Project Overview
Beadamoss® will establish field-grown Sphagnum in partnership with Wrights Farm in Lancashire. Melcourt will produce the end product, combining Sphagnum with other media to produce a commercial product mix for different markets. The project will also evaluate the commercial and environmental sustainability of the approach.
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The project will scale up the production of Sphagnum Farming to produce sustainable growing media to replace peat and support the English horticulture sector, whilst also supporting lowland peat farmers with this sustainable, profitable Sphagnum crop for their land. The project will create a commercially sustainable demonstration farm and overcome identified barriers throughout the supply chain.
Progress in commercialising sphagnum farming:
Thanks to PEF, we’ve made significant progress in commercialising Sphagnum Farming. Their support has given us the time and resources to transform early concepts into scalable, practical solutions through rapid testing and refinement.
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We now have two distinct planting methods. Our BeadaGel® system has evolved from a proof of concept into a fully operational machine that can be operated from the tractor cab, with the capacity to plant several acres in a single day. Compact enough to fit on a trailer and attach to a tractor like standard equipment, this machine enables scalable Sphagnum planting.
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​Our alternative planting method, using BeadaHumok®, allows for the use of physically larger plant material. This results in stronger, faster-establishing plants that are more resilient in challenging conditions. While this method is slower and increases seed stock costs, the improved reliability and plant survival rates may ultimately justify the investment.
Expanding our BeadaGel® planting capacity required us to develop an offsite gel production system suitable for an agricultural environment and capable of much higher volumes. While scaling up the technical aspects—such as larger pumps and mixing vessels—was relatively straightforward, handling the BeadaGel® at scale presented physical challenges that needed to be addressed in the new production setup. We’ve increased production from 500 litres per day to a consistent 5,000 litres. Since one-ton tanks can’t easily be moved on-site, we replaced manual transfers with a network of pipes and valves to efficiently move the BeadaGel® between tanks during mixing.
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Expanding our BeadaGel® planting capacity required us to develop an offsite gel production system suitable for an agricultural environment and capable of much higher volumes.
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While scaling up the technical aspects—such as larger pumps and mixing vessels—was relatively straightforward, handling the BeadaGel® at scale presented physical challenges that needed to be addressed in the new production setup. We’ve increased production from 500 litres per day to a consistent 5,000 litres. Since one-ton tanks can’t easily be moved on-site, we replaced manual transfers with a network of pipes and valves to efficiently move the BeadaGel® between tanks during mixing.
Processing Sphagnum: Adding value beyond cultivation:
Processing Sphagnum is just as important as growing it, as it transforms the raw material into a valuable and consistent product. Melcourt has played a key role in helping us define the product standard—an important step away from the small-scale production methods we originally developed for our own use. This shift not only makes processing and handling within their facilities more efficient but also helps us appeal to a broader customer base.
Optimising for Scale: Challenges and next steps
Now that we have most of the tools needed to operate at scale, our focus has shifted to optimising how we use them.
The challenge lies in balancing practical realities with expectations across a highly interconnected system. For example, weed control can be managed using biodegradable mulch—a simple and cost-effective solution. However, adopting this approach requires us to adjust our irrigation management to prevent flooding. For a crop without roots, reducing water too much could be just as damaging, making this a delicate balance to achieve.
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We must also remember why peatlands were originally drained. Working on wet peat is unlike working on any other soil type—it has virtually no structure. While low ground-pressure machinery is available, we need to look beyond simple load-bearing capacity and consider finer details such as how effectively we can cultivate wet ground and the quality of the resulting seedbed. Conventional cultivation techniques have been perfected over decades; by comparison, what we are attempting is still in its early stages and will take time to refine.
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Finally, our methods must be economically viable as well as technically effective. There has to be a financial benefit to justify adoption, which inevitably rules out some potential solutions. Change is possible, however. For years, we aimed to develop a mechanical planting method for BeadaHumok®, but it took time to find a system that met our needs. Until then, hand planting was the only option—effective but too costly to be considered a practical solution alongside BeadaGel®.
We have already achieved remarkable progress—faster and greater than expected in some areas—but there is still considerable work ahead before Sphagnum farming can stand alongside conventional agricultural practices in both efficiency and scale.
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Future Focus
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Significant future work needs to be focused on the very detailed crop husbandry to transform a production system into an economic crop growing system. We have the basic building blocks, but they need refining to successfully establish as a quality crop of high yielding material.
Project partners
Beadamoss Micropropagation Services (EM) Ltd
Beadamoss grow micropropagated sustainable Sphagnum moss for positive environmental impacts. With over 15 years of experience, we mainly supply our sustainably micropropagated Sphagnum moss for peatland restoration, where Sphagnum moss is planted as a natural climate solution.
BeadaMoss® are based in the East Midlands in England, and supply Sphagnum moss to peatland restoration projects in the UK, and in Europe too.
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