Peat Bog Restoration

Sphagnum peat moss is one of the most important ingredients for soilless media, however
many questions have been raised about it. Where does it come from? How much is there?
How long will it last? The following is the first of a three-part series that discusses
Sphagnum peat formation, harvesting and restoration.

Premier Horticulture has developed a restoration program that includes a policy and
procedure for the opening and closing of peat bogs. The program allows standardized
management principles that are followed at all bog locations. The goal of this
environmental management is to ensure the company’s continuance and secure peat moss for future
generations.

To better understand the ‘why and how’ of restoration, first let’s look at the Sphagnum plant. There
are more than 335 species of Sphagnum around the world with about 16 species found in Canada.
Approximately 5 species are dominant with most bogs limited to about three species. Sphagnum
moss is a non-vascular plant (no roots) that grows in acidic water derived from precipitation. As it
grows, it leaves behind dead portions, consisting of the cellulose and hemi-cellulose structure of the
moss plant, to accumulate in the water, which we refer to as ‘peat moss’ (Figure 1). The unique
structure holds water on the leaves, between leaves and stems and within the cellular structure.
Inversely, air is found where water does not occupy.
Sphagnum peat bogs are found in boreal regions of the northern and southern
hemispheres. The combination of an acidic, low-nutrient watery environment
and cool temperatures provide ideal conditions for sphagnum moss to grow.
The cool temperatures and the absence of oxygen preserve the fibrous,
organic layers of peat moss. In Canada, peat bogs, as seen in Figure 2, cover
approximately 111 million hectares (274 million acres) or about 12% of the
total land area.

In Quebec, peat moss harvesting began in the Bas St-Laurent region around 1933. For many years
peat moss was harvested in block-cut sections with hand tools. In 1967, harvesting methods at
Premier Horticulture changed to mechanical vacuum-harvesters, which has become the standard in
Canada today. This is important to mention since harvest methods have an impact on how peatlands
are restored.

In our next issue of Premier Press we will discuss harvesting and its relation to restoration. Since
1991, the Canadian Sphagnum peat moss industry has funded research with the University of Laval
in Quebec to study peat bogs and develop ways to restore peat lands. All producers agree that
restoration is essential to maintain this valuable resource for future generations.
 Peat Bog Restoration (Part 2):
Harvesting Peat
n the last issue of Premier Press, we discussed the formation and general characteristics of
Sphagnum peat moss and peat bogs. This second part of the three-part series will discuss harvesting
of Sphagnum peat moss.

Some Sphagnum peat bogs are forested while others are not.
Depending upon its geological age, Sphagnum peat bogs may or may
not have higher plants growing on their surface. Higher plants
include Tamarack, Spruce and plants from the genera Ericacea
(blueberry, cranberry, rhododendron, etc.). In all cases, harvesting
Sphagnum peat moss begins with diverting the water within the peat
bog. This is done by digging a series of ditches within a section of
the bog to channel the water and lower the water table. Maintaining
the proper level of water in the bog is important, since introduction
of air will accelerate the decomposition of the lower vegetative peat
layers of the bog. Careful attention is necessary to maintain an
optimum level of water for management of the peat, however enough
water must be removed to allow equipment to operate on the bog surface without ‘sinking’.

Water management alone can

take up to one year. Once the
water table is lowered to a
manageable level, equipment can
enter the peat bog to prepare its
surface. If present, trees are cut and used to make
roadways within the bog, then large stumps and
smaller vegetation are removed. In years past, the
surface containing live Sphagnum moss was rototilled to loosen the surface and scraped off. Today,
this layer is carefully removed for use at restoration sites. This live Sphagnum moss is harvested and
used to propagate Sphagnum plants in peat bogs that are no longer harvested (this will be further
discussed in the third part of this series). Once the surface is rototilled to loosen the compacted layer,
large tractors pull specialized harrows to comb the surface and ‘roll’ the loosened peat so sun and air
can dry the Sphagnum peat moss.

