Modified wood fibres as peat substitute in horticultural growing media

Wood and natural non-wood assortments from forestry and paludiculture are modified and defibrated within a thermo-mechanical process. Fibers and extracts are characterized and tested for the impact of raw material, extractives, and thermal degradation products on plant response, water retention value, and degradation behavior. Fibers are planned to be modified by lignin application reducing microbial product degradation (N immobilization) to improve nitrogen (N) availability for the plants.