wool pellets

Hello, I am fortunate to be able to visit Ethan and Amy's stand at the Tamworth farmer's market most weeks, since I live a mile away, and love their microgreens (especially in winter) .  When I first read in his newsletter about the pellets, I read it as "wood" pellets, which really puzzled me, but luckily I followed the threads and figured it out.  I have been gardening (organically) for decades and am very interested in finding more sustainable ways to build and maintain my soil than buying plastic bags of composted manure and additives.  I've built a hugulkultur bed from a base of an old birch tree, hoping it is productive at some point.  I'm glad to find this site and forum and will enjoy doing more exploring.

Welcome to Permies!

I had to look at the photos of the pellets a few times to realize that they are waste wool. After seeing them wetted down, it definitely is more obvious but not before. I'm interested in trying them over raw waste wool to see if applying them is easier. I'm fortunate to have a local fiber guild in the area as well as a processing mill so I'm going to see if they might have waste wool to spare as a comparison point.

Timothy Norton wrote:Welcome to Permies!

I had to look at the photos of the pellets a few times to realize that they are waste wool. After seeing them wetted down, it definitely is more obvious but not before. I'm interested in trying them over raw waste wool to see if applying them is easier. I'm fortunate to have a local fiber guild in the area as well as a processing mill so I'm going to see if they might have waste wool to spare as a comparison point.

Hi Timothy, unpelletized waste wool works great as well. For many years we used handfuls of raw wool in each tomato hole with great results. Pelletized waste wool has two main advantages over regular unpelletized waste wool. First, is the speed that the wool breaks down. Raw wool in the soil, or in slow composting can take over a year to break down. When wool is put through the pelletizing machine, steam heats it up to over 160ºF, grinds it, then pushes it through a die. This processing allows the wool pellets to break down in 2 - 6 months depending on how vigorous your soil biology is. In our older beds, it takes just two months, but in newer beds it takes about 5 months. That's makes the pellets an ideal slow release fertilizer for gardens and farms.

The second advantage is the form factor. It's easier to sprinkle the pellets into furrows in your garden beds. The form factor allows you to use it in soil blocks and to add fertility to spent potting soil. The pellets are excellent at holding water. As you've seen them swell up, this makes them a nice sustainable alternative to peat moss.

Hitting up your local fiber guilds for waste wool is an excellent idea. Waste wool in any form makes a valuable source of organic matter in a garden.

E Sager wrote:Hi Timothy, unpelletized waste wool works great as well. For many years we used handfuls of raw wool in each tomato hole with great results. Pelletized waste wool has two main advantages over regular unpelletized waste wool. First, is the speed that the wool breaks down. Raw wool in the soil, or in slow composting can take over a year to break down. When wool is put through the pelletizing machine, steam heats it up to over 160ºF, grinds it, then pushes it through a die. This processing allows the wool pellets to break down in 2 - 6 months depending on how vigorous your soil biology is. In our older beds, it takes just two months, but in newer beds it takes about 5 months. That's makes the pellets an ideal slow release fertilizer for gardens and farms.

This answers some of my more 'Make it or break it' questions! Thank you!

E Sager wrote:The second advantage is the form factor. It's easier to sprinkle the pellets into furrows in your garden beds. The form factor allows you to use it in soil blocks and to add fertility to spent potting soil. The pellets are excellent at holding water. As you've seen them swell up, this makes them a nice sustainable alternative to peat moss.

I can personally attest to the challenges of working with both the skirted/waste wool and even whole fleeces. They don't easily give in to the blades of shovels or the things of rakes or garden forks - even after they've sat in suint so long as to be already partially decomposed! (An injury kept me from attending to it, in time).

E Sager wrote:Hitting up your local fiber guilds for waste wool is an excellent idea. Waste wool in any form makes a valuable source of organic matter in a garden.

This is wonderful advice! No one company will be able to provide all the pelletized wool for everyone who wants it, and not everyone will be able to afford buying it. It speaks highly of your ethics, and is greatly appreciated - thank you.