Increases in US Gardening Participation to Spur Peat Sales

Cleveland, OH, July 17, 2020 — Demand for peat in the US is forecast to rise 3.3% annually in volume terms through 2024, according to Peat: United States, a report recently released by Freedonia Focus Reports. Suppliers will benefit from increases in gardening participation, disposable personal income levels, and new housing construction activity. The development of new products will also boost growth. Rapid increases in demand for growing media for cannabis cultivation will aid sales of peat through 2024. Cannabis production – including licensed production of cannabis for marijuana and hemp – will be spurred by:

• federal legalization of industrial hemp production (through the 2018 Farm Bill)
• rapidly growing demand for cannabidiol (CBD) infused products
• more states legalizing adult-use marijuana and passing legislation to allow for the ramp-up of commercial production

However, further peat sales gains will be limited by the use of peat substitutes, such as anaerobically digested dairy fiber as a renewable substitute for peat in potting mixes.

Peat demand is expected to see short-term impacts from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The housing market, both in terms of new home construction and existing home sales, is expected to see declines in activity in the short term. Products purchased by professional end-users will be impacted by cancellations by consumers and businesses who prefer to delay their projects until the crisis subsides or to perform the work themselves. Stay-at-home orders and the fear of potentially contracting the coronavirus are leading consumers to make use of their own outdoor areas rather than venturing away from home, which spur landscaping and gardening activities. However, those who have lost jobs or are otherwise facing financial difficulties will likely delay significant investments in large landscaping projects. The effects of these trends are expected to be relatively short-term in nature, leaving room for recovery and a release of pent-up demand.

These and other key insights are featured in Peat: United States. This report forecasts to 2024 US peat demand and production in metric tons. Total demand is segmented by product in terms of:

• sphagnum peat
• reed-sedge peat
• hypnum peat
• peat humus

Total demand is also segmented by application as follows:

• potting mix ingredient
• general soil amendment
• golf course maintenance
• other applications such as nurseries and earthworm culture medium

To illustrate historical trends, total demand, total production, the various segments, and trade are provided in annual series from 2009 to 2019.

Demand and production figures correspond to the conterminous US, excluding Alaska and Hawaii. Re-exports of peat are excluded from demand figures.

More information about the report is available at:

https://www.freedoniafocusreports.com/Peat-United-States-FF65043/?progid=91541