This dataset comes with a scientific article demonstrating that a stable water table promotes Sphagnum growth during establishment. The field experiment was conducted at Hankhauser Moor, a 17-hectare Sphagnum paludiculture site on former bog grassland in Lower Saxony, Northwest Germany (53° 15.36′ N, 08° 16.24′ E). The file contains data collected during the experiment (see the codebook below for details).