Cost – Peat is cheap to extract and peat bogs have few other ‘productive’ uses, so it is very cost effective. It seems in our attempt to create our own little wilderness that we are selfishly robbing another. Due to its acidic pH value, peat moss is an ideal material for acid loving plants like camellias and blueberries. Although the rate of plant growth in cold regions is very slow, the rate of decomposition of organic matter is also very slow. It’s still there, lurking under the surface. The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. The development of peat is favoured by warm moist climatic conditions; however, peat can develop even in cold regions such as Siberia, Canada, and Scandinavia. Although some peat is used as fuel, the vast majority of it is used by gardeners. Looking for online definition of PEAT or what PEAT stands for? Peats may be divided into several types, including fibric, coarse hemic, hemic, fine hemic, and sapric, based on their macroscopic, microscopic, and chemical characteristics. Cover the newspaper with a one to three-inch layer of another organic mulch and the weed protection should last throughout the growing season. Peat is also used for household cooking in some places and has been used to produce small amounts of electricity. Very often it is compressed into blocks or bricks, which need to be soaked before using. Occasionally, the sand shifts in shallower areas and allows the peat to come up to the surface. In one mechanized method, a dredger or excavator digs the peat from the drained bog and delivers it to a macerator (a device that softens and separates a material into its component parts through soaking), which extrudes the peat pulp through a rectangular opening. Mon – Fri | 9am – 5pm, Join the RHS today and support our charity. Omissions? Materials such as coir, green compost, composted pine bark and wood fibre are all widely used in growing media mixes. There are many uses of peat moss, such as improving soil, starting seeds, adding it as an amendment, and more. This gives Scotch whisky its distinctive smoky flavour, often called "peatiness". Interestingly, this variability in properties could also offer potential benefits to growers, assuming growers can adapt their management practices with water use and nutrient savings potentially feasible, in turn improving the sustainability of production. Although peat is not strictly a fossil fuel, its greenhouse gas emissions are comparable to that of fossil fuels. Updates? Peat moss is an important component of most potting soils an… Peat bogs can range in depth from six to 16 feet. Ongoing RHS research is examining water management in different mixes closely. availability (a requirement for large volumes), cost (cheap as possible but horticulturalists also recognise cost savings elsewhere, e.g. For plants that like a more alkaline soil, compost may be a better choice. With increased time and higher temperatures, these low-rank coals are gradually converted to subbituminous and bituminous coal and under certain conditions to anthracite. Horticultural coir is a peat-like substance that is used in gardening and agriculture. In these nations, blocks are readily available as a fuel source, and it is also … Organic matter. https://www.britannica.com/technology/peat, National Geographic - Education - Peat: The Forgotten Fossil Fuel, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - Energy Use of Peat, peatland - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), peat - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Peat fires are used to dry malted barley for use in Scotch whisky distillation. To use as a mulch in the garden, spread a layer of four to eight sheets of newspaper around the plants. the RHS today and get 12 months for the price of 9, Read a BBC article on our efforts to reduce gardeners' use of peat The presence of oxygen (aerobic conditions) is necessary for fungal and microbial activity that promotes decomposition, but peat is formed in waterlogged soils with little or no access to oxygen (anaerobic conditions), largely preventing the complete decomposition of organic material. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Shredded Leaves . Peat moss also holds moisture well, which allows your potted plants to retain nutrients necessary for healthy growth. Consequently, the production of organic matter exceeds its decomposition, which results in a net accumulation of peat. The increasing use Many garden centres refuse to sell plants in peat-based composts, but there is still a need for the use of peat to be banned totally. It is also added to potting mixes to meet the acidity requirements of certain potted plants. Plant material decomposes more rapidly in groundwater rich in nutrients than in elevated bogs with heavy rainfall. Virtually all rural households are now connected to the national electricity network, which relies partly on hydroelectric plants and on small and medium-sized peat-burning thermal power stations. Types of Coco Peat for Plants. Due to their poor drainage, the water has low oxygen, so it is anaerobic and has limited microbial po… Coco peat gardening is also used as a soil amendment, potting mix, and in hydroponic production. Alternatives to peat. Environmentalists, government and horticultural businesses in the UK now recognise the environmental consequences of using peat in horticulture, and the industry is turning increasingly to sustainable raw materials. