Peat-based growing media reliable, available, sustainable

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Della Sherman
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1 Peat-based growing media reliable, available, sustainable

Growing media reliable, available, sustainable Companies are no longer judged solely by profits and job security.

their own actions, keeping future generations in mind.

Important developments here include the composting of residual green waste which began over 20 years ago, certification to the ISO 9001

Alongside qualitative requirements, we also evaluate life cycle assessments for base materials used in substrates, making this a

On the following pages we look at the issue of peat use, the subject of an ongoing debate which not only affects us as producer but

2 Growing media reliable, available, sustainable Companies are no longer judged solely by profits and job security. A factor regarded as equally important is the extent to which they are committed to addressing the ecological and social aspects of their own actions, keeping future generations in mind. Our corporate strategy is therefore geared towards the principles of sustainability. Important developments here include the composting of residual green waste which began over 20 years ago, certification to the ISO 9001 standard ten years ago, and the launch of the ISO environmental management system in Alongside qualitative requirements, we also evaluate life cycle assessments for base materials used in substrates, making this a criterion in decisions about their use. On the following pages we look at the issue of peat use, the subject of an ongoing debate which not only affects us as producer but which our customers are now well aware of too. Overall, the exchange of arguments has become more objective. However, we notice time and again that not all the salient facts are taken into account. In this booklet we briefly present some important considerations: aspects that highlight how peat is essential in commercial horticulture and how it ensures the sustainable development of our customers businesses and our own production.

3 Required properties of growing media Chemical Optimum ph value Biological Free from weed seeds Free from pathogens Optimum nutrient levels Good nutrient buffering Free from harmful substances Peat is the most effective base for substrates Physical High structural stability Optimum ratio between air and water capacity Good wettability Economic Long-term availability Uniform properties Quality in line with plants requirements Good value for money Optimised weight reduces transport costs Peat combines the properties that commercial growers expect from a growing medium Peat-based substrates deliver unique reliability in cultivating a wide range of crops Peat-based growing media of consistently high quality can be continuously produced and supplied After processing, the different types of peat have physical, chemical and biological properties which make them ideal for horticulture and which, overall, are unmatched by any other base material Klasmann-Deilmann s substrates are subject to the rigorous quality guidelines of the R.H.P. organisation (Regeling Handels Potgronden, Netherlands;

Proportion of different base materials used ingrowing media in Germany 93.4 % black peat and white peat 2.3 % wood fibre 1.5 % green-waste compost Ideally, substrates need peat 1.0 % composted bark 0.

Base materials such as wood fibre, green-waste compost and coconut pith are a valuable complement to peat Only in combination with peat do these base materials achieve the desired horticultural

4 Proportion of different base materials used ingrowing media in Germany 93.4 % black peat and white peat 2.3 % wood fibre 1.5 % green-waste compost Ideally, substrates need peat 1.0 % composted bark 0.8 % rice husk 0.7 % coconut products 0.3 % other Source: IVG 2011 Klasmann-Deilmann uses complementary base materials in quantities that are beneficial for plant cultivation. Base materials such as wood fibre, green-waste compost and coconut pith are a valuable complement to peat Only in combination with peat do these base materials achieve the desired horticultural effect Growing media without peat are less reliable in terms of crop cultivation Based on the current situation, doing without peat in growing media would lead to a dramatic supply gap in substrates, as alternative base materials are not available in sufficient quantities

Alternative base materials are in short supply Since the early 1990s, Klasmann-Deilmann has been operating its own composting facilities at which residual green waste is recycled and processed into

For more than ten years now, Klasmann-Deilmann has been using wood fibre with great success as a base material in substrates. In 2010, its own production facility went into operation.

