What moss is sphagnum. Swamp moss sphagnum: use in medicine

Sphagnum moss is well known to flower lovers and not only. It is also used in medicine, animal husbandry, construction. Other names for sphagnum are white moss, peat moss, sphagnum. This plant is involved in maintaining the balance of the forest ecosystem. It is from it that peat reserves are formed. Moss occupies a certain place in the food chain.

Where does sphagnum grow and what does it look like?

White moss lives in swampy forest areas. It can be found in different places the globe, but it is more common in the northern territories. Translated from Greek, sphagnum sounds like "natural sponge". This name is not accidental, it is caused by the hygroscopic properties of the plant. Compared to other mosses, sphagnum has a much lighter color.

This moss has no roots. Dying off, over time, sphagnum is converted into peat. The processes of decay do not affect it due to the antibacterial properties inherent in this plant. Some do not know why sphagnum is called white moss, and the thing is that when it dries, the plant turns white. During the growth of moss, low erect shoots are formed, which form a dense cushion, not exceeding 5 cm. The plant in the description is represented by several varieties. For example, bulging sphagnum forms higher and loose curtains.

Sphagnum does not have a single stem, but consists of phyllidia and caulidia, which absorb mineral salts and water, thus receiving nutrition. The role of rhizoids is performed by young sections of the stem and leaves. Over time, their suction function is lost, and they only help the swamp moss to stay in the substrate. Spores mature in special boxes that form at the ends of the upper branches.

If we consider the structure of sphagnum under a microscope, its leaves consist of 2 types of cells. Green and living contain chloroplasts that are involved in photosynthesis. Dead cells are large and colorless formations. Their role is to retain large amounts of moisture. The shoots of the plant have an openwork pattern and give an airy appearance sphagnum. During the rainy season, moss absorbs water and then gradually releases it into the environment, thus maintaining the water balance of the ecosystem.

Reproduction of the "natural sponge"

Scientists have long established how sphagnum reproduces. Reproduction occurs by spores and vegetatively. The reproduction rate of marsh sphagnum largely depends on the composition of the soil. The “sponge” spreads most quickly in moist grassy areas with low soil acidity, near trees, near swamps. The most productive way is reproduction by spores:

The mechanism of vegetative reproduction is effective only at short distances. In this case, moss is propagated by sections of the stem.

Areas of use

"Natural sponge" is widely used in various economic areas. The collection of sphagnum is carried out in some places in industrial scale. However, it is often harvested for personal needs. It is interesting to know where sphagnum moss can come in handy, what it is used for:

For self-collection of raw materials, you can go to the nearest forest with wetlands, where it is not difficult to meet white moss. The process of collecting and subsequent storage of the "natural sponge" does not present any particular difficulties.

How to collect and store

Soft forest moss does not require the use of any special devices in the collection process. It is collected with bare hands or wearing gloves. An adult can easily pull moss out of the ground. After harvesting, the sphagnum must be squeezed out to remove excess moisture and spread out in the sun to dry. If you plan to use the plant in decorative purposes, it is not wrung out and dried for a shorter time.

When harvesting, it is better not to pull out the plant completely, but to cut it with scissors. upper part pillows. Then the remnants of moss in the ground will continue to grow, releasing new branches, and it will gradually recover. If the plant is intended to be used as a substrate, it must be doused with boiling water to kill the insects living in it.

It is better not to dry sphagnum in special household dryers, as in this case it will dry unevenly. The collected raw materials can be stored in the freezer.

Sphagnum(Sphagnum), a genus of sphagnum, or peat (white), mosses. Includes 320 species. Mostly marsh mosses, growing in dense dense clusters, forming large cushions or continuous carpets on sphagnum bogs. Less commonly, sphagnum is found in moist forests. An upright soft stem 10-20 cm high with bundle-shaped branches and single-layer sphagnum leaves contain a large number of dead aquifers with pores that easily absorb water, which leads to a high moisture capacity of sphagnum and contributes to the rapid development of raised bogs in places where these mosses appear. Sphagnum stems die off annually in the lower part, forming peat. The growth of the stem is continued by the apical branches.
(Large soviet encyclopedia)

Due to its unique properties, sphagnum has been widely used in indoor floriculture.

