Photo Credit: Wild Valley Farms
One of the many advantages of wool is its biodegradability. A completely organic material, it easily breaks down and returns its constituent elements and minerals to the earth. In fact, studies have shown that it takes only six months for wool to degrade completely in the soil. These organic properties of wool can be put to good use far outside the realm of fashion where the material is usually used. The International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO) puts the spotlight on an innovative initiative to put waste wool to good use in farming and gardening.
How Wool Is Used in Gardening
Wild Valley Farms, a family-run company based in Croydon, Utah, uses wool for its flagship fertilizer product, making good use of the tons of wasted material produced by the wool industry annually. When sheep are shorn, the wool taken from the belly and back end of the animals is usually discarded, as the shorter length of the wool from those parts is not usable for textiles. On the plus side, this waste is biodegradable. However, Wild Valley Farms have found a far more productive use for these offcuts.
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Wool Pellets – The Perfect Fertilizer and Soil Enricher
The Wilde family, which owns and operates Wild Valley Farms, have come up with an innovative way to make use of waste wool, with a highly effective product for use in farming, gardening, horticulture and related industries. The wool is compacted into pellets, which provide nutrients, retain water and facilitate the healthy growth of plants.
“Our innovative product has found the perfect solution to giving waste wool a purpose with benefits to our plants and environment. Wild Valley Farms Wool Pellets are the only fertilizer that retains and holds water, provides nutrients, and increases porosity in the soil,” says Albert Wilde of Wild Valley Farms.
The pellets are 100% wool with nothing added and they aid plant cultivation in three ways: they feed the soil with essential nutrients, as one would expect from a fertilizer, but they also reduce water usage by holding water and extending its availability to plants’ roots. By using these pellets, you will use up to 25% less water than before. Finally, the pellets expand, providing more space and oxygen for the plants’ growth – this makes them a perfect, organic replacement for additives such as perlite.
Wild Valley Farms’ wool pellets are an effective and bio-friendly solution for plant cultivation – and they are created from pure wool that would normally be wasted. They are yet another testament to the multiple benefits of wool.
Learn More About Wool and All Its Uses and Benefits
The IWTO is the global authority for standards in the wool textile industry. Contact us for more information about wool and the producers that make up our membership.
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