TFA303
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Location: Zone 7

Rotten Cotton

A cotton gin up the road sells rotted piles of cotton that's been sitting outside for long periods of time. It's $15 per truckload, so it's certainly a good value, but is is good for composting / soil augmentation?

My buddy who has already bought a ton of it says that it smells like manure, so that's encouraging.

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Ozark Lady
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Location: NW Arkansas, USA zone 7A elevation 1561 feet

I don't see why it wouldn't be. It is basically the fruit of the cotton plant.
The only drawback that I can see is: When my dad had a cotton farm, they used chemicals that were terrible. And there is the possibility that some of that pesticide residue was taken up into the cotton itself, and in the fruit.

It will be a bit slow to break down. I think folks on here would call that a brown. The smell is most likely anerobic bacteria hard at work, so wash your hands well when dealing with it. Botulism is an anerobic bacteria that is pretty rare, but pretty dangerous and soap is cheap.

Some of the composting folks will probably have alot better answers than I, but, I would think it would be okay, except for the slowness, and the possibility of pesticides.

cynthia_h
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There's nothing much I can add to OL's response.

Ask the people at the cotton gin how treated the cotton is and with what (if they know). Observe whether they use breathing protection or whether the facility has positive air pressure to help with air flow.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

TZ -OH6
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Location: Mid Ohio

Good question...

Cotton fibers are almost 100% cellulose molecules so cotton won't form long term humus, but instead will be completely broken down into sugars eventually. It would have benefits as decaying fragments by loosening soil and holding water, but I'm not sure how it will break down/act in a compost pile. It might be a big mess. It would probably make a good mulch though.

Cotton seed meal is a different matter, that is good stuff.



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