Sphagnum does not contain nutrients, is acidic (pH about 3.0). The ability of moss to absorb and retain water (some types of sphagnum absorb moisture up to 20 times their own weight) allows you to provide the necessary soil moisture. Chopped sphagnum is used as a component of an earthen substrate and to cover the soil surface (thus, the humidity of the air around the plants further increases). Moss also absorbs excess salts and can be easily replaced with fresh moss as it becomes saline.

Earth mixtures, including sphagnum, have high air and moisture permeability. earthen lump moistened evenly, no water stagnation. The substrate remains loose and light for a long time. Excellent for the formation of new roots in young plants. Sphagnum moss helps to form a slightly acidic environment in the soil, which is especially important for growing Gesneriaceae (saintpaulia). Both live and dry sphagnum can be used as a substrate component.

Excellent bactericidal properties of sphagnum are known. Thanks to the content it contains sphagnum, a special anti-putrefactive substance, sphagnum prevents the rotting of the root system of plants and the development of pathogenic microbes in the soil and on its surface.

For some plants, for example, for a number of epiphytes (in particular, orchids), sphagnum itself serves as an ideal substrate. Moss is used for rooting cuttings and young plants (finely chopped or rubbed through a sieve, without adding earth), as well as for seed germination. Aerial roots of various aroid vines can be wrapped in moss and sprayed to maintain the moisture they need.

To sterilize sphagnum, it is poured with boiling water for 3-5 minutes, then laid out, slightly wrung out, to dry on the windowsill. Dry sphagnum has many advantages - it retains moisture well and is breathable, and is also stored for a long time.

However, in my opinion, it is much more useful, and live moss looks more aesthetically pleasing. To keep the sphagnum alive, I keep it in water with a temperature of 45 degrees for 30 minutes (you can still treat it with "ronilon"), put it in plastic bags and store in a cool place. Moss remains alive for three to four months. To increase the shelf life, moss can be frozen without any harm to it. The invaluable advantage of living moss is its antiseptic properties. According to my personal observations, everything grows better in live sphagnum.

There are a huge number of recipes for earthen substrates using sphagnum. Here are some of them - personally tested and proved to be very good:

- FOR SAINTPAUL:

Earth mix from Canadian flower growers
Leafy soil - 1 part, fertile garden soil - 1 part, river sand - 1 part, chopped sphagnum moss - 1 part.

Earth mix from B.M. and T.N. Makuni
On a bucket of mixture: coarse-fibred red peat - 2 parts, soddy land - 1 part, chopped sphagnum moss - 1 part, river sand - 0.5 parts, half a package of Saintpaulia soil (2-2.5 liters), 1 tablespoon simple superphosphate, 1 tablespoon dolomite flour, 0.5 liters crushed charcoal.
(According to the materials of the book "Saintpaulia - Uzambar violets", authors: B.M. Makuni, T.M. Klevenskaya)

- FOR GLOXINIA:

Take the land "Vermione" or the land "Garden of Miracles": "Begonia", "Saintpaulia" or "Rose". Add a glass of sand, a handful of chopped sphagnum, a teaspoon of fine charcoal, 1/2 teaspoon of dolomite flour and 1 teaspoon of Flower fertilizer to a bag of such land. If desired, perlite, vermiculite or simply foam chips "to taste" can be added to the mixture for greater friability.

- FOR ORCHIDS AND Cattleyas:

Pine bark, charcoal, a little sphagnum, finely chopped fern roots are also recommended. Down put a large rough bark, upstairs - medium. The substrate should fit under the base of the rhizome, but not cover it.

- Sphagnum for young orchids according to V.A. Bogdanov:

Sphagnum scald, cool, squeeze, spill full mineral fertilizer"Kemira Lux" (necessarily a twenty-gram package - there you need chemical composition) with a concentration of 0.5 g / l, squeeze lightly, keep in a closed plastic bag for 3-4 days. Transplant the orchid every 2 months into freshly prepared sphagnum until roots grow 5-7 cm long. After that, transplant the plant into pieces of pine bark.

