\u201cIt’s really hard to beat all the good qualities of peat moss for growing plants,\u201d Lubell-Brand says. \u201cIt holds water well, and it doesn’t decompose too quickly.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But the environmental costs are high: \u201cIt takes many thousands of years for a peat bog to develop, and when it\u2019s harvested, you can\u2019t really replace it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n What’s more, harvesting peat releases tons of carbon into the atmosphere and destroys peat bogs \u2014 ancient ecosystems which play a vital role in regulating Earth\u2019s climate.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The peat industry is facing a dwindling supply, as well as potential new sale restrictions: many countries have passed or proposed legislation banning the sale of peat to garden consumers, owing to these environmental impacts. Currently, most peat sold in the United States is harvested from bogs in Canada, which is considering similar restrictions.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Lubell-Brand, who specializes in cannabis research, wondered if a fiber called hemp hurd could mimic the properties of peat moss which make it an attractive soil additive. Her research into this question is currently supported by a $161,414 <\/span>Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) grant<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Hurd is considered a byproduct of the hemp textile manufacturing process, in which the wispy outer fibers of the hemp stem are spun into cloth or rope. Inside the stem is a thick, woody core \u2013 the hurd \u2013 which is often discarded.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Lubell-Brand and her co-PI, Mark Brand (also a professor of horticulture), hypothesized that hurd’s similar particle size to peat moss could help it provide some of the same growing effects. They began conducting trials, working with graduate student Carla Caballero.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe results have been pretty promising,\u201d Lubell-Brand says. \u201cWith our studies with greenhouse crop petunia, we found that you can replace the peat up to 66% … and still produce a similar market-quality plant, in the same amount of time, with the same fertility.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Repurposing hemp hurd in this way, Lubell-Brand points out, carries a double environmental benefit: it diverts a huge source of waste from the hemp industry, and it reduces the need for destructive peat harvesting.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Next, the research team will test hurd\u2019s efficacy with other plants, such as shrubs and tomatoes. As part of the outreach component of this project, the team will also be producing short-form videos serving as \u201cReports from the Field,\u201d spreading the good word of hurd to growers and other researchers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Jessica](\"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/LubellBrand-Lab-ABL_CAHNR_2021-07-29-a_0031-300x200.jpg\")
Have you hurd?<\/h3>\n