Wool Shoddy is a byproduct of the wool textile industry.
Shoddy used to be used by farmers to add organic matter to the soil. In the 1950s, the brussell sprout fields of Bedfordshire were cheered up with the different coloured wools making up the shoddy which was put on the sprout land.
The advantages of using wool shoddy in the vegetable garden are:
* slow release fertiliser
* completely biodegradable
* rich organic source of nitrogen
* other elements beneficial to
* plant development
* slug deterrent
Wool shoddy makes an ideal mulch which acts as a:
* weed suppression
* soil moisture retention
* soil structure improver
Beneficial results from the use of wool mulch have been achieved in a range of trials on vegetables.
Greater top growth on wool mulched broad beans gave a heavier crop yield, showing that even nitrogen fixing legumes can benefit from an application of nitrogen rich pellets.
In a root crop – beetroot – using wool pellets allows earlier cropping. On the trial site wool mulched plants produced mature roots of harvestable size earlier than without by weeks.
Shoddy can be used in pellet form, where the pellets:
* act as a self felting mulch
* absorb and retain moisture; ideal to mix with soils and composts
* cut down evaporation; major reduction in watering costs
* help suppress weeds
* bio-degrade over 6 to 14 months, releasing organic nutrients
* are ideal as a water retainer and soil improver
* are natural mulch and soil conditioners
* protect soil
* are ideal for vegetable beds, container pots and hanging baskets