Tips for using sphagnum from my gardening friends:

1. ... Moss can be placed in land mixture, can be laid on top to keep moisture longer, can be put on the bottom of the pot when transplanting. Moss serves both as a disinfectant and as a baking powder. I also root cuttings in it, they do not rot in sphagnum.
Demina Natalia, Saratov

2. ... I use moss for orchid babies according to Bogdanov A.V. Yes, also - in a terrarium with tillandsias: there, at the bottom, a living green moss more for beauty.
Kudryashova Anna, Moscow

3. ... I use moss very simply - I add it to the substrate for orchids, and also spread it on top of the bark; I also fill the holes between the sticks of wooden baskets with moss.
Svetlana Glushkova, St. Petersburg

4. ... How delighted with the moss of anthuriums !!! Within a week, new air roots appeared. Live and pure sphagnum does not crumble, forms a loose, moisture-absorbing pillow.
Tvabelova Olga, Podolsk

5. ... I used the moss for another purpose: I put it on the bottom of the cellar under the potatoes. I read on the Internet that vegetables are better preserved this way. The cellar is on the balcony. Moss was needed so that if there is not enough moisture for vegetables, then the moss gives off moisture, and if there is a lot of moisture in the cellar, then the moss takes it into itself. Like this. The experience was a success, the vegetables are in order.
Vasilyeva Natalia, Moscow

6. ...Scary story: my husband gave me last New Year large Dutch zamiokulkas, bought in a store. I was madly happy for the first two weeks - I wanted to get this flower for a long time. And new kidneys made their way from the gift, and everything seemed to be fine. Then I noticed that someone was crawling briskly on the surface of the soil in a pot! I began to look, and there - just no one. By that time, I was already going to transplant the flower, it seemed that I should have already acclimatized. She dug the ground - and there is the whole menagerie !!! I was just in shock: all possible creeping-biting infection plus a couple of fattened earthworms!
Zamioculcas has underground tubers, and while my copy was being transported and sold, some of the tubers rotted, and in the Dutch greenhouse land all the larvae quickly turned into elephants on this rot. AT rubber gloves and with a feeling of the deepest disgust at the incessant swarming of something in the earth, I washed the roots and tubers of my flower, which had not yet had time to eat. To save the gift, I had to cut the bush into pieces and start breeding four new zamiokulkas instead of one. Then I also thought that the plant was dirty, that it would constantly rot ... Nothing like that! I read in a smart book that quite a lot of chopped sphagnum is added to the soil and decided that this is the way out: it is an excellent antiseptic. In short, the ground was coolly kneaded with moss, and now I have four brand new and clean zamiokulkas - they all sprouted and make me incredibly happy.
Komarova Vika, Moscow

Thus, high quality sphagnum and pine bark collected in an ecologically clean place contribute to the growth of healthy and beautiful plants.

Gorlacheva Margarita Arkadievna
www.moxsfagnum.narod.ru

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Sphagnum moss is a branched monoecious plant, a representative of white mosses.

Distributed in the taiga, in the tundra, in swampy areas.

Did you know?The largest number of sphagnum grows in temperate climate zone northern hemisphere of the Earth, the greatest diversity - in South America.

Moss sphagnum - what is it

Peat moss is a swamp plant from which peat is formed. Spore perennials grow every year in the upper part, dying off in the lower part. It is easy to answer how sphagnum peat moss feeds. The plant absorbs water, photosynthesizes, forms organic substances from water and oxygen. Water storage cells are located on the stem and leaves, surrounded by dark green photosynthetic cells, united in a single network. Sphagnum moss has a stalk and a spore box. It is sphagnum that plays an important role in swamping forests and turning lakes into swamps. Where sphagnum moss grows (most often coniferous or broad-leaved forests), humidity is increased.

Useful properties of moss for indoor plants

Sphagnum moss has been widely used in horticulture and floriculture due to a wide range of valuable properties. Flower growers are interested in what substances sphagnum contains. Peat moss contains phenolic substances, triterpene compounds, sugars, salts, pectins. Moss prevents the appearance of pus in wounds, it is often used as a dressing that does not need to be sterilized before use.

Did you know? It has a huge suction capacity, surpasses even cotton wool in this.

Useful properties of moss- perfectly passes air, resists bacteria, has a disinfecting and antifungal effect.

How to use sphagnum moss in home floriculture

The use of sphagnum moss in gardening will help to avoid many problems with the soil. It is necessary to cut the moss and add it to the substrate, which will loosen the soil, increase its moisture capacity, and form the desired structure. It will also take the accumulated water after watering, giving it to the roots. Sphagnum moss is a branched perennial. and understand what a plant is can waterlog the soil.

Important! Sphagnum increases the acidity of the soil; in the mixture, its volume should not exceed 10%.