Once dried to the optimal level, the blonde to light brown fibrous Sphagnum peat moss is harvested
with large vacuum harvesters. This equipment drives across the bog surface drawing the dried
Sphagnum peat moss into a large canister that holds approximately 1,800 ft3. It only takes 10
minutes for a harvester with a 25 foot-wide suction path to fill its canister. After filling, the harvester
unloads the Sphagnum peat moss into large piles, which are later transported to the factory for
screening, grading, quality monitoring and packaging.

The size and depth of a Sphagnum peat bog determines the number of years peat moss can be
harvested. The upper layers of the peat bog possess blonde fibrous peat, which is the youngest peat,
geologically speaking. As bog layers are harvested, the degree of decomposition and humification
increases, as does the age of the Sphagnum peat moss. Older peats are darker in color and possess
shorter fiber. Shallow bogs are harvested for up to 7-10 years. Some deep bogs may be in production
for over 50 years. In most cases, the upper layers of fibrous peat moss are harvested for horticultural
purposes leaving behind the short fiber, dark brown layers. These peatlands are sometimes claimed
for agriculture and forestry purposes. However, when local and regional biodiversity are desired,
methods are used to restore peat bogs to functional ecosystems. These sites are restored to natural
Sphagnum peat moss accumulation, indigenous plant material and wildlife. This will be discussed in
the next issue of Premier Press.
 Greenhouse Sanitation:
Before planting
Keeping your greenhouses free of insects, diseases, algae and weeds is a good way to prevent them
from becoming a problem. Before placing crops in your greenhouses, you should implement good
sanitation practices.

Sanitizing Structures & Equipment:

Disease organisms and algae are always present in a greenhouse. Many fungal and bacterial disease
organisms produce resting structures that can survive for several years. These pathogens are present
in dust and in used media on benches, floors, walkways, irrigation devices, re-used pots, labels, etc.
Algae can be present on floors, benches, some irrigation devices, evaporative cooling pads, glazing
and in irrigation water.

To sanitize the greenhouse, start by removing plant and media debris from floors, walkways and
benches. Sweep and discard media that falls on the floor near a mixing machine, flat filler or potting
bench, as it can easily be contaminated with pathogens from the floor.

Next, disinfect benches, irrigation devices, carts, floors, walkways, glazing and evaporative cooling
pads with quaternary ammonium chloride salts (Q-salts) or bleach. If the irrigation water is a
significant source of algae, such as pond water, treat it with bromine, chlorination, an ozone
generator or hydrogen dioxide (Zero-tol). These treatments should also keep mist and drip lines free
of algae. If not, increase the rate of hydrogen peroxide or chlorine; allow the material to remain in
the water system for 24 hours, then flush the lines.
Re-using pots:
It is best not to re-use pots, but it inevitably happens.
Start by removing all growing medium from pots, flats,
tags, etc. Then soak them in Q-salts solution for 10 minutes
or a 10% bleach solution for 30 minutes. Rinse the pots
with water. This should kill most pathogens, but it does not
necessarily kill weed seed. The growing medium needs to
be removed, as it can tie-up the active ingredient in both
chemicals, making them ineffective. Keep in mind the
activity of a bleach solution is reduced by 50% every
4 hours and should be recharged every 2 hours.

Weeds:
Remove all weeds inside the greenhouse as well as any weeds outside near the vents, doors or fans.
Weeds can harbor fungal, bacterial and viral diseases as well as insects that transmit these diseases.
Remove dead weeds as they might have seed heads or resting spores from fungal and bacterial
pathogens. Place the weeds in garbage bags, so insects or weed seed do not disseminate in the
greenhouse. If there are a large number of weeds under the bench, they can be sprayed with
postemergent herbicides such as Clethodim, Diquat, Glufosinate, Glyphosate or Pelargonic Acid. It
is best to apply them when there are no plants in the houses. Check the label for rates and for any
greenhouse application restrictions.

Compare the Costs

Is it cheaper to make your own growing medium or to buy pre-made growing medium? To answer
this question lets take a look at an example. The price for raw goods varies throughout the US and
Canada, so lets see what it would cost to produce 560 yd3 (the equivalent of three truckloads of 3.8
ft3 PRO-MIX) of a peat-perlite-vermiculite growing medium in central Texas. All prices are
expressed in US dollars.