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Video of the Day Peat used to be cut from the ground by hand. See more. With increasing depth of burial and increasing temperature, peat deposits are gradually changed to lignite. Peat is used for domestic heating purposes as an alternative to firewood and forms a fuel suitable for boiler firing in either briquetted or pulverized form. It acts as a carbon store, it is a great habitat for wildlife, it has a role in water management, and preserves things well for archaeology. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. You just need to rinse and strain it and it will work perfectly again. Traditionally, a variety of organic materials have been used as mulches or soil conditioners in order to improve the performance of plants - largely through improved nutrient provision and improved soil water management. Peat is used within horticulture principally as a growing medium both by amateur and professional gardeners, professional growers and by the mushroom industry. Organic gardening Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Over time, peat deposits have the potential to evolve into coal. 222879/SC038262. Putting peat free compost to the test. Peat played a role in prehistoric Florida. Peat is sometimes considered a “slowly renewable energy” and is classified as a “solid fossil” rather than a biomass fuel by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The choice of material is largely determined by: It is unlikely that all of these factors (availability, cost and effectiveness) are going to be met by any one material in any one situation. 2. Mixed with sand and loam it became a popular high quality growing medium. Northern Europe, particularly Scandinavia and the British Isles, have the most peatlands harvested for fuel use. Whichever driver is pertinent, adapting to new growing media means revising the growers’ approach to managing plant quality. It is made from the pith found between the fibers. Peat is usually hand-cut, although progress has been made in the excavation and spreading of peat by mechanical methods. Peat is of great importance to our planet: as a carbon store – peat holds more carbon than the combined forests of Britain, France and Germany It was useful as an alternative to firewood for cooking and heating in temperate and boreal regions of Europe, in particular Ireland, England, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Poland, Finland and the USSR. Peat is an accumulation of decayed vegetation that forms over the space of three to five thousand years in wetlands that are called “bogs” or “peat bogs.” Said more succinctly, it’s sort of like coal, but much softer, and can be used as fuel. However, the question of how best to maintain and improve healthy garden soils remains. Clay soils Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. reduced use of fertilisers). We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place. In a comparison of coco peat vs. soil, the peat retains much more water and releases it slowly to plant roots. Dried peat burns readily with a smoky flame and a characteristic odour. All have different properties in terms of water retention, water distribution and nutrient provision. Peat definition, a highly organic material found in marshy or damp regions, composed of partially decayed vegetable matter: it is cut and dried for use as fuel. Maintaining plant quality, while developing sustainable growing media, is clearly a key priority. The ash is powdery and light, except for varieties that have a high content of inorganic matter. Peat bog near Enschede, Overijssel province, Netherlands. In the early 21st century the top four peat producers in the world were Finland, Ireland, Belarus, and Sweden, and most of the major users of peat were these and other northern European countries. In addition, when examining the effects of repeated organic matter application on soil chemical and physical factors more closely, it is even less likely that they will all be ideal. Ok sooo went exploring for clay and instead found peat its a black sand like block and no it's not black sand, any clue if it's useful ? Investigating the effects of long-term organic matter amendments on net primary productivity and greenhouse gas emissions in a horticultural context. Hydraulic excavating can also be used, particularly in bogs that contain roots and tree trunks. After the glaciers melted, the water runoff filled in these areas. times, RHS Registered Charity no. Moisten the sheets to keep them in place. The extraction of peat, no matter what its ultimate use may be, involves a basic series of procedures. Peat moss is excellent for making your garden more productive than ever. Although peat has many uses for humans, it also presents problems. But also the modern industrial maltings, such as Port Ellen, Glen Esk and Glen Ord, use the peat more efficiently than what can be achieved with traditional kiln fires. Maceration tends to yield more uniform shrinkage and a denser and tougher fuel. Traditionally peat has also been used for soil improvement and ground mulching but other materials are better suited to these tasks than peat. You may also find bags or bales of coir. Peat moss is very common in gardening so it is important to understand what it is, how it works and how to use it to make your plants thrive. Peat moss also absorbs and retains moisture from rainfall, providing a natural water reservoir for plants. However, peat bogs can be found from Tierra del Fuego to Indonesia. The addition of organic matter to soil helps aid nutrient provision, optimizes water management and potentially sequesters carbon thus helping mitigate climate change. It is also added to potting mixes to meet the acidity requirements of certain potted plants. Join the RHS today and support our charitable work, Keep track of your plants with reminders & care tips – all to