Sphagnum moss is very useful for indoor plants. By lining the pot with moss, you can maintain the correct level of moisture around the crown, but do not keep it constantly on the surface of the soil, so as not to provoke the death of the roots. For saintpaulias, a mixture of 1 part of leafy soil, fertile garden soil, river sand and chopped sphagnum is suitable. Gloxinia will benefit from a mixture of Vermion earth, charcoal, 1 teaspoon of dolomite flour and a handful of chopped sphagnum with the addition of perlite or vermiculite.

Orchids will thank the owner for a mixture of pine bark, charcoal and finely chopped fern roots. Down you need to put a large rough bark, on top - a medium size. Try to make sure that the substrate fits under the base of the rhizome, but does not completely overlap it. Sphagnum moss may not have the desired effect without knowing how to use it. Before use, sphagnum mosses need to be scalded, brought to room temperature, squeezed out and left in a closed plastic bag for several days.

How to prepare peat moss

Remembering where sphagnum lives, it is worth thinking about choosing suitable place. The best place to collect moss is in close proximity to trees, where it has the least amount of wateriness, swampy terrain is not suitable. There are several ways to collect moss: either completely extract it with roots, which will entail further thorough cleaning, but the volume of harvested raw materials will be greater, or cutting off the upper part with a knife, but the resulting material will be many times less. You can collect and stack peat moss in bunches. Sphagnum must be harvested by hand.

Sphagnum grows in the Northern Hemisphere, where its many species are represented. In some places, its industrial production has already been organized. The plant is of great value for the production of perfumes, medicines, as well as thermal insulation in the construction of buildings. In addition, sphagnum is widely used in floriculture, due to its good absorbency.

Swamp sphagnum: moss description and useful composition

Sphagnum (or peat moss) is a perennial herbaceous plants, usually pale green in color when fresh. Forest and Siberian species of moss have a more intense coloration. When dried, the sphagnum discolors and turns white, which is why it is sometimes called so.

The stem of the sphagnum is branching, protruding and thin, up to 20 cm high. The branches themselves go in clusters, the leaves are small, have cells, soft and sessile, most importantly, not to be confused with marchantia. Unlike other varieties of mosses, sphagnum has practically no thin filaments consisting of one kind of cells.

Sphagnum very well absorbs minerals and water with its loose surface. A peat layer is formed from the root system. The plant looks very interesting under a microscope.

Mosses are made up of:

• Fiber;
• Sugars and proteins;
• triterpene compounds;
• pectin substances;
• mineral compounds.

During harvesting, the entire living part of the plant is collected and used. Plants are harvested from May to September in sunny, dry weather. Sphagnum is harvested by hand, pulling it out of the reservoir, after squeezing it out.

dried moss thin layer in the sun in a well-ventilated place.

The drying process is rather slow, after which its green parts turn white. Dried sphagnum is stored in plastic or paper bags. The shelf life of such raw materials is up to 1 year.

Moss: medicinal properties of a marsh plant

Sphagnum has three important properties that have been used in medicine today. The high hygroscopicity of the plant and the special cellular structure make it possible to use moss as a dressing. he can absorb a large number of pus, blood, plasma.

Unlike cotton wool, sphagnum has properties:

• Disinfectants;
• Antibacterial;
• Antifungal.

This effect is achieved due to the fact that the composition contains substances such as sphagnum and humic acids. The bactericidal properties of moss can be used for frostbite, burns, cuts.

For fractures, sphagnum will be an excellent tool as a splint in first aid.

There is a lot of evidence that moss found its use as a dressing material for humans as early as the 11th century. Today, its properties have been proven, which are much more effective than cotton wool.

Moss sphagnum: what is it used for and methods of application

For the production of sphagnum-gauze tampons, the moss is pre-sterilized, then impregnated with an alcohol solution of boric acid. This greatly enhances the antibacterial properties of the dressing. Moss does not need to be sterilized for home use.

Many cases are described in history that during the war, sphagnum saved when there was neither cotton wool nor iodine at hand.

The ambient air contains a large number of pathogenic microorganisms, including pathogenic flora. If the immune system is weakened or frequent allergies are present, then contact with the skin and mucous membranes may cause various diseases. As a fight against such consequences, you can use a sphagnum solution.

Cooking:

• Collect moss in the swamp;
• Wring out well;
• Wash the diseased and affected areas with the resulting liquid.

Such water can also be used to prevent complications after cuts and abrasions.

