How can we use a byproduct of sheep, their wool, in the garden or greenhouse, to grow more vegetables and fruit?
This closes the loop on our farm, so we don’t need to purchase inputs or let resources go to waste.
So where do you get wool or wool pellets?
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Wool as mulch:
The benefits of using wool as mulch around plants and trees are numerous…
Wool is a good insulator, so it will keep the soil warmer during colder months and cooler during hotter months.
Wool can absorb up to 30% of its weight in water without feeling wet. And it will release water if the surrounding area is dry, so this helps reduce the amount of watering required for your plants.
If you apply enough wool, it can also provide a barrier against weed seeds germinating and growing around your plants.
Wool also slowly releases nitrogen and other trace minerals that will seed the soil, and in turn help your plants grow better.
Over time, the wool will decompose and you can turn it into the soil as an amendment like compost.
Wool as slug control:
Organic slug control might feel really tricky, especially if you have pets or little kids around.
Putting wool or wool pellets around plants that are often bothered by slugs is a great way to reduce the chances of slug damage.
I found a small cauliflower plant that had a few happy slugs munching along…
So I added some wool around it, and removed the slugs by hand.
Since then, the slugs have not returned.
Slugs don’t like to crawl over the fibers of the wool, so it works as a physical deterrent.
Wool pellets to power up seed starting mix:
I learned about the concept of using wool pellets in a soil blocking mix from “Regenerative Gadening” on RU-vid:
• DIY seed starting soil...
Her results show that using wool pellets really helped her seedlings grow better in a side-by-side test.
I’ve started using chopped up wool as a replacement for peet moss in my seed starting soil mix.
I love being able to make my own seed starting compost mix because the fewer inputs I need to bring in, the more of a closed loop we have here on the farm.
The idea is very similar to using wool as mulch, except that you’re breaking it up and putting it into your soil mix for starting seedlings.
Wool will help retain water and give a little fluff to the soil mix, and it will also slow release nitrogen and act as a safe fertilizer.
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17 июл 2024
