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Woolch product offered by Minnesota Lamb, Wool Producers Tuesday, May 6, 2008
The cost:
Berry Blankets, row strips 15 inches wide by 60 inches long: $5.00 each
Tomato Pads, square sections 20 inches by 20 inches, 3 pads for $7.00
For more information, contact Sherry Stirling at (651) 257-0827.
Agri News staff writer
It's green, flecked with splotches of color and feels like a blanket, but isn't one.
It's Woolch, a wool mulch sold by the Minnesota Lamb and Wool Producers Association that allows plants to grow without using herbicides or pesticides.
The product is a chemical-free blend of wool fibers and wood toothpick shavings and has been tested on strawberry fields and apple orchards by the University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center in Morris with support provided by the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute.
Steve Poppe, a horticulture scientist at Morris involved with the project, said weed control is one of Woolch's benefits.
"It inhibits weed seed germination," by blocking sunlight, he said.
The product is also biodegradable and will usually break down after two growing seasons, depending on what crop is grown with it. The wool will release nitrogen as it breaks down, but Poppe said the amount of nitrogen released is uncertain.
In tests, the strawberries growing with Woolch have even had increased yields.
"We've documented that it is does enhance vegetative growth as compared to a traditional matted row system," said Poppe. "In some way or another it's creating a favorable environment that's conducive to vegetative growth."
Even though strawberries have been the focus of a lot of research surrounding Woolch, the product can be used with other vegetables and fruits.
"I would recommend it for any type of specialty-type crop," he said.
Michael Sparby, senior project development director at AURI, uses Woolch to grow strawberries, blueberries and perennials at his own home and said he's pleased with the results.
"I think it's a fantastic idea to look at a landscape fabric that is natural, that gets away from petroleum-based and more into bio-based," he said.
Woolch is stored and shipped from a warehouse located in Lindstrom, Minn. Sherry Stirling, second vice president of the MLWP, said the product may be picked up from the warehouse as well as a location in Prior Lake to save on shipping costs.
She said this year's Woolch is made of about
Stirling said the best way to apply Woolch is to lay it down, cut a hole and pull starter plants through, then wet the Woolch to adhere it to the soil. She added that another benefit is that it can be tilled into the soil and help prevent soil from compacting after it biodegrades. Woolch also works well in sandy soils because it retains moisture.
Stirling said the interest for value-added product to the wool industry this spring has been strong.
"It's been better and better," she said. "We now have the ability to produce a larger quantity, to meet public demand."
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