A lot of peat is used in horticulture — as a soil amendment , in lawn patching , in source starting , and in container gardening — but there ’s a growing argument about it . I just checked my grip of potting soil , and sure enough , a primary ingredient was peat . It ’s all - raw and naturally constitutional , so what ’s the problem ?
It took a spot of digging ( no punning destine ) to fully understand the matter . First , let ’s be clear on terms , of which I was woefully unlettered . Peat is the decomposed remains of moss from bogs ; stringently speaking , it ’s not the grow moss itself . Peat is foundunderneaththe grow moss , and this peat layer often goes very cryptic — several meters typically — and is of ancient place of origin . Its purpose in horticulture began in the forties and L , and its air- and moisture - holding capability make it a highly effective growing medium for commercial producers and a very popular portion of pot territory for home gardeners .
Where does peat total from?Peat add up from peat bog , which are often referred to as peatlands . Peatlands are unique ecosystem that are rare on earth , cover only 3 % of the Earth ’s aerofoil . Some peatlands are institute in Asia and in northerly Europe , but in these regions , much of the peatland has been tap and degraded due to human natural action , including the use of peat for fuel , and more recently , due to fire . Most of the remaining unspoiled peatlands are in Canada , though there are a few in the northern United States . For us American gardeners , a fundamental fact is thatvirtually all of the peat moss sold in the United States do from the vast sphagnum moss bogs of Canada . Peat manufacturer glean the peat by first draining the peat bog and then extract the peat with vacuuming machines . This extraction process is the heart of the job . Why ? Because peat is very rich in carbon paper .
recollect that the plant carbon cycle involves both storing and emitting carbon ; i.e. , plants remove atomic number 6 from the standard pressure for photosynthesis , and the carbon is finally released by decomposition after a plant life dies . As plants take away carbon copy dioxide from the atm , they put in it as carbon in leaves , stanch , branches and roots . This is why trees are major carbon storage facilities . But there ’s another major carbon sinkhole — yes , that ’s it — peat bogs . There ’s something special about the cold , wet , anaerobiotic conditions in a peat bog that promotes rapid carbon fixation , with little being expel into the atmosphere . Although peatlands cover only 3 % of the Earth ’s surface , they store an estimated 15%–30 % of planetary carbon . In our current clime crisis , we need to keep that carbon sequestered , but unfortunately , the descent of peat for horticulture press release carbon . In fact , most flutter in peat bogs — whether in the material body of wildfires , permafrost warming , or human disturbances like drainage and origin — free carbon copy to the atmosphere . The hypothesis of such carbon paper releases is why the recent discovery of a vast peatland in Africa has set off alarms . See “ The Race to Defuse Congo ’s Carbon Bomb . ”
It ’s no surprisal then that peat bogs have late gather much attending from scientists and environmentalists . measure the accurate amount of carbon put in in Earth ’s peatlands is an ongoing project , and scientist are also urgently measuring how much carbon is being let out when peat is disturbed or warm by late heat extremum . We are all relying on Earth ’s rude carbon sinkhole to aid us mitigate clime modification and to meet the greenhouse gasoline reduction require to achieve final zero by 2050 . Reducing emissions from industry , motorcar , and the like will not be sufficient , so maintaining lifelike carbon swallow hole like the peatlands becomes very important . It must be take note that the gauge total expelling resulting from peat “ harvesting ” only contribute a small portion of the carbon emission attributed to peat “ disturbance . ” The fleshy hitters are route and mine construction . “ Natural Climate Solutions for Canada,”Science Advances(2021 ) .
If peat mining is a minor percentage of the full expelling , do we really take to worry about it ? Avoiding the use of peat in horticulture will definitely aid preserve the carbon stores in peatlands , although there are those who disagree . But besides carbon - storing , there are other crucial benefits to the unique ecology of peatlands ; the Canadian peatlands hold a large volume of freshwater that suffer many rivers , lakes , and other wetlands . This fresh water is critical for the diverse industrial plant and animal species in peatlands , including some extremely specialized plant species that are adapted to wet term .
Most Canadian peat producers revegetate the bogs , and scientist have studied these efforts . It so far appear that these restoration programs are somewhat helpful , though it takes a farsighted clock time for the peat peat bog to yield to normal :
“ longsighted - term studies of horticultural peat extraction sites evoke deliberate regaining can switch these peatlands from C sources back to ascorbic acid sinks within two X . However , the dower of peat C drop off during extraction ( typically the top 1 m or peachy ) and drainage is much gravid than the peat vitamin C that may be recovered within 20 years of restoration . ”
– frontier in Ecology and the Environment Reviews : The essential carbon service provided by northerly peatlands , ” Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment , Ecological Society of America Journals / WileyOnlineHarris et al , November 2021 https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2437
What are the Alternatives to Peat ?
