- Peat moss is the decaying organic matter from the bed of the peat bogs. It’s used more as a soil amendment as it’s essentially a nutrient-rich compost.
- Sphagnum moss is the actual moss harvested from the peat bogs. Sometimes it’s kept live, but most often it’s dried to produce a resilient fibrous material that still retains the same natural qualities.
Is Sphagnum a perennial or annual?
Reproduction 4. Affinities. Sphagnum is popularly known as bog moss, peat moss or turf moss because of its ecological importance in the development of peat or bog. The plants are perennial and grow in swamps and moist habitat like rocky slopes where water accumulates or where water drips.
Where does Sphagnum peat come from?
Source: Premier Tech Horticulture”. Most 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). This is where the name sphagnum peat moss is derived from.
What is sphagnum moss?
Sphagnum is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as "peat moss". Accumulations of Sphagnum can store water, since both living and dead plants can hold large quantities of water inside their cells; plants may hold 16 to 26 times as much water as their dry weight, depending on the species.
What is the function of sphagnum in plants?
Accumulations of Sphagnum can store water, since both living and dead plants can hold large quantities of water inside their cells; plants may hold 16 to 26 times as much water as their dry weight, depending on the species. The empty cells help retain water in drier conditions.
What is Sphagnum Moss?
The phrase “sphagnum moss” actually refers to a large genus of moss with some 380 members. Most sphagnum moss you would find in your local store is harvested from wetlands or bogs found in the Northern Hemisphere.
What is the best soil amendment for a garden?
For general soil amendment, peat moss is the best choice. It can easily be found in larger bags and is less expensive. Besides being more cost-effective, the wide range of decayed matter in peat moss makes it a great soil amender for both potted plants and the garden. Mixing it with sandy soil will help hold onto needed moisture ...
What is the difference between peat moss and sphagnum moss?
In addition, keep in mind that peat moss has a very acidic pH level while sphagnum moss has a neutral pH level. The pH level of your plants and soil will play an important role ...
How long does it take for sphagnum moss to grow?
Peat moss can take centuries or more to develop and be ready to harvest, whereas sphagnum moss is ready to harvest in under a decade. When sourcing your sphagnum moss it is still recommended to look for a reputable and sustainable supplier.
Where is sphagnum moss collected?
Sphagnum moss is collected from still-living moss on the surface of bogs and wetlands. These chunks of living plant material are dried after harvesting, making the final product a pure chunk of the sphagnum moss, not a combination of other dried material.
Where is peat moss found?
In fact, the peat moss found at the bottom of bogs can be thousands of years old!
Does sphagnum moss absorb moisture?
Sphagnum moss can vary significantly in its ability to absorb moisture, the quality and length of the fibers, and its appearance. Take the time to research suppliers with good reputations.
What is sphagnum peat used for?
Sphagnum peat is a common growth medium for containerized tree seedling production. Peatlands represent a large C reservoir and a net C sink. Peat mining contributes to GHG emissions, particularly methane, and can shift microbial community structure ( Basiliko et al., 2013; Reumer et al., 2018 ). Using biochar to replace some of the Sphagnum peat moss within seedling production containers reduces the need for peat mining and help sequester C within the seedling root zone ( Dumroese et al., 2018 ). Richard et al. (2018) suggest biochar amendments as a feasible method to improve growth of outplanted seedlings in the Lake States, U.S.A. They attribute the positive effects mainly to improved water holding capacity in their experimental setting which had well-drained soils and occasional droughts and to increased cation exchange capacity (CEC). Although wood ash can also increase tree growth by adding nutrients, the effect of biochar is longer lasting. For example, charcoal additions from traditional kilns (approximately 150 years ago) produced greater soil CEC compared to adjacent soil, confirming the long-term positive influence on soil health and presumably seedling growth ( Hardy et al., 2017 ).
What is the pH of a rich fen?
Rich fens, with pH above 7.0, also accumulate deep deposits of peat and are well buffered by large inputs of bicarbonate alkalinity. With continued inputs of bicarbonate, rich fens may remain stable for millennia, dominated by brown mosses that have little capacity for inorganic acidification, but strong tolerance for the alkaline peatland waters. However, as rich fens accumulate peat to depths of several meters, there is the possibility that the active surface layer will become more isolated from the bicarbonate inputs and alkalinity may decrease to the point that some tolerant species of Sphagnum may invade. If Sphagnum species establish, then cation exchange proceeds, acidity increases while alkalinity decreases, and rich fen plant species are replaced by poor fen species tolerating acidic conditions. This acidification of rich fens has been documented in the paleorecord wherein the change from rich fen to poor fen vegetation takes place extremely rapidly, perhaps in the order of 100–300 years. As a result, these transitional rich fen–poor fen communities are short-lived on the landscape and among the most rare of peatland types.