In addition to lotions, you can take a warm bath with sphagnum. Moss is cut into small pieces, all this is poured very hot water, let it brew. All this is then poured into the bath. After such procedures, sweating improves significantly and blood circulation processes improve.

The antifungal properties of sphagnum are used for mycosis of the skin, including the feet.

So sphagnum insoles are considered an excellent remedy. Preparing them is very simple - put a little dry moss into everyday shoes. Another plus is that the insole is soft and very comfortable. In addition, dry sphagnum copes well with increased sweating.

Human use of moss for plant care

Sphagnum is very good at keeping other plants fresh when used as a wrapping material. Such moss can be added to various soil mixtures. It is great for some plants. As a fertilizer, sphagnum is cut into small pieces and poured into the soil when planting. In addition, such a layer is laid out on a layer of soil in pots for better filtration hard water. Periodically, such a “filter” needs to be changed.

Humidity can be well increased by placing sphagnum in the empty space of a wall flower pot.

Moss will save your plants if you have a long trip ahead. Flower pots are wrapped on all sides with moss, and sphagnum is also laid out on the surface of the soil. In conclusion, everything is tightly covered with polyethylene.

During spring planting open ground used for such crops:

• Pumpkin;
• Nightshade.

To do this, small "nests" are made of moss. Thanks to such manipulations, the seeds feel comfortable and protected for a long time.

How sphagnum moss is applied (video)

Due to its unique properties, sphagnum is used in medicine, construction and plant growing enthusiasts. The plant is very unpretentious, it can be found in forests and swamps. The collection and preparation of the plant is simple. Describe to your loved ones the appearance of the plant, so that after the next forest walk, sphagnum will appear in your home.

Sphagnum (lat. Sphagnum) - a swamp plant, a genus of moss (usually whitish in color), from which peat is formed; peat moss.

Includes 320 species; in the USSR 42 species. Mostly marsh mosses, growing in dense dense clusters, forming large cushions or continuous carpets on sphagnum bogs; less often S. are found in humid forests. The upright (10–20 cm high) soft stem with bundle-shaped branches and single-layer leaves of S. contain a large number of dead aquiferous (hyaline) cells with pores that easily absorb water, which causes a high moisture capacity of S. and contributes to the rapid development of raised bogs in places where where these mosses appear. S.'s stems die off annually in the lower part (the growth of the stem is continued by the apical branches), forming peat. Distributed mainly in the tundra and forest zones of the Northern Hemisphere; in southern hemisphere found high in the mountains, less often on the plains of the temperate zone.

Fossilized remains of protosphagnum mosses have been found in deposits of the early Permian period.
More than 400 species of mosses are distributed on the territory of Russia, of which sphagnum is of the greatest ecological and economic importance.

Structure
Sphagnum - perennial with a strongly branching stem, which can be quite dense in some species of sphagnum, and soft, porous in others. The branches are located on the stem in a spiral clusters, the distance between which decreases closer to the top, and they form a shaggy head (capitulum). Small light green leaves covering the stem and branches consist of two types of cells that are clearly distinguishable under a microscope. The narrow green cells in which photosynthesis takes place are connected at their ends and form a mesh structure in which movement occurs. organic matter. Between them are large transparent dead cells, of which only shells remain. The stem is also covered on the outside with these cells. It is the abundance of dead reservoir cells that allows sphagnum to retain a supply of water for a long time and feed it to living cells. Moreover, this reserve is replenished: reservoir cells with holes draw in and condense water vapor from the surrounding air.

Sphagnum has no rhizoids ( thin threads consisting of one row of cells), with which other mosses (for example, cuckoo flax) are strengthened in the soil and absorb water and minerals from it. It absorbs water with its entire surface.

Properties

Mosses and lichens are plants that do not have a circulatory system. They obtain moisture from precipitation or the atmosphere using osmotic pressure. This also means that they simultaneously absorb all the substances contained in the environment, including harmful ones, without possessing mechanisms for releasing them. Therefore, mosses and lichens are excellent indicators of the state environment.

There are vast areas in Europe where once polluted mosses have completely disappeared. Accumulating minerals coming with precipitation, bryophytes, decomposing at the end life cycle, give them to the underlying soil along with their biomass. Therefore, they are vital to the health of the forest.

Sphagnum mosses are able to increase the acidity of their environment by releasing hydrogen ions into the water.

Most important feature sphagnum, acquired over millions of years of evolution, is its ability to absorb and retain from 12 to 20 parts by weight of water per part of dry weight (depending on species sphagnum), as well as its bactericidal properties.

