Volume 20 Special Volume: Growing Sphagnum (2017) Article 7

Sphagnum moss as a growing media constituent: some effects of harvesting, processing and storage

by S. Kumar

Published online: 18.09.2017

Summary

The Sphagnum material used in horticulture so far has been harvested manually, and most of the available data about Sphagnum properties have been obtained from this material. A question that remains unanswered is how changes during harvesting and processing, as well as the use of mechanical methods, affect the important properties of Sphagnum moss as a growing media constituent. Some of the effects have been evaluated in Sphagnum farming projects in Germany during the past ten years, and are described in this article. Different possibilities for drying, screening and cleaning the Sphagnum material are described. The results obtained indicate that Sphagnum moss can be dried and processed using mechanical methods without negative impacts on its quality as a growing media constituent.

Citation

Kumar, S. (2017): Sphagnum moss as a growing media constituent: some effects of harvesting, processing and storage. Mires and Peat, 20(7), 1-11. (Online: http://www.mires-and-peat.net/pages/volumes/map20/map2007.php); 10.19189/MaP.2016.OMB.232

Reviewers

IMCG and IPS acknowledge the work of the reviewers.