Equipment:
To make this growing medium, a greenhouse operation would have to purchase a bale fluffer to fluff
the peat moss, a two-yard soil mixer and a conveyer to carry the peat to the soil mixer. The cost is
approximately $15,600. Assuming a ten-year depreciation period, the annual cost will be $1560 or
$2.79/yd3 of growing medium. This does not include equipment maintenance.

Ingredients:
The ingredients are generally the largest expense. In this example, the growing medium contains
70% peat, 15% perlite, 15% vermiculite, dolomitic limestone, wetting agent, starter macronutrient
fertilizers and micronutrient fertilizer. The quantities and prices of each ingredient are in listed in
Table 1.
Qty / Qty
Ingredient Price /yd3
yd3 Needed
Peat Moss (PRO- 10,584
0.7 yd3 $15.92
MOSS 'TBK'®) ft3
0.15
Perlite 2268 ft3 $7.34
yd3
0.15
Vermiculite 2268 ft3 $7.34
yd3
4480
Dolomitic Lime 8.0 lbs $0.84
lbs
Wetting Agent
1.0 lb 560 lbs $2.75
(AquaGro 2000G®)
Potassium Nitrate 1.0 lb 420 lbs $0.21
Calcium Nitrate 0.75 lb 420 lbs $0.18
Triple
1.0 lb 560 lbs $0.07
Superphosphate
Magnesium Sulfate 0.25 lb 140 lbs $0.06
Micronutrients
1.5 lb 840 lbs $1.62
(Micromax®)
Subtotal $36.33
15% Yield loss
$5.45
(subtotal x 15%)
Equipment Cost
$2.79
per Yard of Mix
Labor to produce
$3.75
one Yard
Total $48.32
There is also yield loss when mixing these ingredients together. For example, peat will fill in the
spaces between the perlite and vermiculite. Typically there is a 15-30% loss in yield. In our example
we will assume a 15% yield loss, which means 15% more media, or 84 cubic yards, will need to be
produced. This will increase the cost of each yard of growing medium by 15% (See Table 1).

Labor:
Whom should make the growing medium? Often the owner, manager or grower does the job. They
are the most qualified to do it. Unfortunately, this person is taken away from important growing or
management decisions. They are also the highest paid, which increases the cost of producing the
growing medium. Instead, a lower paid employee might be making the growing medium. This will
reduce the cost of making the growing medium, but how reliable is this employee? For the sake of
argument, lets say it will take one person, one hour to make two yards of mix and this person is paid
$6.00 plus $1.50 for workers compensation, etc. ($7.50 per hour). This would add $3.75 per yard of
mix (Table 1).

Testing:
Almost all growing media manufacturers test their products for pH, soluble salts (EC), wettability,
moisture content, etc. This ensures that their products conform to quality standards before they are
shipped. If you make your own growing medium, test the pH and EC of each batch to check for
certain blending errors. Purchase pH and EC meters that are reliable and calibrate them frequently.
The cost for the equipment and calibration solutions is $0.05-0.10/yd3 and labor for processing the
samples is about $1.00/ yd3.

Total Bill:
The total cost per yard of mix is around $49.42 ($48.32 + $1.10 for testing), while a yard of PRO-
MIX 'BX' is about $50.20. You only save a little money by mixing your own growing medium,
however there are hidden costs such as dry storage space for fertilizers and lime, electricity, space to
set up equipment, increased time placing orders, etc. Don’t forget about equipment breakdown, labor
shortage and batch inconsistencies. If the growing medium is made improperly, crop quality suffers.
We have frequently heard of a grower forgetting to add the limestone to the geranium mix. The pH
of the mix is too low, micronutrient toxicities occur, a lot of time is spent trying to correct it, crop
value is reduced and they end up losing money. There goes several years’ worth of savings!

Reputable growing media manufacturers test their products to make sure they are produced within
their quality control guidelines. If they make a mistake, they will stand behind their product with
technical support and quality guarantees. There is some recourse for the customer. However, if the
grower produces the growing medium, there is no recourse. The choice is yours!