Which achenes germinate faster on agar or filter paper?
Achenes of Symphyotrichum (formerly Aster) novae-angliae, S. puniceum and Doellingeria (formerly Aster) umbellatum var. umbellatum germinated faster on agar than on filter paper, but more S. novae-angliae and D. umbellatum var. umbellatum achenes germinated on filter paper and agar, respectively ( Chmielewski and Ruit, 2002 ); achenes of S. puniceum showed no substrate effect. Achenes of Flourensia cernua germinated to higher percentages on agar than on filter paper with 7.73% cotton ( Valencia-Diaz and Montana, 2003 ).
What causes pH to drop in sphagnum?
During succession in Sphagnum -dominated ecosystems, pH can drop from >7 to <4. However, this is caused only in part by the cell wall cation exchanger. Sphagnum also produces organic acids, which form the primary source of acidifying protons in bogs. View chapter Purchase book. Read full chapter.
What is the physiology of sphagnum?
Sphagnum has a distinct physiology, anatomy, morphology, and reproduction that distinguishes it from other bryophytes ( Figure 1 ). Similar to other mosses, stems grow and differentiate from an apical meristem. However, in Sphagnum, a region of distal stem cells below the apex undergoes a secondary division and elongation.
Where are Hopea sangal seeds grown?
Under a shading net in South Kalimantan, Indonesia (Borneo), seeds of Hopea sangal germinated to a significantly higher percentage on sand than on topsoil or peat, those of Shorea fallox on peat than on sand or topsoil and those of S. parvifolia equally well (and to 84–91%) on all three substrates ( Otsamo et al., 1996 ). Seeds of Azadirachta indica from 12 collection sites in India germinated to a higher percentage at 30°C between germination papers than on sand, while those from one site germinated to a higher percentage at 30°C on sand than between germination papers ( Shringirishi et al., 2001 ).
What is the pH of a plant cell wall?
This acidifying mechanism causes cell walls to express a pH as low as 3.3, a condition that regenerates and remains active in live plants. Cell wall bound polyuronic acids rich in galacturonic residues, which can constitute between 10–30% of plant dry weight in Sphagnum, appear responsible for this behavior.
What is a gametophyte?
The gametophyte (haploid form) generally occurs in dense mats. Individual plants may be quite long, over 30 cm, but this is including the slowly decomposing basal parts, with the green portion typically 10 cm or less. Plants are erect and have a cluster of branches near the top that give it a characteristic look. The leaves of sphagnum consist of strands of narrow living cells with abundant chloroplasts, surrounding bands of much larger cells that quickly die after being produced. The ability of sphagnum to hold so much water is related both to the large quantity of non-living cells that can absorb water and also to the fact that the mat of plants itself can hold water in between individual plants.
What is the mineral source of moss?
Mineral nutrition of mosses is different from that of vascular plants, whose roots obtain obtain nutrients from the soil solution. The source of mineral nutrition for most mosses is not the soil, it is precipitation (sometimes altered in chemistry as it flows down tree trunks) and dust. This is especially true for sphagnum moss because it generally occurs as a carpet sitting on top of a large mat of poorly decomposed material (usually sphagnum plants themselves). At least some species of sphagnum are unusual in their ability to use amino acids as a source of nitrogen in addition to nitrate and ammonia.
How does sphagnum interact with other species?
Most significant is its ability to alter water and nutrient conditions on a site. Specifically, sphagnum can make areas of land waterlogged, acidic and nutrient poor. This is advantageous for sphagnum because it eliminates competitors that might shade out the sphagnum. It is also significant for other species (e.g. pitcher plants and sundews) that thrive in open, waterlogged habitats, again because potential competitors are kept at bay. Interestingly, not only can sphagnum make terrestrial habitats waterlogged it can also make aquatic habitats (e.g. ponds) somewhat terrestrial, by growing across the surface and producing a mat capable of supporting terrestrial plants, although the habitat is waterlogged and not truly terrestrial.
Why is peat used in photosynthesis?
Like coal and oil, the energy captured in photosynthesis is still available in the peat because the plant material has not been oxidized in cellular respiration of decomposer organisms. Dried peat is also a common soil additive in gardening.
Where is the sphagnum found?
The genus Sphagnum is by far the most important non-vascular plant group on earth. The 120 species in the genus are primarily found in cool, moist habitats, mostly in the Northern Hemisphere (northern U.S., Canada, northern Ireland, Scotland, northern Europe, Siberia) but some do occur in the southern part of the Southern Hemisphere (Chile, New Zealand). The genus is important because it can dominate large areas and change conditions at these sites, making them less hospitable for some species and more hospitable for others.
