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 Post subject: Cotton Burr Compost
PostPosted: Tue Jul 05, 2005 8:54 pm 
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Joined: Sat Apr 26, 2003 9:58 pm
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Location: Quitman,TEXAS
Does anyone know if the commercial cotten burr compost sold by most box outlets (Wall-Mart, Home Depot, etc) is really organic compost?
We have put a lot out this year, but was told at the place that I buy most of my organics, that it is typically not fully composted and should not be put in a vegetable garden as it might still contain insectcides, etc. Thanks to anyone who might know for sure.


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 08, 2005 10:50 pm 
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It might have been sprayed with herbicide. Well, actually it WAS sprayed with herbicide. The last thing they do to cotton before picking is defoliate the plants with a salt spray.

How does it smell? Does it smell very fresh? Even if it has been composted there might still be salt in it. I don't know how to test for that. I supposed the salts would wash out :?:

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:43 am 
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Location: Odenville,Alabama
Here in Alabama, we have an abundance of cotton crop trash.

The county extensions are trying to get more folks to recycle it for environmental uses.

Cotton waste compost makes a super "sustainable" compost, but not a real "organic" compost, because cotton is the most synthetically sprayed pesticide-soaked crop in Alabama!

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 Post subject: Cotton Burr Compost...
PostPosted: Mon Aug 15, 2005 10:41 pm 
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Location: Tulia,TEXAS
I feel it is unfair to compare Alabama cotton with West Texas cotton...West Texas cotton is not defoliated and due to the early cold weather in the Texas panhandle does not require defoliation. It is a true organic source and is probally the most consistent compost that is commercially available. When prepared right, all dangerous bacteria and pathogens are cooked out of it as well as any chemicals that might have been used on it. There are two reputable companies in West(panhandle) Texas that offer a quality product and neither one of them sell to any mass merchants, including Wal-Mart. The product you have to be careful with, is the quick composters that are selling to the mass merchants.

So here is your tip....Don't buy cotton burr compost in mass merchants... :idea:


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Tue Aug 16, 2005 10:54 am 
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Do you know what brand names they are sold under?
Tony M


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 Post subject: Brands...
PostPosted: Tue Aug 16, 2005 2:09 pm 
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Location: Tulia,TEXAS
"Back To Earth Composted Cotton Burr" (Soil Mender Products- Tulia Texas-www.soilmender.com)& "Back To Nature Cotton Burr Compost"(BTE Back To Nature Resources-Slaton Texas-www.bactktonaturecompost.com)...Hope that Helps.... :lol:


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Sep 21, 2005 12:21 pm 
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Location: Odenville,Alabama
I just found out this week from a visit to our new USDA certified organic research experiment station, located in Cullman Alabama, and sponsored by Auburn University, that there does exist an abundant form of cotton gin trash that is USDA acceptable for organic or sustainable composting now.

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The entire Kingdom of God can be totally explained as an Organic Garden (Mark 4:26)
William Cureton


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Sep 21, 2005 9:29 pm 
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Location: Tulia,TEXAS
Captain...

You are just talking about in Alabama and the southeast, right?


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Sep 22, 2005 6:56 am 
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Location: Odenville,Alabama
Yep.

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The entire Kingdom of God can be totally explained as an Organic Garden (Mark 4:26)
William Cureton


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sun Mar 05, 2006 12:17 am 
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Location: Mansfield,TEXAS
I've had good results with the BTE cotton burr compost. It varies in consistency from bag to bag, but it is an excellent product. The results are immediate and prolific. I put it in the bare areas in my lawn where no grass would grown and I have grass there now. My plants and grass love the stuff.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 10:28 am 
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Location: Carrollton,TEXAS
I love the cotton burr Back To Earth brand. I like the texture and look as a mulch/compost. It looks like a product you would find on the floor of a rain forest. I don't like the dri hardwood look of wood mulch so I am wanting to get more of Back to Earth cotton burr. It is not widely available at retailers, could only find it at Lewisville feed store. :(
Maybe if we all try it, it will be more widely distributed and available. :D


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 5:19 pm 
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Location: Weatherford,TX
Provide feedback to the people in charge of your favorite stores. They can't carry everything on the market. If they know you want it, they will likely get it for you. Also, tell the person why your brand is better than the other brand.

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 3:37 pm 
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I used to think cotton was over sprayed until I lived north of Lubbock for six months last year. I only saw crop dusters out one time. And I also saw cotton burr trash piled several stories high. One pile completely blocked the view of a huge cotton gin behind it.

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 Post subject: cotton burr/boll compost
PostPosted: Mon Jan 15, 2007 3:53 pm 
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Location: Aubrey,TEXAS
I'm the guy who built the market for cotton burr compost. I've been at it since 1984 and currently work as the field marketing rep. for Back To Nature, Inc. the oldest and largest manufacturer of cotton burr compost on the market. I've been through all the hoops re: Q&A about the stuff, including United States Compost Council's guidelines and university research, so hope I know what I'm talking about.
The use of cotton gin trash as a soil amendment goes back over 150 years. It was known even then for its ability to break up clay soils and for the fact that plants seemed to thrive in it.
The use of cotton gin trash as a soil amendment ceased upon the introduction of the mechanized cotton stripper because the plants had to be defoliated prior to harvest to keep from jamming the equipment. Unfortunately, the defoliant of choice was arsenic acid (arsenic). Arsenic is a heavy metal that accumulates in the soil and plants can uptake it, so using it as a soil amendment fell from grace until the late '70s.
Arsenic was outlawed by the EPA several years ago and all chemicals used on cotton now must be bio-degradable within two weeks of application. Careful composting eliminates any remaining traces of defoliants, chemicals, insects and weed seeds.
The cotton burr composts produced by Back To Nature, Inc. since 1984 have come from the High Plains of Texas, where defoliants were seldom used as a result of early freezes. In the rare events where chemical defoliants were used, sodium chorate was used in place of arsenic.
The reason cotton burrs (bolls) do such a great job of restoring soil tilth and fertility lies in their nutrient contect. Cotton depletes the soil of nutrient as it grows. The nutrients wind up concentrated in the seed and boll of the plant. Raw cotton bolls contain a high concentration of protein and are fed to cattle. They are also a natural, organic fertilizer, hold as much moisture as peat moss without the wetting problems, and don't tie up nitrogen like wood based composts do.
Back To Nature Cotton Burr Compost is a superior food source for the beneficial organisms that make nutrients available to plants, help aerate the soil through their tunneling, keep harmful organisms in check and provide soil and plants with immunity to diseases and pests.
It is important to realize that the only place in the U.S. where cotton bolls actuallywind up in the gin trash is on the Texas High Plains. The cotton grown there is short, staple cotton, which must be harvested with with a stripper. All other cotton in the U.S. is harvested using a cotton picker, which leaves the bolls on the plant where they are eventually tilled back into the earth.
Cotton compost from any region other than the Texas High Plains will not have the same nutrient content.
Salts tend to be rather high in most cotton compost analyses, but they are not sodium salts and leach rapidly once in the soil. The salt content is not anywhere near as high as it is in mushroom or manure composts.
When composting is done properly, as it is in our Lubbock production facililty, the end product is free from weeds, insects, chemicals and pathogens.
In short, there is no better soil conditioner than Back To Nature Cotton Burr Compost and Blends. They are sold in 24 Central and Southeastern states through independent garden centers only. Never through big box stores.
I would encourage you to visit our website: www.backtonaturecompost.com


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