Cotton seeds hulls

[ceresone]

reading thru the columns brings up another question. some years ago, i used cotton seed hulls to mulch with, it turned into nice black dirt(soil?). Then, i was told to never use hulls,( i try to grow organic,) because thats where all of the pestecides were, and that there were a lot, in order to grow cotton.So, i never used them again. what are your thoughts on this subject? :)

[GreenZone]

Recently I was told that cottonseed MEAL was questionable for another reason: that much commercial cotton is now GMO. I'm not sure if that matters when it breaks down. Does anyone have thoughts on this?

Incidentally, both hulls and meal are old organic standbys....the cottonseed meal did a lot for my plants this year. What a shame if this fine resource is too tainted to be used.

[justdoit]

Ceresone, my local greenhouse carries "Organic" composted cotton burrs.

[zebraman]

Hey Guys;The main worry is what pesticdes were used on the crops when they were growing,not the GMO splicings which would be dead anyway and no longer viable.All of the national brand composts that are available at Home Depot are contaminated with pesticides that are used/banned in CA,now.Those companies have until next year to eliminate it from their compost.It's completely useless as compost.
I would'nt have a problem with organic cotton linters, Gmo or not.-

[GeorgeSims]

I have used the cotton gin "trash", aka "gin molt", which is the lint left over from the ginning process.

It composts wonderfully, and makes a rich, black product. I'm not sure if it contains any chemical residues or not. The cotton boll is usually tight, and closed, when any pesticides are sprayed. Just prior to picking, however, the cotton is sprayed with a defoliant, which makes all the foliage fall off prior to picking. That chemical would come into direct contact with the opened cotton boll, and would surely be contained in the lint.

[Playoutside]

i have used cotton seed meal and currently still use it. i buy it at the local feed store. i am experimenting with an "organic" fertilizer article that writen in mother earth news.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic_Gardening/2006_June_July/A_Better_Way_to_Fertilize_Your_Garden_Homemade_Org anic_Fertilizer
i really enjoy the magizine take it for whats its worth..
so far the fertilizer mix is working well, although, i also added bloodmeal to my mix. if anybody knows of an inexpensive site for dried seaweed i would appreciate it..

[zebraman]

Hey Guys;www.ebstone.org has kelp meal.I live a block from the Pacific and can pick up All I want,whenever.-I do however get the other ingredients for my garden from them.They are also local so I have no idea about shipping costs?-