested and sold, so we will run out at some point. Even if you do not use peat moss directly, you probably purchase it in things like most potting mixes and seed starters.
Is peat moss toxic to humans?
Is peat moss toxic to humans? Peat moss that contains the fungus Sporothrix schenckii can infect humans with sporotrichosis if the spores enter a person's bloodstream through broken skin, such as a cut.
Where does most peat moss come from?
CanadaVirtually all of the peat moss sold in the United States comes from the vast sphagnum moss bogs of Canada. Often mixed with a mineral named perlite, it is highly valued by horticulturists for its ability to retain moisture and oxygen without becoming waterlogged or heavy.
Is there a peat moss shortage 2022?
In 2020 and 2021, the beginning of the supply chain issues and product shortages began and the extreme shortages of peat moss have continued into 2022.
Where is sphagnum moss harvested?
There are over 350 species of sphagnum moss, but most of the varieties harvested for sphagnum moss products grow in wetlands of the northern hemisphere – mainly Canada, Michigan, Ireland, and Scotland. Commercial sphagnum peat moss is also harvested in New Zealand and Peru.
Where is peat found?
peat, spongy material formed by the partial decomposition of organic matter, primarily plant material, in wetlands such as swamps, muskegs, bogs, fens, and moors.
What is peat moss used for?
In the 1960s, professors at Cornell University were among the first to advocate the use of peat in their soilless Peat-Lite mixes for greenhouse production. Several properties of peat moss have led to its widespread adoption by the industry over the intervening decades; these include : high water holding and cation exchange capacity, lack of residual herbicides and weed seeds compared to soil and composts, and low incidence of root-borne pathogens.
When is peat harvest?
Harvest takes place when bogs are not frozen, usually May through September. Milling machines are used to loosen only the top inch or two of peat; this keeps the underlying bog intact so it is not able to erode away. The top layer is allowed to dry in the sun for a few days.
What is the top layer of a peat bog used for?
Very little material from a peat bog is wasted. The top layer of sphagnum (un-decomposed) is sold for specialty horticulture uses, such as lining hanging baskets or in orchid mixes. The next layers contain higher quality and less decomposed peat fibers that allow for better drainage in the container.
How deep should a peat bog be?
The peat should have a depth of at least 2 meters, as it is desirable that a bog be able to be harvested for many years (Figure 2). Ditches are built to drain surface water and access roads are built to allow heavy equipment to operate. Harvest takes place when bogs are not frozen, usually May through September.
What is the goal of peat harvesting?
The goal during the entire harvesting and processing process is to preserve the integrity of peat fibers. Mechanical damage can break apart sphagnum fibers, which decreases its porosity in a container and can create more dust. Several passes can be made over the same field during the year.
What is peat screened for?
The collected peat is screened to remove impurities such as wood, roots or large clumps of peat (Figure 5). Depending on the peat's purpose, it is then packaged "as is" or it is blended with other materials to create soil-less potting mixes. Several components are added to peat to develop potting mixes.
How many layers of peat can be mined in one year?
Several passes can be made over the same field during the year. In total, about a 2- to 3-inch layer of peat may be mined for a site in one year. A given peat bog is harvested for many years. For example, we viewed a peat bog that has been harvested continuously since 1929. Processing and Packaging.
What is peat moss used for?
Peat moss is used to grow bedding plants, in seedling production and in forest nurseries. The material is slightly acidic, and very low in minerals. Growers can add nutrients to peat and customize blends to amend soils. In its natural state, peat is light, spongy and fibrous with colour varying from pale to dark brown to black, depending on the carbon content.
What is peat made of?
Peat is a decomposing material created from sphagnum moss in bogs. As the sphagnum moss dies, it builds up faster than it decomposes. This happens due to the slightly acidic nature of the peat and the cold northern climate. The material builds up at a rate of .5 to one millimetre a year.
How much of Alberta's land is peatland?
Alberta accounts for only about 17 per cent of the country’s production, even though the province has about 12 million hectares of peatland.
Is peatland farming regulated in Alberta?
Short said the peatland industry in Alberta is responsibly and reasonably managed. Harvesting is highly regulated through the Public Lands Act. Short and others involved in the industry see the importance of responsibly managing peatlands.
How to collect moss?
Mosses can be collected by scooping, scraping, or raking. The technique for collection depends on the type of moss– acrocarp or pleurocarp.
How to get moss out of a moss plant?
Slowly push and pull, keeping the contact between your hands and the moss to loosen and break the rhizomes that are holding the moss in place. With your fingertips, work your way around the area until it is loose, tearing an edge to allow you to gently peel it up. Scraping should also be done when the moss is wet.
How to get rid of moss in grass?
Raking the mosses can also be used to remove moss from areas where they are mixed with weeds and grasses. By raking the mosses, you can leave the root-anchored plants behind and collect the mosses in fragments. This technique is best done when the moss is dry.
Can you collect moss without soil?
This will also allow you to collect the moss without any soil, lessening the weight for transport, thus increasing your chances of keeping the colony section whole. The moss section can then be transplanted to the new substrate for establishment. Collecting mosses in this fashion is also helpful when moving them from a fallen tree and then onto soil or other substrate when you intend to fragment into smaller pieces.
What Is Peat Moss?
Peat moss is a soil amendment that is harvested from peat bogs. Many of these bogs are found in wetland areas of Canada. Peat bogs are formed, over the course of very long periods of time, as organic materials partially decompose. Because of the water in these bogs, anaerobic conditions are maintained, conditions that retard full decomposition. The result is that the peat moss is preserved almost indefinitely.
How is peat moss different from sphagnum moss?
How Peat Moss Is Different from Sphagnum Moss. "Peat moss" and "sphagnum moss" are closely related, but the two terms are not synonymous. Here is how the two differ: First of all, "sphagnum moss" can refer to a living plant. There are 120 species of this type of moss plant.
What is sphagnum moss used for?
Like peat moss, sphagnum moss is harvested for the horticultural trade. For example, it is commonly used to line wire baskets for hanging plants, to retain the soil. But the sphagnum moss used for this purpose was a plant growing in nature not that long ago.
What is the best potting soil for plants?
Sphagnum peat moss is widely used in soilless potting mixes. So if you have started plants indoors from seed, then you have very likely already dealt with peat moss. A soilless potting mix is much better to use for starting seeds than regular soil, for the following reasons: 1 Regular soil is too heavy for plants just sprouting from seed. The tender, young roots have trouble pushing through it. 2 Drainage is also generally poorer in regular soil, and seeds may rot in it before they ever get a chance to sprout. 3 Regular soil can also harbor pathogens that could easily kill the young plants.
How many species of moss are there?
There are 120 species of this type of moss plant. Sphagnum moss is native to many countries across the globe, but it is especially prevalent in the Northern Hemisphere. "Peat moss," by contrast, does not refer to something living; it refers to something long dead. Like peat moss, sphagnum moss is harvested for the horticultural trade.
Why is soil so heavy?
Regular soil is too heavy for plants just sprouting from seed. The tender, young roots have trouble pushing through it. Drainage is also generally poorer in regular soil, and seeds may rot in it before they ever get a chance to sprout. Regular soil can also harbor pathogens that could easily kill the young plants.
Can peat moss be planted in a garden?
But peat moss has other uses, as well. Outdoors, it can be tilled into a planting bed where the soil is not sufficiently friable. Peat moss will lighten up the soil in your garden, which may have become compacted over the years, resulting in inadequate drainage.
