Hemic peat is intermediate between fibric and sapric peats in degree of decomposition, ash content, and bulk density. Sedges are plants that grow in saturated soils, they are noted by having a triangular shaped stem. This is a landscape view of an open reed-sedge hemic peat bog near McGregor in Aitkin County. This area at one time was open water that has gradually filled in with organic debris from the plant material growing around the edge. Eventually, the lake was completely filled in with the vegetation.
Sapric peat is very dark and is the most decomposed of the three peat types.
It has the highest bulk density and ash content and the lowest water content. Sapric peat is common as a thin layer at the base of peat deposits, but occasionally it is found up to five feet in thickness. This is a view of sugar beets on Histosols near Hollandale in Freeborn County. The sapric peats are often used for cultivated crops due to their higher pH and lower water-holding capacities. These peats are often referred to as muck, or muck farms.