dinker
Senior Member
Posts: 178
Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2008 9:36 am
Location: ks

have you used this

I was offered some free bags of cotton burr and bags of mushroom compost
a friend got them for her yard but now she is moving and doesnt want to haul them
Has anyone ever used these types and are they ok to put in the garden?

TheLorax
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1416
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2008 9:40 pm
Location: US

Oh yes! Take those bags before you neighbor offers them to somebody else! Those are wonderful amendments. You won't be displeased.

cynthia_h
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7500
Joined: Tue May 06, 2008 7:02 pm
Location: El Cerrito, CA

TheLorax, are they OK to use directly in the soil, or should they be composted first?

Well, the spent-mushroom compost is probably ready to go. But I'm unfamiliar with the cotton.

Cynthia H.
USDA Zone 9, Sunset Zone 17

TheLorax
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1416
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2008 9:40 pm
Location: US

Can you tell it's raining outside? I'm stuck inside and can't go out to play in the dirt.

The mushroom compost I use for too many things to begin listing them out. It's great stuff.

OK, the cotton burr can be mixed with hardwood chips to create an excellent moisture retentive mulch for around young saplings that need a competition-free zone. Love it! Love it! Love it! But, it's not readily available around here like it is in other areas. It used to be sold at a garden center that closed down and I have very little left so I am squandering it so that if I need it for a special potting mix, I've got some without having to pay high shipping costs for mail order. It can also be worked directly into soil. Great for humus poor soils. I'd love to be able to find someplace locally that sold it because I've got an area here that used to have an above ground blow up type round swimming pool. The pool is long gone but the exposed base of sand that we went down about 12" is still there. That area is a weed attractor right now and I've not had time to deal with it. If I could get my hands on some of that cotton burr in quantity, it would all go into the sand pit so I could get something going over there other than weeds. Should be good for amending heavy clay soils too.

Wish I had a neighbor moving that I could get hand me downs from like mushroom compost and cotton burr.

astevn816
Full Member
Posts: 15
Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2008 1:35 pm

Thanks for the advice about the cotton burr. I have a dry area that will certainly help.

Grunta0
Full Member
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Nov 26, 2008 5:24 pm
Location: Oz

The mushroom compost is great and there is the added bonus that you may get some mushrooms if it not composted completely.

I have not used cotton but we use the wool from our three black sheep around saplings and shrubs to cut down on weeds and retain soil moisture.



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