Peat moss is called swamp or sphagnum moss. The systematics of its species remains a controversial issue, since botanists have completely different points of view. Varying from pale green to dark red, these plants can reach a height of 30 cm. They form dense plantations around ponds, in marshes, on wet, acidic rocks and on lakes from tropical to subpolar regions.
Peat Moss (Sphagnum flexuosum)
The leaves, roots and stems of moss contain many interconnected, enlarged dead cells with external openings through which water can penetrate. When dried, the plant contracts, creating internal pressure that releases spores, dropping them up to 10 cm from the plant. The metabolic processes of peat moss growth cause an increase in the acidity of the surrounding water, which reduces the bacterial effect and prevents decay.
Compression and chemical destruction of dead plants and other plant debris cause the formation of organic matter, which is called peat moss. It is collected and dried for use as fuel. Dried peat moss was previously used for surgical dressings, diapers, wicks, lamps, bedding and bedding.
Using
Nowadays, moss is usually used as packaging material by florists, as well as soil fertilizer by gardeners who appreciate its ability to increase soil moisture, porosity and acidity.
Peat mosses are valuable in the fight against erosion, and properly drained peat bogs represent useful agricultural land.
Natural soil conditioner
Peat moss is called cuckoo flax, sphagnum, male thyroid and liver moss. This plant has the ability to retain moisture, exceeding its own weight by 20 times, and slowly remove water to the surrounding plants that need it. As peat moss grows, its roots expand; it can aerate soils and clay.
When spores fall into moisture-rich soil, sphagnum moss begins to grow even under forest cover. In this place, as a rule, the soil gradually begins to swamp. Sphagnum, along with retained water, will retain nutrients in the soil for longer, slowly washing them over time.
This plant has a strange advantage over other landscape materials, it consists in its ability to filter septic waste. That is, it destroys waste and purifies water.
What is called peat moss?
This is a dead fibrous material that is formed by the decomposition of mosses and other living materials in peat bogs. The difference between peat moss and garden compost in the backyard is that peat moss consists mainly of moss, and decomposition occurs without the presence of air, slowing down the rate of decomposition.
The formation of peat moss requires several millennia, and peat bogs annually receive more than one millimeter. Because the process is so slow, peat moss is not considered a renewable resource.
This plant does not contain harmful microorganisms or weed seeds that can be found in poorly processed compost. Peat moss is an important component of most potted soils and seed crops.
Peat moss is called sphagnum because most of the dead material in the swamp comes from the sphagnum moss that grew above it. Do not confuse sphagnum peat moss with sphagnum moss, which consists of long fibrous strands of plant material that is often used by florists.
Taxonomy and phylogeny
Peat moss is a plant that has its own distinctive features compared to other species. It has its own unique structure, color, shape of branches and leaves, as well as the shape of green cells. All these characteristics are used to identify peat moss.
The phylogenetic distance is relatively short, and molecular dating methods suggest that almost all existing sphagnum species occur due to radiation exposure that occurred about 14 million years ago.
Geographic distribution
Sphagnum mosses are found in the Northern Hemisphere in peat bogs, coniferous forests and humid areas of the tundra. Their northernmost populations lie on the Svalbard archipelago (Arctic Norway) at 81 ° north latitude. In the southern hemisphere, the largest peat regions are located in southern Chile and in Argentina, as well as in New Zealand, Tasmania and in mountainous, subtropical Brazil.
Spore Distribution
As in many other mosses, species of Sphagnum scatter spores in the wind. The tops of the disputed capsules are only 1 cm above the ground. As the spherical spore capsule dries up, the porch is crowded out, and then a cloud of spores appears. The latter are extremely important for the creation of new populations in disturbed habitats and on islands.
Use of peat moss
Decayed, dried sphagnum is called peat moss. It is used as a soil conditioner, which increases its ability to retain water and nutrients by increasing capillary forces and cation exchange capacity. This can come in handy when working with very sandy soil or plants that need an increased or stable moisture content. Dried sphagnum moss is also used in the northern regions of the Arctic as an insulating material.
Anaerobic acid sphagnum bogs have low decay rates and therefore retain plant fragments and pollen to allow reconstruction of past environments. They can even preserve human bodies for millennia. Such swamps can also retain hair and clothing, however, due to the acidity of peat, the bones dissolve. At one time, these swamps were even used to preserve food.
Sphagnum moss, in addition, has been used for centuries as dressings for wounds, including during the First World War. Since this substance is absorbent and extremely acidic, it inhibits the growth of bacteria and fungi. Peat moss is used to dispose of treated liquids in areas where the proper conditions for conventional disposal facilities are not available. It is also used as an environmentally friendly alternative to chlorine in swimming pool sanitation (inhibits microbial growth and reduces the need for chlorine).
Sphagnum, cuckoo flax and all other types of green and white peat mosses have a more complex structure than algae. Mosses have stems and leaves, which neither algae nor mushrooms have. They do not have real roots; in green moss, they are replaced by rhizoids. They reproduce by spores. Following lichens, mosses settle where no other plants grow.