Is a sporophyte haploid or diploid?
In most mosses ( e.g. Polytrichium) the sporophytes (the diploid part) have two components: a stalk and a capsule situated at the top of the stalk. However, in Sphagnum the sporophyte is solely the capsule and the stalk that it sits on is haploid and part of the gametophyte.
Is sphagnum a diploid or haploid?
Sphagnum exhibits the typical alternation of generations found in mosses, with a haploid gamete producing plant (gametophyte) that is relatively large, long-lived and noticeable, and a much smaller, shorter-lived diploid sporophyte that is produced on the gametophyte, produces spores, and then is shed.
What is a bog moss?
Hence Sphagnum is known as bog moss.
What is sphagnum moss?
Sphagnum is popularly known as bog moss, peat moss or turf moss because of its ecological importance in the development of peat or bog. The plants are perennial and grow in swamps and moist habitat like rocky slopes where water accumulates or where water drips.
Why does sphagnum grow red?
ADVERTISEMENTS: All species of Sphagnum accumulates water and often grow with bright colour (deep red, rose pink, etc.) due to the presence of water-soluble pigments, anthocyanin. They are perennial showing unlimited growth by means of an apical cell with three cutting faces.
Which class is Sphagnum in?
Among the liverworts, Sphagnum resembles more closely to the members of the class Jungermanniopsida in the following ways:
What is the difference between a young leaf and a mature leaf?
A young leaf is comprised of square or rectangular cells of uniform size, while a mature leaf is characterised by two types of cells, the ordinary type hyaline cells and the green chlorophyllose cells or the assimilatory cells (Fig. 6.41 B).
What is the outermost region of the stem?
The cortex or the hyalodermis is the outermost region of the stem (Fig. 6.40A-C). This is bounded externally by a single- layered epidermis. It is composed of large hyaline cells. The genus, Sphagnum has often been divided into two sub-genera based on the nature of hyaline cells.
What are the two stages of sphagnum?
The gametophyte phase of Sphagnum is represented by two distinct stages namely, (a) juvenile protonema, and (b) mature leafy or gametophore stage. The mature plants grow in dense clumps and their shoots are of whitish or brownish green in colour.
What is a sphagnum?
1 : any of an order (Sphagnales, containing a single genus Sphagnum) of atypical mosses that grow only in wet acid areas where their remains become compacted with other plant debris to form peat. 2 : a mass of sphagnum plants.
Can you soak sphagnum in water?
Recent Examples on the Web Soak dried sphagnum or sheet moss in water for a few seconds and squeeze out any excess liquid. — Jennifer Nalewicki, Popular Mechanics, 16 Nov. 2020 The sphagnum bogs found in southern Michigan are also a favorite for mosquitoes that spread EEE. — NBC News, 18 Sep. 2019.
What Does Sphagnum Peat Moss Look Like?
There are a few distinct signs. “This moss can be distinguished by its somewhat unique branch cluster, which stems from the center of the plant,” Sons says. “With a lack of true roots, it is easily found on many surfaces such as, but not limited to, rocks, tree bark, and soil.”
Is sphagnum peat moss good for gardeners?
While sphagnum peat moss does provide important benefits for some gardeners, there are limitations and drawbacks.
Who is Alex Shoemaker?
Alex Shoemaker is the Digital Newsletter Editor of Family Handyman.
What is Sphagnum Moss?
In the horticultural world, sphagnum moss is more of a material/tool than a plant.
What is the moss in a peat bog?
Now, peat bogs are typically full of sphagnum moss. It plays a big part in their ecosystems, holding onto moisture, slowing decay, and providing nutrients to the local flora.
Why is sphagnum moss so expensive?
Sphagnum moss can be expensive due to its slow production rate and limited number of sustainable options.
What is the most useful property of sphagnum moss?
1. Highly absorbent – arguably the most useful property of sphagnum moss is its ability to retain huge volumes of water for its weight. When used with plants this makes it much easier to supply consistent moisture, and helps to boost humidity.
How to root a plant in a terrarium?
Simply pop your potential plant object into a small bundle of moist sphagnum moss – and ideally in a closed container like a terrarium – and you can expect them to root up readily.
What is the plant that grows on other plants and objects?
Epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants and objects) are naturally used to growing in areas of high moisture, humidity and airflow.
What is a false bottom terrarium?
For terrariums with drainage layers (also known as false bottoms) it can be helpful to have a layer to act as a barrier between the substrate and the drainage element.
