Abstract (eng)
Peat is still the number one constituent used in the horticultural industry for the production of growing media and more than 25 million cubic meters of peat were used in the European Union in 2013. (SCHMILEWSKI 2017) Negative consequences on greenhouse gas emissions caused by the extraction of peat within drained peatlands, together with the reduction of the availability of peat increases the demand for alternative materials (BLIEVERNICHT et al. 2011; Gaudig et al. 2014). Using harvested Sphagnum biomass as a renewable material to substitute peat in growing media might be an innovative alternative, especially when grown on rewetted peatlands (KÄMÄRÄINEN et al. 2018). In this study maximum water holding capacitiy, water retention at pF 2.5 and wettability of processed Sphagnum palustre biomass was compared with peat and coir, showing advantageous physical properties of Sphagnum. Thermogravimetric and bomb calorimetric measurements, together with elemental analysis indicated that Sphagnum biomass is less stable than peat and coir and that fertilization leads to a decrease of gross heat values and a destabilization of organic matter.