Researchers from the Department of Analytical Chemistry of the Belarusian state university studied the chemical composition and absorption properties of white moss - sphagnum. They isolated from it a large set of substances with bactericidal and antifungal properties and confirmed its high absorbency.

Biologically active substances were extracted from the plant using various solvents: distilled water, ethanol, butanol, ether, and chloroform. by the most best solvent distilled water was used to extract substances. Researchers have isolated six phenolic acids from sphagnum (isochlorogenic, fumaric, coffee, chlorogenic, pyrocatechin, fedulic) and six substances from the coumarin class (esculetin, esculin, umbelliferone, scopoletin, coumarin, herniarin). These substances had a pronounced bactericidal effect, they had an especially strong effect on cultures of staphylococcus and streptococcus. Extracts from sphagnum have also proven to be detrimental to fungal infections. Scientists have suggested that sphagnum owes its antifungal action primarily to coumarins.

According to reports, sphagnum itself is not susceptible to any disease.

reproduction
Sphagnum can reproduce both by spores and vegetatively.

The number of spores in a sporophyte can be from 20,000 to 200,000, depending on the type of moss, and on square meter swamps - about 15 million. The sporophyte throws out spores in July. The box, as it were, explodes in dry warm weather, and the spores are carried by the wind to various distances, as they have different size, 20-50 µm. Another mechanism for the transfer of spores is by a stream of water or splashes from raindrops. In the latter case, the transfer distance does not exceed ten centimeters.

Large spores have a larger supply of nutrients and therefore a better chance of waiting for the right conditions. According to the results of experiments, 15-30% of sphagnum spores retained the ability to develop after 13 years of storage in the refrigerator, and it is the ability to form a bank of spores in the environment that explains the fact that sphagnum colonized almost all the marshy, nutrient-poor spaces of northern forests.

Reproduction by spores is the main one when dispersing sphagnum over long distances - new or affected by a fire or economic activity plots. For the formation of a plant from a spore, it is necessary that it gets on suitable soil - wet peat. It is better if this soil is rich in phosphorus (plant residues or animal droppings). In general, the probability of a favorable combination of circumstances is small, but sphagnum has a lot of time.

Another mechanism for the spread of sphagnum is vegetative, in sections of the stem or branches. This mechanism is effective at short distances.

In swamps, sphagnum papillosum and sphagnum magellanicum have the highest biomass productivity, but other less demanding sphagnum species are the most common.

habitats

The main habitat of sphagnum in Russia are swamps, which occupy about a fifth of its territory.
The surface of the moss sod is very picturesque: only sphagnum heads of various shades are visible on it, reminiscent of the patterns of a Persian carpet.

In sphagnum, the processes of growth and decomposition simultaneously proceed. The top grows, stretching upwards by 1-3 cm per year, and the lower underwater part dies off and eventually turns into peat, so the stem gradually descends. However, due to the constant accumulation of peat (up to 1 cm per year in upper layers) the surface of the swamp slowly rises - the so-called raised bogs are formed, in which there are usually no bogs, and the water level is 10-20 cm below the surface of the sphagnum sod.
Three zones can be distinguished in a tuft of moss pulled out from the sod. In the upper zone up to five centimeters thick, the sphagnum is lively and green, although it can have many shades, from yellowish to red (this color appears more often when cold weather). Sphagnum is never dark green. Further, at a depth of 5-10 centimeters, living cells with chlorophyll gradually die off, but empty cells remain. This zone has a smooth transition from light green to light yellow. Deeper still, usually below water level, the sphagnum begins to decompose and its color changes to light brown.

The dying lower parts of sphagnum mosses form many meters of peat deposits. In the upper layers there is a gradual decomposition of organic substances, the lower ones under pressure upper layers compacted - at a depth of several meters, one year already corresponds to a layer several millimeters thick, and the age of the deep layers is several millennia (for the old swamps of the Vologda Oblast - 8,000 years at a depth of 2 m, 12,000 years at a depth of 4 m). As a result of the process of gradual compaction and modification of peat, deposits of brown coal were formed during this period.

The ability of sphagnum to form peat is due to the following main factors:
1. The exceptional ability to retain water, which ensures saturation with water and prevents oxygen from reaching organic deposits, slowing down their decomposition;
2. Low content of nutrients, which slows down decomposition even more;
3. The ability to create an acidic environment that prevents the activity of most microorganisms; and probably
4. The content of natural antibiotics (sphagnum acids).

