Waste not, want not as the old saying goes, and in agriculture there is always new ways of ensuring the most use out of every bit of material you can imagine. So, pairing that thinking with a material that is often just through way to solve a problem that almost every gardener faces, is a bit of advice we just have to share. So, share it we shall, for gardeners or farmers looking to add some nitrogen to your soil and help fight off the slug invasion the solution can be as simple as adding some underbelly sheep wool. For most sheep farmers the underbelly wool is discarded and thrown away due to its poor quality and build up of dirt from the animal laying down. Sense, this wool is often discarded you might be able to find farmers looking to give it away or at the very least sell it at a very cheap price. The reason the wool is a great soil additive is the nitrogen in the wool fiber that will slowly break down and enrich the soil as well as how you don’t run the risk of harming plant roots if added later in the season. Wool also contains calcium, magnesium and iron, which plants also require. It also helps as a pest control for pests such as slugs and other belly crawlers due to the barbed nature of wool. The barbs of the wool will act as little razer wirier strips that will cut the invading pest and deter them from entering your precious garden area. Also, adding to the list of benefits is that wools ability to hold onto water which for areas with overly well drained soil or that experiences draught this can help. Wool pellets can hold onto 20 times their own weight in water and can even help those who go a little heavy on the watering to ensure that the excess water is wicked away.

The limitations on adding wool to your soil is knowing the wools full background. That is knowing what the wool has been treated with, if there are any unwanted seeds caught in it, and overall any additive that you might not want in your garden that the wool might be holding. Which is why it is good to ensure you have a good stream of communication with the farmer you are getting the wool from and in what form you are using it in. For the most part if you want to make sure its clean and easy to handle having wool pellets might be your best way to go. They break down in a span of 6 months to a year for releasing the nitrogen making it a good slow-release form. However, if you wanting to focus on its pest prevention attributes loose wool that has been at least hand picked and washed might be a better option so you can blanket or encircle you garden area. Either way, this can be a great new tool to have for your garden and farm, ensuring you are holding up to that long held standard of waste not, want not.

Resources: https://bangordailynews.com/2022/01/20/homestead/if-you-want-your-garden-to-thrive-try-adding-sheeps-wool-to-your-soilxoasq1i29i/?fbclid=IwAR2Ql4emc_cEMUhS2Hus_e8TKu62OjmI5aYJ0nPso5uPjainBN1Wczvuj7s