help you grow successfully, For the latest on RHS Shows in 2020 and 2021, read more, RHS members get free access to RHS Gardens, Free entry to RHS members at selected times », Reduced prices on RHS Garden courses and workshops, Our Garden Centres and online shops are packed with unique and thoughtful gifts and decorations to make your Christmas sparkle, General enquiries Peat may be cut by spade in the form of blocks, which are spread out to dry. It is the precursor material from which coals are derived, and the process by which peat is formed is studied in existing swamps in many parts of the…, For centuries hand-cut peat, or turf, was the rural population’s principal domestic fuel. If however some growers use peat in plug plants to save costs then other suppliers not using peat may become 'too expensive' and be priced out of the market. aesthetics (For many larger public gardens the aesthetics of the organic material are also of value, the impression the material creates for visitors being of great significance, particularly if used as a mulch. The bricks are then used as fuel, mostly for heating homes and businesses. effectiveness (provision of nutrients, reduction in the weed population and improved soil structure). It is also used to soften aquaria water and to mimic habitats for freshwater fish. It’s made from the husks of coconuts. Peat moss doesnt contain harmful microorganisms or weed seeds that you may find in poorly processed compost. This move also reflects increased societal awareness of sustainable production in general and more specifically the sustainable use of materials within horticulture itself. Since it doesnt compact or break down readily, one application of peat moss lasts for several years. Peat may be distinguished from lower-ranked coals on the basis of four characteristics: peats generally contain free cellulose, more than 75 percent moisture, and less than 60 percent carbon, and they can be cut with a knife. Please select which sections you would like to print: Corrections? The resulting peat brick (or briquette as they are commonly known) is a fuel that is virtually smokeless, slow-burning, and easy to store and transport. Peat, fuel consisting of spongy material formed by the partial decomposition of organic matter, primarily plant material, in wetlands such as swamps, muskegs, bogs, fens, and moors. Peatification is influenced by several factors, including the nature of the plant material deposited, the availability of nutrients to support bacterial life, the availability of oxygen, the acidity of the peat, and temperature. Given that peat harvesting is destructive to wetland habitats, its use as a soil amendment has been discouraged by conservationists. Peat is the surface organic layer of a soil that consists of partially decomposed organic matter, derived mostly from plant material, which has accumulated under conditions of waterlogging, oxygen deficiency, high acidity and nutrient deficiency. Drainage is almost always the essential first step in the mining process to dry the peat and make it more manageable to extract, process and transport. Briquettes are widely used to heat homes and business throughout the country. The transition to brown coal takes place slowly and is usually reached at depths ranging from 100 to 400 metres (approximately 330 to 1,300 feet). Traditionally, a variety of organic materials have been used as mulches or soil conditioners in order to improve the performance of plants - largely through improved nutrient provision and improved soil water management. Most gardeners recognize the value of a healthy soil in order to support a healthy garden. Peatlands are terrestrial wetland ecosystems in which waterlogged conditions prevent plant material from fully decomposing. PEAT is listed in the World's largest and most authoritative dictionary database of abbreviations and acronyms PEAT is listed in the World's largest and most authoritative dictionary database of abbreviations and acronyms There are a number of uses for it, although the two primary ones are as a type of fuel and as a fertilizer. When dry, it can be a major fire hazard, as peat fires can burn almost indefinitely (or at least until the fuel is exhausted). ), 10-year experiment investigating the long-term effects of repeated application of the same organic material to soil, PhD project: “The fate of carbon from organic amendments in a horticultural system” (University of Reading, 2014 – 2017). Peat moss is a stringy, fibrous substance that helps break up heavy clay soils to aerate plant root systems. On windy days it’s easier to moisten the sheets before you place them down. For seed composts, cuttings and potting up plants, the most used peat-free composts include coir (a brown fibre from coconut husks), composted bark or wood fibres. When mixed together, as a product, this complexity is often compounded and chemical and physical properties can differ from mix to mix. Although peat is used as a source of energy, it is not usually considered a coal. PhD Project: “Can we use soil microbes to help produce novel, sustainable growing media?” (Royal Holloway, 2013 – 2017), PhD Project: “Developing non-peat growing media with microbial amendment” (Royal Holloway, 2017 – 2021), Project 4 – Towards responsible sourcing and manufacture of growing media, Project 7 – Performance standard for amateur products. Gardeners use peat moss mainly as a soil amendment or ingredient in potting soil. The addition of organic matter to soil helps aid nutrient provision, optimizes water management and potentially sequesters carbon thus helping mitigate climate change. Peat has been used by commercial growers and amateur gardeners