A 2-cubic foot bag of cotton burr at Sugar Creek Gardens is $7.99.
POSTED BY FRED – Among the complaints you hear from some gardeners is their inability to grow certain plants or to get them looking their best. A recurring frustration in helping a customer is to recommend a plant only to hear, “Oh, I tried that one and it wouldn’t grow.”
Here’s one big reason for that: Many gardeners spend a lot of dollars on plants but give their soil only a dime’s glance, which is akin to building a house without a foundation.
Our Midwestern soil is known for its clay, which actually can be a good thing when it’s amended with organic matter. Clay allows for water and nutrients to hang around longer and the amendments feed the soil, which feeds the plants.
Which brings us to cotton burr compost, for years a staple at Sugar Creek and a product I use to top-dress perennials and shrubs in early spring and also in new plantings.
I knew this was a quality product, so out of curiosity, I checked out Back to Nature, which produces cotton burr, to find out more.
Many gardeners aren’t aware that decaying wood mulch can divert nitrogen meant for plants, and Back to Nature says cotton burrs have a carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of 22:1, eliminating nitrogen tie-up.
The company says that in addition to nitrogen, phosphate and potassium, the product has numerous micronutrients as well. The cotton burrs provide food for beneficial soil organisms, which help make nutrients available to plants, aerate the soil and help to combat harmful organisms and diseases, the website says. Not to mention loosening clay soil, retaining moisture and neutralizing soil pH.
Good soil is a beautiful thing. Just ask any experienced gardener.
Interesting, Fred — I learned a few things. Thanks! FYI — Cotton Burr at Sugar Creek Gardens is $7.99 per 2.something-cubic-foot bag. And it’s worth every penny…
Excellent information! I teach a composting class and will have tell them how great cotton burr compost is for our plants. Thanks for this post!
A gardener near here calls it ‘that old rotten stuff’ and declares it will make anything grow.
We got a semi-truck load of gin trash (cotton burrs) from a cotton gin about ten years ago. The compost was free; hauling cost $100.00. Over a ten year span it figured out to ten dollars a year. I got a bargain, didn’t I?
I’ve seen the bagged cotton burr compost around town, and often wondered what made it special. What makes it better than “leaf mold” compost, or mushroom compost?
I wouldn’t try to weigh what’s “better” among the three you mentioned — they’re all excellent products and are guaranteed to improve your soil. Check out this link to learn about cotton burr’s qualities: http://www.backtonaturecompost.com/faq.html
I have tried cotton burr compost myself and I have to agree that it is excellent!
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