Peat moss

Peat moss is a kind of moss, a short plant without flowers that usually grows in mats or clumps. About 150 to 300 species of plants may be considered forms of peat moss. Peat moss is sometimes referred to as sphagnum moss or bog moss. Peat moss has many qualities that make it important to nature and humans. It is most valued for its ability to regulate water and nutrients in soil, making it useful for gardening and agriculture. It can also prevent erosion and help to form soil bases on rocky or bare land. Peat moss may form into large bogs over hundreds or thousands of years. In many areas, these bogs are mined and the peat moss sold for a variety of industrial, agricultural, and household purposes. In addition, peat bogs create unique acidic and airless conditions capable of naturally mummifying bodies.

Background

Peat moss is a member of the genus Sphagnum, the family Sphagnaceae, and the division Bryophyta. Plants of the Bryophyta group are called bryophytes. Mosses, hornworts, and liverworts are all kinds of bryophytes. Bryophytes may vary considerably, with some plants growing only a fraction of an inch tall and other varieties reaching more than three feet long.

Despite this variation, bryophytes share some important characteristics. They are all members of the plant kingdom. They do not have flowers. Rather than reproducing with seeds, bryophytes spread through spores. Almost all bryophytes contain chlorophyll, allowing them, like many other plants, to create their own food through the process of photosynthesis.

Many people believe peat moss and other bryophytes only occur in moist, shady habitats, but these plants can grow in a range of locations. Some forms can be found in wet tropical lands or dry desert-like conditions, in flat valleys or on hilltops. They may grow on different surfaces ranging from soil and rock to wood, bones, and even lost or littered objects. These plants can live on many surfaces due to their unusual roots. Instead of having roots that grow into the ground in search of water, bryophytes have root-like parts called rhizoids that help them cling to the surface, or substrate, on which they are forming.

Peat moss grows best in wet, cool, northern areas near lakes, swamps, or bogs. In these places, peat moss forms dense clumps that may develop over time into large formations called peat bogs. The development of a peat bog is an extremely slow process, potentially requiring hundreds or thousands of years. The process occurs largely due to the life cycle of the plant.

When living, a peat plant generally holds a large amount of water, as much as twenty times the weight of the plant. When the plant dies, it dries and shrinks. After the plant has shrunk significantly, parts of it crack open and release spores into the air. The spores grow into new peat on top of the old dead peat. The new peat fills with water and compresses the dead peat, which slowly decomposes. The growth and breakdown of peat creates dense, airless, and acidic conditions within the bog material. Bogs may continue to grow via this process indefinitely.

Overview

Peat moss and other bryophytes are unusual plants with some important qualities. Since they can grow on surfaces inhospitable to most other plants, bryophytes are helpful in creating an organic base on which soil can build and other plants can grow. Bryophytes help to regulate and recycle nutrients in the ecosystem, and maintain a healthy level of moisture in the surrounding soils.

Scientists may analyze an ecosystem based on the kind and number of bryophytes present in it. For example, the presence of certain bryophyte plants may reveal hints as to the quantity of nutrients in a forest or a body of water. Scientific analysis of bryophytes has extended much further. These plants' unusual qualities of growth, energy use, and reproduction have allowed scientists to perform studies in cytology (cell structure and function) and even genetics.

Of the several bryophytes, peat moss is particularly valuable to humans. Growing, harvesting, and processing peat moss is a major business in some regions of the world. Peat moss is valued for many practical applications. It can be dried and burned as a fuel to provide heating or other forms of energy. It has historically been used for insulation, bedding, and packing material for plants and fish. Due to its unique absorbent qualities, peat moss has also been used as stable litter, diapers, and even bandages.

Peat moss can be an important asset in landscaping and agriculture. On a large scale, peat moss application can help reduce erosion by covering land and holding it more tightly to its underlying substrate. It can also help turn bare or rocky land into a useable base for soil and plant growth. A properly maintained peat bog can become the basis for very productive and healthy farmland.

The agricultural benefits of peat moss make it popular among many gardeners. Gardeners may use it as a soil additive or as a material for seedbeds. In a garden, peat moss is likely to help soil retain moisture and nutrients that would otherwise dissipate. It also helps to improve the consistency of soil. The acidity of peat moss helps certain kinds of plants thrive in acidic soil and keeps away harmful microorganisms.

Many people frown upon the harvesting of natural peat bogs. Peat bogs grow at an extremely slow rate, estimated at less than a millimeter per year. Most peat bogs have been growing since ancient times, and the slow rate of recovery means that peat cannot be considered a truly renewable resource. In addition, mining peat bogs can release harmful carbon into the atmosphere. Many gardeners opt to use renewable compost instead.

The powerful preservative aspects of peat moss—the airless and acidic conditions that kill bacteria and slow decay—have created a unique opportunity for scientists to study the past. The most famous examples of such study involve the so-called "bog bodies," remains of people who died or were buried in peat bogs, often thousands of years ago, and were naturally mummified by the peat. Hundreds of bog bodies have been recovered and researched throughout northern Europe. Some of these remains show important glimpses of past cultures and behaviors that would otherwise be lost.

Bibliography

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Lange, Karen E. "Tales from the Bog." National Geographic, Sept. 2007, ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/09/bog-bodies/bog-bodies-text.html. Accessed 7 Mar. 2017.

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Ramsey, Ken. "Sphagnum Moss vs. Peat Moss." National Gardening Association, 27 July 2014, garden.org/ideas/view/drdawg/1972/Sphagnum-Moss-vs-Peat-Moss/. Accessed 7 Mar. 2017.

Taloumis, George. "Improve the Soil with Peat Moss." New York Times, 28 Mar. 1982, www.nytimes.com/1982/03/28/arts/improve-the-soil-with-peat-moss.html. Accessed 7 Mar. 2017.

"Uses for Peat Moss." SFGATE, homeguides.sfgate.com/uses-peat-moss-40994.html. Accessed 7 Mar. 2017.