In December, soil scientist Dr. Chuck Bethke came to PittMoss HQ to school us on the chemical, physical, and biological properties of PittMoss. Here he is describing why PittMoss has incredible water holding capacity:
One of the most interesting topics was around some green or white matter developing in our product when it was bagged and stored. At first, we were afraid this would turn off some customers and make them think that the product turned moldy and was not safe to use.
We debated on whether or not we should research and develop a formula to stop this from happening. Dr. Bethke settled that argument pretty quickly, asserting that "if our mission is to develop the best growing media available, then we have to embrace our little green friends and educate our customers to do the same!"
Here is a follow up Q&A with Dr. Bethke about his love of our "little green friends."
Yes! Blue green algae is very safe and historically it has even been used as food. It should not be confused with the red algae that can develop in oxygen depleted water and is referred to as the red tide. Algae on the soil helps provide natural enzymes which make the slowly available nutrients more available to plant roots. Plants thrive in growing media that is rich in algae.
Why does PittMoss stimulate the green growth?
The algae is more readily stimulated in PittMoss because of the naturally rich nutrients in that soil amendment. A combination of three factors provided by Pittmoss; excellent nutrition, good supplies of water, and ample oxygen when combined with warmth and light will result in rapid development of blue green algae in any non-toxic growing mix.
The heavy metal levels for four PittMoss growing blends have been shown toconsist of some of the lowest heavy metals content available, ensuring PittMoss growers that their crops will be clean, safe, and healthy.