Mathias Dyreborg, our organic farmer, has done a small experiment with iceberg lettuce and set up the camera so we can follow along. Below you can watch the video where we compare sphagnum and coconut mulch, also called coco coir.
The purpose of the experiment is first and foremost to show that there are alternatives to sphagnum. Spagnum is obtained from bogs, which are some of nature’s largest CO2 stores (Carbon Capture and Storage). CO2 which is released when sphagnum is extracted. Coconut mulch is not climate-neutral, and not a local resource, but it is significantly less CO2-burdening than mined sphagnum, and it is one of the more widespread alternatives to sphagnum, and therefore easily available in many plant centres.
In the experiment, it is mixed with organic compost soil in a ratio of 70/30 (after the coconut mulch has been soaked in water).
There are many other alternatives to sphagnum, other than coconut mulch.
Here is, for example, a recipe for potting soil from the National Association of Practical Ecology:
1 part topsoil from garden or greenhouse
1 part well-turned, nutrient-poor compost
1 part sand
If you need more soil mixture, the recipe is:
4 parts used, homemade potting soil, greenhouse soil or garden soil from last season
1 part well-turned, nutrient-poor compost
Possibly 1 part sand.
Happy planting.