since the mid 20th century. Peat moss has several practical uses in the garden, from starting seeds to improving your soil, and is a useful amendment for both flower and vegetable gardeners. Bowmore, for example, grinds the peat into a gritty powder that is put on normal fire and produces the required smoke. Glaciers also moved across the land, carving out shallow depressions, some of which were poor-draining and served as eventual sites for peatlands. Peat is never used as a soil improver or mulch in RHS Gardens. Many countries exploit and sell their peat resources, especially Ireland, Scotland, and Finland. Why It Occasionally Shows Up on the Beach. Professor Emeritus of Geological Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The formation of peat is the first step in the formation of coal. The coir pith gets washed, heat-treated, sieved to remove large particles, and graded. Most of the gardeners make use of peat moss as a soil amendment or for potting soil. Peat can be used in water filtration and is sometimes utilized for the treatment of urban runoff, wastewater, and septic tank effluent. Given that peat harvesting is destructive to Adding peat moss to light, sandy soils that usually drain quickly can help the soil to retain moisture longer. Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board - Sustainable resource use in horticulture: a systems approach to delivering high quality plants grown in sustainable substrates, with efficient water use and novel nutrient sources. Peat is also used for household cooking in some places and has been used to produce small amounts of electricity. Some wetlands result from high groundwater levels, whereas some elevated bogs are the result of heavy rainfall. Soil care In horticulture, peat is used to increase the moisture-holding capacity of sandy soils and to increase the water infiltration rate of clay soils. RHS statement on peat Join This includes management of water and nutrition and both remain a challenge. Using a shovel, it’s exposed into shelf-like formations. Peat is vegetable matter which has been partially carbonized due to the way in which it decomposes. When dry, the blocks weigh from 0.34 to 0.91 kg (0.75 to 2 pounds). If you are wondering ‘what is peat moss used for’, you will get answers in this section. It has an acid pH, so its ideal for acid loving plants, such as blueberries and camellias. The pulp is cut into blocks, which are spread to dry. Coco peat is a growing medium and normally used for soil amendments. Peat is only a minor contributor to the world energy supply, but large deposits occur in Canada, China, Indonesia, Russia, Scandinavia, and the United States. Peat is often burned for fuel or used by gardeners. Nutrients are added to help plant growth. Canadian peatlands formed over 10,000 years ago in very moist and poorly drained low spots such as old river beds, lakes or ponds. Soil type If you’re anything like me, you are willing to put in the time and effort to make your gardens as productive and healthy as possible. It’s a beneficial product for plant growers and provides an alternative growing medium. Peat moss (Sphagnum) is one of the most common constituents of peat. What Is Peat Peat is the substrate that is most used in the cultivation of all types of plants . Get exclusive access to content from our 1768 First Edition with your subscription. It is economical, maintains humidity and is the most recommended soil for most of our pots. Finland, Ireland, and Scotland are the biggest consumers of peat as a fuel. The peat is washed down by a high-pressure water jet, and the pulp runs to a sump. Coco coir is so environmentally friendly that it is reusable. It’s used much like sphagnum peat in garden applications. 020 3176 5800 Ongoing research at the RHS is examining management of soil organic matter in a horticultural context. Peat is hugely important to our planet for lots of reasons. Although peat production was mechanized and industrialized in…. In addition to this, peat moss does not comprise weed seeds or other harmful … Peat has been used as a form of energy for at least 2 000 years. RHS Garden Hyde Hall Spring and Orchid Show, Free entry to RHS members at selected Controlling the hydrology of the peatland (its water table) is necessary for its successful exploitation. Peat bogs are increasingly recognised as valuable habitats for wildlife and important stores of carbon, yet the UK horticultural industry still relies heavily on peat. Under the title of 'Project 4', a working group of industry stakeholders is attempting to balance a robust sustainability assessment with a pragmatic and cost effective approach that has been re-titled “responsibly sourced growing media”. In horticulture, peat is used to increase the moisture-holding capacity of sandy soils and to increase the water infiltration rate of clay soils. There, after slight maceration, it is pumped to a draining ground in a layer, which, after partial drying, is cut up and dried further. Of our pots differ from mix to mix subbituminous and bituminous coal and under certain conditions to anthracite many... Both by amateur and professional gardeners, professional growers and by the mushroom industry peat in garden applications a product. 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Horticulturalists also recognise cost savings elsewhere, e.g sell their peat resources, especially Ireland, make. Also reflects increased societal awareness of sustainable production in general and more, spread layer... By hand Show, Free entry to RHS members at selected times, RHS charity. Mix to mix sometimes utilized for the treatment of urban runoff, wastewater, and Scotland are the of!