5 Alternative base materials are in short supply Since the early 1990s, Klasmann-Deilmann has been operating its own composting facilities at which residual green waste is recycled and processed into compost suitable for substrates. The high quality of these green-waste composts is underlined by the brand TerrAktiv. For more than ten years now, Klasmann-Deilmann has been using wood fibre with great success as a base material in substrates. In 2010, its own production facility went into operation. The innovative production process used enables the texture of Klasmann GreenFibre, and thus its physical properties, to be precisely adjusted. The available quantity of alternative base materials is not nearly sufficient to produce growing media without peat in the required quantities neither for Germany, Europe or the rest of the world Increasingly, important alternative base materials such as wood fibre and green-waste compost will be in short supply and go up in price as these raw materials become more attractive for energy recovery Production of alternative base materials such as coco fibre involves high inputs of energy, chemicals and labour, and these materials must then be transported long distances this runs counter to sustainability goals Klasmann-Deilmann produces the base materials TerrAktiv (green-waste compost), TerrAktiv FT (fermented wood fibre) and Klasmann GreenFibre (wood fibre) at its own facilities.

Annual availability in Germany Advantages Disadvantages Compost for growing media 400,000 m³ (and falling) Highly suitable base material Must meet strict quality criteria Up to 30 % by

sharply declining owing to use of bark for energy recovery Around 55,000 to 100,000 m³ for potting soils and growing media Highly suitable base material, provided quality criteria are

suitable base material for growing media Can be used up to 50 % by volume Prices are rising because this use competes with thermal recovery Coconut fibre, Coconut pith Around 25,000 to

distances High inputs required per unit area, high and fluctuating salt levels and high water consumption in production In Germany alone, more than 9 million cubic metres of growing

6 Annual availability in Germany Advantages Disadvantages Compost for growing media 400,000 m³ (and falling) Highly suitable base material Must meet strict quality criteria Up to 30 % by volume is horticulturally useful High weight means high freight costs Relatively high salt and chloride levels Subject to fluctuations in quality Composted bark, bark Availability sharply declining owing to use of bark for energy recovery Around 55,000 to 100,000 m³ for potting soils and growing media Highly suitable base material, provided quality criteria are met Ideal only in combination with peat, which compensates for its insufficient water capacity Wood fibre Around 90,000 to 120,000 m³ for potting soils and growing media Very highly suitable base material for growing media Can be used up to 50 % by volume Prices are rising because this use competes with thermal recovery Coconut fibre, Coconut pith Around 25,000 to 50,000 m³ for potting soils and growing media Highly suitable base material Peat is ideal for compensating for the insufficient water capacity of coco products Must be transported long distances High inputs required per unit area, high and fluctuating salt levels and high water consumption in production In Germany alone, more than 9 million cubic metres of growing media and potting soils are produced every year. However, the quantity of base materials such as wood fibre, green-waste compost, coco, composted bark etc. is less than 0.7 million cubic metres a year.

Peat is available Modern commercial horticulture would be unable to produce plants successfully without peat-based growing media Raw peat materials are available in sufficient quantity to meet the

Canada Worldwide, there are around 4,074,000 km² of peatland, 86 % of which is in a natural state.

7 Peat is available Modern commercial horticulture would be unable to produce plants successfully without peat-based growing media Raw peat materials are available in sufficient quantity to meet the global demand for growing media The large peat deposits suitable for the substrate industry are in the northern hemisphere, mainly in Scandinavia, in the Baltic region, in Ireland, in Germany and in Canada Worldwide, there are around 4,074,000 km² of peatland, 86 % of which is in a natural state. Just under 10 % of bogs have been drained in recent decades, especially for agricultural or forestry use; the resulting peat extraction areas cover some 2,000 km² (= 0.05 % of the world s total area of peatlands) Source: IPS 2010 Strategy for Responsible Peatland Management Peat moss is not officially a renewable resource. However, more peat moss grows worldwide than peat is extracted. There is an annual gain of around 2 billion cubic metres of Sphagnum every year. Source: Klasmann-Deilmann has resources at its disposal that safeguard its supply of peat for decades to come.

