Peat

In recent days, CCTV Channel 7 introduced the benefits of using peat for raising seedlings in pots, planting, and growing flowers and trees, but I do not know whether it can beused for growing orchids, and I hope everyone can offer their reference. Peat soil is also known as turf soil. Peat, also called black soil or turf, is the remains of plants from ancient low-temperature wetlands, buried underground and accumulated over tens of millions of years; under conditions of lower temperatures, less rainfall, or lack of air, the plant residues slowly decomposed to form this special organic matter, mostly brownish-yellow or light brown. It is distributed more widely in northern China, while in southern China it is only scattered beneath the surface soil in some low-lying valleys. It is a very goodcultivationsubstrate. The main plants that form peat soil are peat moss, ice moss, sedges, and other aquatic plants. According to the burial conditions of peat formation, plant species, and degree of decomposition, peat can be divided into three major categories: low-moor, high-moor, and intermediate-moor peat. ① High-moor peat: formed by temperate high-latitude plants buried beneath strata and carbonized through long-term accumulation. It is mainly composed of Eriophorum and Sphagnum plants, has a low degree of decomposition, low content of nitrogen and ash elements, and is strongly acidic, with a pH between 4 and 5. Its bulk density is relatively small, and its water absorption and air permeability are good; it can generally hold more than 10 times its dry weight in water, making it suitable as a soillesscultivationsubstrate, but the pH value must be adjusted to about 5.5 to 6.0, and it can also be used to prepare potting soil. ② Low-moor peat: distributed in low-lying waterlogged swamp areas, mainly composed of Carex and Phragmites plants that require more inorganic salts for growth, as well as various plant residues and fallen leaves washed down by alluvial action, formed through long-term accumulation. It has a relatively high degree of decomposition, relatively high content of nitrogen and ash elements, is not strongly acidic, and has relatively high fertilizer availability; after air-drying and crushing, it can be used directly as fertilizer. Because of its high bulk density and poor water absorption and aeration, it is not suitable to be used alone as acultivationsubstrate. ③ Intermediate-moor peat: a transitional peat between the two, with properties also between the two, and it can be used both for soilless cultivation and for preparing potting soil. They are fundamentally different from leaf mold, which is organic matter formed by piling up fallen leaves and allowing them to decompose and ferment. It is soft and light, with good drainage and air permeability, and can be used directly as potting soil, but it cannot be used as a soilless cultivation substrate. I only now know that coal is transformed from peat!! What I bought is pre-mixed peat for growing flowers and trees, 1 yuan per 1 jin. What is peat? Peat is the lowest rank of coalified coal, and peat can also be called peat, grass coal, or turf. It is composed of three parts: water, minerals, and organic matter. It is both an energy source and an essential raw material and chemical raw material for many sectors of industry and agriculture, and it is a valuable natural mineral resource. Peatlands also have important nature conservation functions. Peat contains a certain amount of humic acid, also known as humic acid. It is an organic substance formed from the remains of animals and plants, mainly plant remains, through the action of microorganisms and media, and through changes of decomposition and synthesis. Coal humic acid exists in peat, weathered coal, and lignite. Humic acid contains elements such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen, and has functional groups such as aromatic nuclei, hydroxyl, carboxyl, carbonyl, and methoxyl groups; these functional groups determine that humic acid has weak acidity, hydrophilicity, ion exchange capacity, complexing ability, redox properties, and biological activity. II. The history of human use of peat For a long time, peat was once used as one of the important fuels, mainly for heating, and in modern times it has also been used for power generation; because peat (Sphagnum type) itself is a special material, after distillation it can be made into activated carbon, used for purifying sandy substances, etc.; in 18th-century Czechoslovakia, people heated peat baths to 40-42°C for bathing, and it was said to treat various rheumatic diseases, spinal diseases, arthritis, gynecological diseases, etc. Since the 1960s, Western countries began to use peat in horticulture as a substrate material for large-scale industrial horticultural production. III. The formation of peat Peatlands can be divided into Sphagnum peatlands (Bogs) and swamp peatlands (Fens). The main difference between these two types of peatlands lies in the different conditions of peatland formation. Generally speaking, plants that rely only on rainwater irrigation form Sphagnum peatlands, while plants that mainly rely on leaf surface water form swamp peatlands. When swamp peatlands form, they mainly rely on abundant surface water, and this kind of peatland is formed by the accumulation of some reeds, sedges, and so on; while when Sphagnum peatlands form, their surface layer has no direct connection with surface water, and the surface layer of Sphagnum peatlands always grows a special plant - Sphagnum. Because this cell structure is very large, its water-holding capacity is also particularly strong; therefore, during rainfall, Sphagnum plants, through their special water-holding capacity, can raise the water level of the peatland surface to just a few centimeters below its top. The vertical exchange rate of water in Sphagnum peatlands is quite slow; rainwater generally takes about one day to infiltrate one meter downward from the surface layer, and perhaps it takes several weeks for rainwater to reach the bottom of the peatland. For the formation of Sphagnum peatlands and their conditions, in addition to Sphagnum plants themselves, the peatland should not drain easily, the environmental climate should have precipitation greater than evaporation, and clean water quality containing no nutrients is the key to the growth of Sphagnum plants. The pH value of Sphagnum peatlands is generally 3-4. This growth environment makes it impossible for the vast majority of plants to grow and reproduce in it, while Sphagnum plants can grow in this specific environment, and through thousands of years of continuous growth and accumulation, finally form Sphagnum peatlands most suitable as raw material for horticultural substrates. IV. Classification of peat According to the classification method of Swedish scientist Von Post, based on the degree of decomposition of peat and the composition of peat, it is divided into ten grades H1-H10; see the peat classification table for details. Peat classification table Decomposition degree Measured value Type Very little decomposed H1 White peat H2 Baltic countries H3 Medium-dark peat Slightly decomposed H4 Such as: Irish Sphagnum peat H5 H6 Moderate H7 Black peat H8 Such as: low-moor sedge peat H9 High H10 Von Post also indicated the relationship of percentage changes in humic acid and sugar content for different grades of peat The lower the decomposition degree of peat, the higher its sugar content; conversely, the higher the decomposition degree of peat, the higher the humic acid content, and therefore the lower the pH value of the peat. Yuan Donglin