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cotton bur compost - shortage
+6
Windmere
walshevak
JoleneMarie
Too Tall Tomatoes
Lavender Debs
landarch
10 posters
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cotton bur compost - shortage
I heard today from a local nurseryman that cotton bur compost prices will be sky-high this year due to the recent drought in Texas. I saw some on sale at Walmart early this year and only bought a few bags. I checked Lowe's today and a $3 bago of cotton bur compost is going for around $8 this year. So if you can still find it cheap, stock up.
landarch- Posts : 1152
Join date : 2012-01-22
Location : kansas city
Re: cotton bur compost - shortage
Yeish! That's crazy. The reason I have a garden is because of unstable prices (ONE of the reasons). I cannot do much about seed prices, I am not at a place where I can save all the seed I want so instead I stretch them by treating them like an investment that gets a whole drawer in the fridge dedicated to their storage.
Can you grow your own compost? The trend these days is to rip out your lawn for food but I see lawn as an important element of my food production. It is great in the compost.
Can you grow your own compost? The trend these days is to rip out your lawn for food but I see lawn as an important element of my food production. It is great in the compost.
Re: cotton bur compost - shortage
You're real lucky to be able to buy compost such as cotton burr. Nobody carries that around here. I can order it from various websites but then I'd pay out the wazoo for shipping and handling charges.
Too Tall Tomatoes- Posts : 1069
Join date : 2011-10-24
Age : 53
Location : Pennsylvania, Zone 6A
Is COTTON BURR compost ideal for SFG?
So far, in my town I found 3 kinds of compost: chicken manure, black Kow manure and 100% composted cotton burr. I never heard of cotton burr compost before and didn't buy it. Is it great as part of the 1/3 blended compost for Mel's Mix? It seems like there's not enough variety in this 100% cotton burr compost.
JoleneMarie- Posts : 3
Join date : 2014-03-11
Location : Borderline Texas
Re: cotton bur compost - shortage
I live near a cotton gin and there is a mountain of cotton boll leavings beside it. The bottom layers are composted. The locals say it is great dug into a garden. Haven't tried it myself.
Kay
Kay
A WEED IS A FLOWER GROWING IN THE WRONG PLACE
Elizabeth City, NC
Click for weather forecast
walshevak
Certified SFG Instructor- Posts : 4374
Join date : 2010-10-17
Age : 81
Location : wilmington, nc zone 8
Organic?
I wanted to get an opinion about cotton bur compost: I have read that cotton bur compost often contains a heavy amount of pesticides. The reason (from what I read) is that, because it is a non-food crop, farmers apply pesticides with wreakless abandon. Has anyone heard about this? Are there organic options available for this type of compost or does it even matter?
Windmere- Posts : 1425
Join date : 2013-02-26
Age : 55
Location : Fayetteville, GA - Zone 7B - 8A
Pesticides in cotton compost?
Wow! That makes sense that farmers would put pesticides on cotton because we don't eat it. Until it says on the bag that they didn't, I will be too scared to use it now.Windmere wrote:I wanted to get an opinion about cotton bur compost: I have read that cotton bur compost often contains a heavy amount of pesticides. The reason (from what I read) is that, because it is a non-food crop, farmers apply pesticides with wreakless abandon. Has anyone heard about this? Are there organic options available for this type of compost or does it even matter?
JoleneMarie- Posts : 3
Join date : 2014-03-11
Location : Borderline Texas
Re: cotton bur compost - shortage
Windmere wrote:I wanted to get an opinion about cotton bur compost: I have read that cotton bur compost often contains a heavy amount of pesticides. The reason (from what I read) is that, because it is a non-food crop, farmers apply pesticides with wreakless abandon. Has anyone heard about this? Are there organic options available for this type of compost or does it even matter?
The question should be, does it matter to you?
My understanding is that cotton has a low pest threshold.
http://www.toxicfreenc.org/informed/pdfs/Cotton_chems.pdf
Organic cotton farmers do in fact use pesticides.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_cotton
http://rodaleinstitute.org/2013/made-in-the-usa-organic-cotton/
43 years a gardener and going strong with SFG.
https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t3574-the-end-of-july-7-weeks-until-frost
There are certain pursuits which, if not wholly poetic and true, do at least suggest a nobler and finer relation to nature than we know. The keeping of bees, for instance. ~ Henry David Thoreau
https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t1306-other-gardening-books
Re: cotton bur compost - shortage
I guess it does to some extent. In passing, I've seem cotton burr compost offered here, but I never gave it a second look because I felt I had the components I needed. The store where I saw it does offer organic composts, but I did not check to see if their cotton burr compost was also organic (and maybe a less expensive component). Regardless, I appreciated your cites. I'm better convinced I have other better options.camprn wrote:Windmere wrote:I wanted to get an opinion about cotton bur compost: I have read that cotton bur compost often contains a heavy amount of pesticides. The reason (from what I read) is that, because it is a non-food crop, farmers apply pesticides with wreakless abandon. Has anyone heard about this? Are there organic options available for this type of compost or does it even matter?
