Raised bog peat is the primary constituent for substrate production. It has many advantages without which today\u2019s industrially produced substrates would not be possible. Raised bog peat forms in moors as peat moss (Sphagnum) decomposes incompletely in waterlogged conditions. It consists of 90 per cent organic matter. It is purely the result of rainwater. Very low nutrient levels make raised bog peat ideal for substrate production.<\/p>\n
Raised bogs can grow to a thickness of several meters. The degree of decomposition decreases from the bottom to the top of the peat body, because the younger peats form in the upper part. Black peat makes up the lower part of the peat body in Germany. Originating in the period from about 5,500 until approximately 500 B.C., it is older and more highly decomposed. White peat formed between about 500 B.C. and today and is less highly decomposed. The degree of decomposition indicates to what extent the structure of the peat mosses has decomposed over time. It is given on a ten-degree humidification scale according to von POST (H value).<\/p>\n
The properties of different peat origins differ. The reason is that the peat mosses and their accompanying plants forming the peat differed and so did the conditions for decomposition. In Germany, the bulk of raised bog peat is cut in the north-west. However, some peat deposits in the Alpine foothills are also extracted. The German substrate and soil industry today mainly uses German and Baltic peats in substrate production. Baltic white peat formed from small-leaved peat mosses. As a result, it is softer and lighter coloured with a somewhat finer structure than German peat.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>