How to use wool pellets:
Today’s gardeners are looking for ways to produce beautiful plants and healthy food while reducing their carbon footprint.
Wool pellets are an amazing all-natural soil amendment and slow-release fertilizer meant to replace peat moss and petroleum-based hydrogels in your soil mix.
Wool pellets are made from 100% renewable wool. They hold 30X their weight in water, slowly releasing it into your soil along with naturally occurring fertilizers and micronutrients. They break down over the course of a year aerating your soil as they decompose and become one with the earth.
Use 1 c. wool pellets with 1 gallon of soil. Use 1 Tbs for an 6-8” pot for houseplants. Pellets and Shreds can be added when planting outdoor vegetable and flower gardens. Mulching fleece can be added on top.
Benefits:
Water retention
Wool pellets hold up to 30 x their weight in water and prevent overwatering as wool wicks away and holds excess water.
Fertilizer
Wool pellets have a fertilizer value of 9-0-2 NPK and in addition contain calcium, magnesium, iron, sulfur and other micronutrients. The high nitrogen content boosts plant growth.
Aeration
As the wool pellets break apart in the soil over time, they leave space for water, nutrients and roots growth, reducing the compaction of the soil.
Slug and snail protection
Repel slugs and snails by sprinkling a protective ring around sensitive plants. Slugs and snail do not like the barbed fibers in the wool.
Peat alternative
Peat is one of our Earth’s largest carbon sinks. It grows 1/16″ per year and is unsustainable. Make the switch from peat to wool and do something good for your planet.
Rabbit and deer repellant
Lanolin, the sticky substance which sheep produce, is an aroma which rabbits and deer do not enjoy. In fact, it repels them.
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Wool Research
Details from the University of Vermont Extension research-
“Wool’s hygroscopic quality means an ability to ameliorate wild swings in precipitation because it can absorb, hold and release moisture as well as nutrients, over time” Kimberly Hagen, MS
Wool pellets have the unique ability to provide nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) while minimizing phosphorus levels, where legacy phosphorus might be a problem.
“Kimberly Hagen and Suzy Hodgson of the Center for Sustainable Agriculture were seeking a way to support Vermont’s sheep farmers by exploring market options for a use for raw, low-grade wool.” Kimberly Hagen, MS
“Up to fifty percent of the weight of wool is carbon. When pellets are incorporated into the soil, that carbon stays in the ground.” Kimberly Hagen, MS.
Climate responsible!
“…several findings suggest that wool is a promising alternative fertilizer for organic vegetable crops.” Various trials using tomatoes and spinach have showcased wool’s ability to stimulate increased yield and plant growth, especially when Woollets are used in the root zone.
“…suggests that wool pellets may be an appropriate replacement for commercial formulated fertilizer blends on organic farms… “ Higher nitrogen application is a direct correlation to stronger, healthier plants as well as better yields.