The swamps are playing essential role in nature, being a natural reservoir and filter of rainwater, purifying it and nourishing aquifers and rivers. The vegetation of swamps, primarily sphagnum, actively absorbs carbon dioxide and methane released during the decomposition of peat, as well as other substances - it is not without reason that sphagnum is a bioindicator of environmental pollution.

AT medieval Europe peat was actively mined as a fuel, which led to the disappearance of most of the marshes. The economic use of the few remaining swamps is strictly regulated, and some have been declared national reserves, access to which is limited. Tourists explore these last islands of untouched nature, moving along wooden decks. The importance of sphagnum bogs as an ecological, recreational and educational resource is only now beginning to be truly realized.

Sphagnum can grow in the forest along with other mosses, such as cuckoo flax. If the conditions are favorable for it, it gradually forms a wet turf, under which the soil becomes waterlogged. On such soil, trees grow poorly, the forest degenerates, yielding even more to sphagnum, and gradually becomes swampy. In the absence of mosses, the soil, on the contrary, dries up and is subject to erosion by streams of water, which has nowhere to soak. The mechanisms for maintaining balance in the forest are rather subtle and are easily disturbed as a result of climate change and human activities.

The use of sphagnum
Sphagnum has long been one of the most useful to man wild plants. It was widely used for wall insulation, and in the peasant farms of the North, semi-decomposed sphagnum from a light brown layer lying in the swamps above peat was used instead of straw as bedding in livestock stalls, mainly because of its excellent absorbency. The resulting mixture of manure and sphagnum was an excellent fertilizer. Implementation industrial technologies ousted from Agriculture this valuable but relatively expensive material.

On the fronts of World I, sphagnum was widely used as a dressing material that saved many lives. In terms of absorbency, it is 2-6 times superior to cotton wool, but the main advantage is that it distributes it evenly in all directions, and only after it is completely saturated, the secretions come to the surface. Therefore, the bandage is changed less frequently, and the patient is provided with peace. This is especially important in front-line conditions, when the medical staff is overloaded. If we recall the bactericidal properties of sphagnum, the benefits become undeniable. Wounds with sphagnum dressings heal faster and the percentage of complications is significantly reduced due to the content of many complex organic compounds preventing suppuration.

Although many guidelines recommend sterilizing sphagnum (in extreme conditions, by roasting on heated stones), in emergency cases it can be used without it. Sphagnum is an excellent material for first aid for fractures - wrapped in moss before splinting, the limbs are better fixed and not numb. There are not many microorganisms in front of which sphagnum is powerless. Don't count on it for bandaging ulcers caused by leprosy. Fortunately, this is a rare disease.

At the end of World War II, an entire industry arose in the British Isles for the manufacture of dressings from sphagnum moss, mined in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and Devon. For ease of transportation, part of the sphagnum was produced in the form of pressed sheets placed in gauze shells with a large margin in size to provide space for it to swell.

Bandages based on sphagnum were widely used by our partisans, and now it is necessarily mentioned in manuals for survival in extreme conditions.
Today, sphagnum is being used again in modern dressings, mainly thanks to Germany, where its valuable qualities were accidentally rediscovered in the early eighties: the dressings are highly absorbent, breathable, soft and comfortable.

However, despite the fact that the introduction of sphagnum into modern medicine looks like an innovation, previous generations knew it very well. healing properties. Annalistic evidence has been preserved that warriors applied bandages made of moss with soft grass on wounds. Since time immemorial, moss has been used in traditional medicine and life of the peoples of the North. According to an ancient author, “Lapland mothers put moss in their cradles, which is changed in the morning and evening, thanks to which the child remains remarkably dry, comfortable and warm.”
Currently, the main consumer of sphagnum in the world is crop production and floriculture, primarily in the US, EU and Japan. Large quantities dried sphagnum are imported by these countries for orchid cultivation, potting mixes, floristry and a wide range of moss poles and hanging baskets.

Others interesting applications sphagnum become biofilters. Sphagnum of a low degree of decomposition is a valuable raw material for the production of highly effective sorbents.

In view of the many possible applications sphagnum in Canada and the EU countries, technologies for its cultivation as a renewable bioresource are being developed, including for replacing peat in agricultural technology, the reserves of which are close to exhaustion.