Emissions are low Intact bogs store carbon in the form of plant remains that partially break down to create peat, which makes them carbon sinks.

Although these do affect the climate, they are the result of natural cyclical processes.

Carbon sinks thus become (CO 2 ) sources.

8 Emissions are low Intact bogs store carbon in the form of plant remains that partially break down to create peat, which makes them carbon sinks. In low quantities, the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ) products of the microbiological decomposition process are emitted. Although these do affect the climate, they are the result of natural cyclical processes. By means of oxidation processes in areas used for agriculture or peat extraction, drained bogs release carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in increasing quantities. Carbon sinks thus become (CO 2 ) sources. Restored and regenerated extraction areas can, through new plant growth and subsequent new peat formation, again store carbon and become carbon sinks. Of all greenhouse gases emitted from degraded and intact bogs in Germany, 84 % are of agricultural origin 9 % are from unused or extensively used bogs 7 % are from peat extraction Source: leaflet on climate change, DGMT, 2009 Klasmann-Deilmann s environmental management system iscertified to ISO 14001:2009. Former extraction areas are re-waterlogged and can, following regeneration, act as carbon sinks once again.

Extraction is followed by restoration Peatlands are restored after use By 2009, 13,000 ha of former extraction areas had been re-waterlogged and restored by the German peat industry It is planned to

re-waterlogging and peatland restoration After peat extraction has ceased, the bulk of the former production areas are re-waterlogged and restored.

9 Extraction is followed by restoration Peatlands are restored after use By 2009, 13,000 ha of former extraction areas had been re-waterlogged and restored by the German peat industry It is planned to restore a total of 40,000 ha Source: IVG 2011 Klasmann-Deilmann currently uses 5,800 ha of extraction areas in Lower Saxony which have been designated for after-use as follows: 4,200 ha for long-term re-waterlogging and peatland restoration After peat extraction has ceased, the bulk of the former production areas are re-waterlogged and restored. The aim here is regeneration, allowing the development of typical bog landscapes in which the peat moss can grow again and which are protected areas. Other former commercial peatlands are afforested, prepared for agricultural after-use or left to the process of natural succession In fact, it is only those extraction areas previously used by the peat industry that are restored former bogs subject to other land-use such as agriculture tend to be permanently lost 1,500 ha for agriculture 100 ha for forestry In recent years, Klasmann-Deilmann has restored more than 2,200 hectares of former extraction areas and thus transformed them into living biotopes.

Peatlands remain intact There are 1,043,200 ha of fenland in Germany Fens are used not for peat production but (almost exclusively) for agriculture There are 321,250 ha of raised bog in Germany Of

4 % of the total area of raised bogs Source: Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW), 186/08 Höper 2007 In Germany, intact bogs have been designated protection areas since the 1970s and

10 Peatlands remain intact There are 1,043,200 ha of fenland in Germany Fens are used not for peat production but (almost exclusively) for agriculture There are 321,250 ha of raised bog in Germany Of this, 26,900 ha of already degraded raised bogs is used for peat extraction = 8.4 % of the total area of raised bogs Source: Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW), 186/08 Höper 2007 In Germany, intact bogs have been designated protection areas since the 1970s and remain unaffected by peat extraction Raw peat materials are extracted solely in fields that were drained long ago during reclamation measures Peat extraction in former bogs is approved and monitored by the relevant nature conservation authorities, and is subject to stringent requirements Klasmann-Deilmann is a member of the European Peat and Growing Media Association (EPAGMA), the International PeatSociety (IPS) and the German Peat Society (DGMT), and supports the activities of these organisations with a view to achieving sustainability.

+ 49 (0) 5937 31-0 Fax + 49 (0) 5937 31-279

11 Klasmann-Deilmann GmbH Georg-Klasmann-Str Geeste Germany Tel (0) Fax + 49 (0) info@klasmann-deilmann.com PEFC/ This brochure is printed on PEFC-certified paper.