The question should be, does it matter to you?
My understanding is that cotton has a low pest threshold.
http://www.toxicfreenc.org/informed/pdfs/Cotton_chems.pdf
Organic cotton farmers do in fact use pesticides.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_cotton
http://rodaleinstitute.org/2013/made-in-the-usa-organic-cotton/
Last edited by Windmere on 3/12/2014, 3:32 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : typo)
Windmere- Posts : 1425
Join date : 2013-02-26
Age : 55
Location : Fayetteville, GA - Zone 7B - 8A
Cotton Burr Compost in Sedalia, MO
I bought some 2 cu-ft bags of cotton burr compost at Orscheln Farm store in Sedalia, MO just this past Sunday for $4.69 each. Don't know if anyone is close to an Orscheln store or even wants cotton burr compost.
DorothyG- Posts : 89
Join date : 2014-02-24
Location : Zone 5A, central, MO
Re: cotton bur compost - shortage
cotton bur "compost" is recommended by garden centers here in the KC area to lighten clay soils...my problem with the material is that it is not actually compost...it is dead plant matter that has not even begun to break down yet.
landarch- Posts : 1152
Join date : 2012-01-22
Location : kansas city
Re: cotton bur compost - shortage
Pesticides are one thing and herbicides are another. It may be fine for your plants. However, the idea of ingesting pesticides doesn't sound all that great to me, even if my plants would be relieved to know no herbicides are involved.
Marc Iverson- Posts : 3638
Join date : 2013-07-05
Age : 62
Location : SW Oregon
Re: cotton bur compost - shortage
I used to live in TX and had always heard from the "environmental" crowd that one should also avoid foods made with cotton seed oil...nasty chemicals used in the oil-extracting process....not to mention all the junk sprayed on the growing crop.
landarch- Posts : 1152
Join date : 2012-01-22
Location : kansas city
Re: cotton bur compost - shortage
That's really common in some of the seafood snacks I eat. Kippers, little smoked oysters, and such. Guess I should avoid them in the future, but I stocked up! Probably won't buy more though.
Marc Iverson- Posts : 3638
Join date : 2013-07-05
Age : 62
Location : SW Oregon
Re: cotton bur compost - shortage
Y'all got me nervous because I just bought a couple bags of cotton burr compost this week and put it in my new beds. I had never heard of it before, but in my quest to find 5 different composts, I came across it. I paid $7.99 for a 2 cubic foot bag at Calloways in Flower Mound TX (I found it at another local nursery for a similar price as well). I didn't blink at the price because I don't have my own compost yet and I knew my start-up costs were going to be high.
But this talk about pesticides scared me so I went into the trash to dig out the bag to see what it says. I bought Back to Earth All Natural Cotton Burr Blend Premium Compost. This is what it says on the back of the bag:
"Back to Earth Soil Builder is a natural soil builder consisting of feedstock, finely shredded hardwood, and composted cotton burrs blended. This product contains no chemicals, weeds, insects, or harmful pathogens. Soils low in organic matter and humus or with poor tilth and structure cannot be rejuvenated with chemical fertilizers. Back to Earth compost can quickly start improvement of such soils, since it begins to function immediately, restoring vital organic matter and humus to soils, regardless of soil conditions . . ."
On further examination, it doesn't seem like 100% composted material, but I added extra compost to the beds for that reason. At least it claims to not have chemicals, which I would assume would include pesticides and insecticides . . .
But this talk about pesticides scared me so I went into the trash to dig out the bag to see what it says. I bought Back to Earth All Natural Cotton Burr Blend Premium Compost. This is what it says on the back of the bag:
"Back to Earth Soil Builder is a natural soil builder consisting of feedstock, finely shredded hardwood, and composted cotton burrs blended. This product contains no chemicals, weeds, insects, or harmful pathogens. Soils low in organic matter and humus or with poor tilth and structure cannot be rejuvenated with chemical fertilizers. Back to Earth compost can quickly start improvement of such soils, since it begins to function immediately, restoring vital organic matter and humus to soils, regardless of soil conditions . . ."
On further examination, it doesn't seem like 100% composted material, but I added extra compost to the beds for that reason. At least it claims to not have chemicals, which I would assume would include pesticides and insecticides . . .
kamigh- Posts : 77
Join date : 2013-10-19
Location : Flower Mound, TX
Re: cotton bur compost - shortage
The cotton burr compost I got looks nice. I used one bag today and only found one piece that I could have identified as the hard "leaf" that hangs down from the cotton ball. I did find one small rock
DorothyG- Posts : 89
Join date : 2014-02-24
Location : Zone 5A, central, MO
Re: cotton bur compost - shortage
That stuff is supposed to be high in nitrogen. Sounds like a good addition to the 5 blend.
Kay
Kay
A WEED IS A FLOWER GROWING IN THE WRONG PLACE
Elizabeth City, NC
Click for weather forecast
walshevak
Certified SFG Instructor- Posts : 4374
Join date : 2010-10-17
Age : 81
Location : wilmington, nc zone 8
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