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The main suppliers of sphagnum to the world market are Chile, New Zealand, Australia and Canada. Fresh sphagnum is harvested in Germany and Sweden for the needs of local floriculture, and is also exported to other EU countries, mainly to the Netherlands, a country with a developed flower industry. Short distances, significant and regular consumption make it economically feasible to transport wet moss, while saving on drying and packaging.

In the conditions of the Vologda region, sphagnum is harvested from late April to mid-June and from late July to mid-September. Spring harvesting is complicated by a high level of melt water and may not be possible at all. In mid-June, the sphagnum vegetation period begins and the maximum activity of blood-sucking insects begins, which significantly complicates work in the swamp. The main harvest is carried out in August-September, subject to dry and relatively warm weather. Rainy autumn can disrupt the workpiece due to the impossibility of drying during humid air. Therefore, the amount harvested can vary significantly from year to year.

Harvesting sites, as a rule, are remote from settlements and roads, more precisely, the proximity of swamps is unfavorable for living and road construction. However, this contributes to the ecological cleanliness of the swamps. With all the diversity and abundance natural resources in the Vologda Oblast there are only a few swamps that are suitable for harvesting moss due to a combination of factors.

Harvesting of sphagnum is done mainly by hand. For harvesting, places are selected where moss desired type as free as possible from plant impurities (swamp areas away from the forest). This increases the labor intensity of harvesting, since the moss from the swamp has to be taken out further. Wet moss is heavy and is lightly wrung out before being carried. Strong wringing does not reduce moisture capacity and can be used for harvesting for medical and hygienic purposes, however, for decorative applications, the moss must be collected as carefully as possible.

Moss is collected selectively, in "trenches" 20-30 cm wide with the same gaps between them, left untouched. This allows the moss to gradually recover in the collection areas. Re-harvesting in this area is possible only after 7-10 years. To speed up the recovery, crushed upper parts of the moss are scattered on the peat surface exposed as a result of the collection of moss.

Unfortunately, at present there are no vehicles that allow you to take out the goods directly from the harvesting sites. Procurers themselves have to take out the moss from the swamp. Wet moss in bags accumulates on a site in a swampy forest, from where it is transported to a processing site (for this, equipment rented from loggers is usually used). At the processing site, the moss is laid out on mesh trays, where the sun and wind remove excess moisture from it. At the same time, possible impurities (needles, bark scales, leaves, marsh plants) are removed from the moss. Drying moss is a rather lengthy process precisely because of its famous accumulating ability. The use of artificial heating is associated with the difficulty of ensuring uniform drying and the risk of overdrying the moss, as a result of which it becomes brittle and easily frayed into dust.

The dried and sorted moss is light and already placed in large bales, in which it is transported to the packaging area. There it is packaged for wholesale and retail sales, and also serves as raw material for decorative items, moss supports and bedding.

Interesting Facts

The world stocks of sphagnum and sphagnum peat contain more carbon than any other plant species.
Sphagnum peat is used to flavor Scotch whiskey
There are sphagnum swamps in the world, the water in which is more acidic than lemon juice.
Sphagnum fiber and fabric from this fiber are used as industrial wiping and absorbing material, and sorbents are produced from moss peat to eliminate the consequences environmental disasters. These sorbents, unlike moss, almost do not absorb water, but absorb organic matter well.
In many European cities, moss containers can be seen hanging on bridges to monitor air pollution. Americans prefer to use complex automatic stations, however, bryophytes perform the same job much more reliably, but no less efficiently.
Phalaenopsis orchids are exported from Taiwan (the largest supplier of these plants) to the United States rooted in sphagnum moss, in accordance with special agreements.
In Australia, a detergent-disinfectant based on sphagnum moss extract has been developed. The effectiveness of this tool, according to the manufacturer, satisfies sanitary requirements for hospitals with complete safety of use on any surface.
Peat bogs occupy over 150 million hectares in our country - more than in any other country in the world. Wood alcohol can be obtained from peat and sphagnum. Alcohol is a promising fuel with an octane rating of more than 100 for internal combustion engines.

Sphagnum Vologda
Sphagnum moss, harvested in the Vologda region, grows in raised bogs located far from the industrial regions of Russia and other countries. Moss is harvested in compliance with environmental standards, measures are being taken to restore it at collection sites. We try to constantly improve the quality of the supplied moss by searching for the best places harvesting and the use of more advanced processing technologies.