If I decide to avoid using peat , I ’ll ask an option , especially for pot filth . There are definitely alternative to peat , but there may be problem with some of them . The potential substitutes , according to one expert , are wide - graze :
“ International research on peat choice dates back at least 30 years and has identified a embarrassment of materials whose easy availability , low toll , and sustainability make them attractive substitutes for peat moss . These materials , alone or in compounding , stray from traditional materials such as compost bark , yard and agrarian wastes , and livestock manures to more current dissipation production include brewing waste , coconut coir , European olive tree mill waste matter , pulp and newspaper publisher sludge , municipal solid permissive waste and sewage gunk , and even foam cube . These materials have been used in the rooting and/or product of many plant stuff , including vegetables , yearly flowers , houseplant , woody ornamental , and timber species . ”
– Linda Chalker - Scott , Washington State University .
Coconut coir is probably the most democratic and probable to succeed as a replacement , though its transportation from Southeast Asia will undoubtedly require green house gas emissions . Because Britain has been reducing peat use for some time now , its work on peat alternatives is worth a look . The Royal Horticultural Society has helpful advice on its website , Peat - Free Growing Media / RHS . There are peat - free potting soils on the market , though they are more expensive . you could make your own , using recipes atNo - Peat Potting Soil Options / University of Minnesota Extension .
Now that I ’ve depend at this result , I ’ll believably never indiscriminately grab a bag of potting filth again . I ’ll be that person hunched over the traveling bag and reading the label , and that ’s a good matter . Oh , and one more matter , now that I sleep with how rare they are , I ’d really like to visit a peat bog some day .
SOURCES :
Featured Photo : Sphagnum capillifolium , Photo by Rob Routledge , Sault College , bugwood.org
“ Is this popular horticulture material bad for the planet?”Washington Post(2017 )
“ Monty Don urges gardeners to stop using peat compost – and faces a repercussion : Gardeners should head off plant grown in peat and peat - based potting compost , says the broadcaster,”Real Gardens(2020 )
“ Ken Druse : The Real Dirt on Peat Moss,”GardenRant(2009 )
“ The essential carbon divine service allow for by northern peatlands,”Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment , Ecological Society of America Journals(Harris et al , 2021 )
Global Biogeochemical Cycles(2008 ) ( Peat is very plentiful in carbon because “ carbon fixation occurs at a more rapid rate than decomposition reaction under the cold , wet , anaerobiotic conditions within northern peatlands , so that constituent matter accumulates . ” Thus,”peatlands function as large depositary of stored carbon , an amount representing 25–50 % of current levels of atmospheric CO2 . ” )
Colorado State University Extension / Choosing a Soil Amendment(the peat harvest rate greatly exceed the flora charge per unit of the Canadian peat bogs , so it is consider only a semi - renewable resource ) .
Bowdoin.edu/news/2017/Peat Bogs May Contain crucial Climate Change Indicators
Radiocarbon Analyses Quantify Peat Carbon Losses With Increasing Temperature in a Whole Ecosystem Warming Experiment(Because cold-blooded temperature are conceive to contribute to the slow decomposition of peat C , climate heating could accelerate C losses in the configuration of atomic number 6 dioxide ( CO2 ) and methane ( CH4 ) , which are two important glasshouse gases . )
“ Prompt active restoration of peatlands substantially reduces climate impact,”Environmental Research Letters(2019 )
“ bring out the power of peatlands in Canada ’s fight against climate change : Waterloo ’s Maria Strack explores peatlands as a nature - base solution for atomic number 6 sequestration,”University of Waterloo Climate Center.ca
“ northerly Peatlands in Canada : An Enormous Carbon Storehouse,”Wildlife Conservation Society Canada(“When peatlands are disturbed , due to wildfires , permafrost thaw , or unmediated human disturbances ( e.g. drainage , peat descent ) , more carbon can be unloosen and in a much light amount of time . This can turn over the peatland into a informant of atomic number 6 to the ambiance and lead to the problem of greenhouse gases . ” )
“ come down the carbon copy footprint of Canadian peat origin and restoration,”Pubmed.gov / Ambio(2009 )
“ Inside the search for Africa ’s carbon sentence bomb : Journey into the wild of the Congo rain wood with scientist trying to turn up a shockingly big peatland so that they can help to maintain it,”National Geographic.com
