From Trash to Treasure

Remember way back when we were in school and we had to stand up and answer or recite in class? You got that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, sweaty palms and you would perhaps stammer a bit before getting the answer out. Fast forward as an adult and you are presenting a business pitch to several famous millionaires, asking them for money to help your company expand and doing it on national television. Those feelings all come flooding back into your memory. That is the premise of “Shark Tank” on ABC television. Many come away disappointed with no investors for their business, but some are lucky.

Mont Handley, founder of PittMoss, recently appeared before “The Sharks.” He made his pitch, and in the end he convinced not one, not two, but three of the sharks to invest in his company. The sharks include Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks; Robert Herjavec, a global IT entrepreneur; and Kevin O’Leary, a software publishing entrepreneur.

The inspiration for PittMoss came to him while working for Frank’s Nursery. He recalls seeing truckloads of peat moss being delivered all the time. He read some research that maintained the harvest of peat moss contributes to climate change, as well as the concern for the loss of habitat in the peat bogs. For three years he worked to come up with an alternative, trialing it at home. Fast forward to 2011 and the looming mid-century mark — his 50th birthday. Handley decided it was time to pursue his dream, so he quit his job at VisitPittsburgh, the convention bureau, cashed in his 401(k) and sold his house to make his alternative to peat moss a reality.

He originally named it “NuPeat,” but he was taken to court by the peat industry over proprietary use of the name peat. He changed the name to PittMoss as a nod to his adopted hometown of Pittsburgh. Working with a local greenhouse, he produced enough PittMoss to distribute to various growers for testing. With his Shark Tank investment money, he moved to a facility in Ambridge, Pa., just outside of Pittsburgh.

PittMoss is composed of recycled newspaper and proprietary organic ingredients. While it is not a USDA Certified Organic product, it is a sustainable product. The newspaper is locally sourced and it goes through a series of reducers. It is then mixed with bone meal as an abrasive to break down the cellulose fiber until it is completely disintegrated. Then it is knitted together into PittMoss fibers in a special, proprietary process. The colorant is apple cider vinegar.

Continuous tests are performed to see if chemicals from the newspaper ink build up or persist in the soil. Soil scientist Charles Bethke has been testing it for years and says “it has shown nothing more than a similar profile to average, everyday garden soil.”

The physical properties “demonstrate that PittMoss provides the functions necessary for good crop production,” according to Bethke’s research. Also the studies state that it is safe for people and animals, and can be incorporated into the environment without a concern.

Bethke found that PittMoss has 40 percent more air space than peat moss fibers.

“That additional air space actually allows for the efficient transfer of nutrients from the soil to the root systems of plants and that has shown faster maturation of plants in our trials,” Handley says.

There is no wetting agent, lime additive, insecticides or fungicides used in the product, which helps reduce production costs. Because there is no organic matter in PittMoss, growers have found no problems with fungus gnats in the soil, Handley adds. The pH consistently remains between 5.8-6.2. Handley believes that PittMoss will save growers about 15 percent in costs each year.

North Creek Nurseries in Landenberg, Pa., trialed PittMoss in the growing mix for its plug production.

“PittMoss has improved binding qualities and higher water holding capacity which will reduce our water inputs. We’re already experiencing quicker crop finishes with certain genera which is very exciting,” says Laura Nafziger, head grower at North Creek Nurseries.

North Creek plans to grow all of its plugs in PittMoss next season. After trials, Four Star Greenhouse in Carleton, Mich., now uses PittMoss in its spring and summer blend, as well as mum blends.

Handley is in the process of developing a point-of-purchase program with tags and pots to inform consumers that the plant was grown in PittMoss.

“Consumers are concerned about the environment, and this will help them feel that they are contributing to saving the environment,” he says.