Cotton Burr Compost

Spring is finally here! The seed catalogs can be put away, with their numerous dog-eared pages. The dust can be blown off your favorite garden tools. Now is the time to roll up your sleeves, head to the garden, and get dirty. Inhale the rich smells of the earth. Experience the vibrant colors of blooming flowers. Imagine the sweet taste of the season's first vegetable.

FELDMANS is here to help every step of the way! And we understand that gardeners are becoming increasingly conscious of what soil amendments are used in their gardens, shying away from chemical fertilizers and focusing on building a healthy, quality soil. To this end, nutrient-rich compost goes a long way in creating a healthy and flourishing garden.

But are all composts created equal? The variety of commercially available composts is outright confusing. Here at FELDMANS, we believe that the science of composting shows that Cotton Burr Compost is the highest quality and most nutrient-rich compost available on the market! To see why, let's first look at why compost is so beneficial to soils.

The Black Gold of the Garden

Compost is referred to as the black gold of the garden due to its numerous benefits to the soil. Compost improves the soil in 3 main ways: structurally, nutritionally, and biologically.

 Structural: If you have clay soil, you will absolutely love compost! Adding compost to clay soils reduces the density of the soil, making it easier to work. Compost also helps clay soils become more water permeable, which is critical during our drought-prone summers. Similarly, if your garden contains loose, sandy soils, compost will increase the soil-binding properties of the soil, again improving the soil's ability to hold moisture. Regardless of the type of soil you have, compost will improve its overall structure!

Nutritional: Compost is rich with nutrients, including the macronutrients nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, and micronutrients like manganese, copper, iron, and zinc. Macronutrients are essential for the overall growth and structure of the plant. Micronutrients play an important role in the plant's ability to extract and utilize nutrients found in the soil. In addition, compost, which has a neutral pH, stabilizes the soil pH of both acidic and alkaline soils.

Biological: Compost is teeming with microorganisms like bacteria, protozoa, and fungi! These microorganisms break down available compost into nutrients and humus – a stable residue that holds soil particles together. Humus is beneficial to soil because it increases nutrient and moisture retention and helps suppress disease.

With all of these benefits, what's not to love about compost? Admittedly, it can be confusing to sort through all of the information available on various composts. But when making the decision as to which type of compost to use in your garden, the most important rule of thumb is this: any compost is better than no compost. However, some composts are definitely better than others, and soil science shows that Cotton Burr Compost is the highest quality commercial compost available. Let's see why!

Cotton Burr Compost

In order to understand how effective a compost Cotton Burr makes, it is important to understand the lifecycle of the cotton plant. Cotton plants are highly demanding on the soils in which they are planted, absorbing a large quantity of soil nutrients and depositing them in the stalks, leaves, and seed pods (or burrs) of the plants. In most of the U.S. Cotton Belt, once the cotton is ready to harvest, mechanical pickers are used to separate the cotton and cottonseed from the stalks, leaves, and burrs, which are considered a “waste product.” This “waste product,” however, has been discovered to be very conducive to composting due to its consistency and high nutrient content.

Not All Composts are Created Equal

Cotton Burr makes for a consistent and high nutrient compost, but how is it superior to mushroom compost, composted manure or other soil amendments like peat moss? I'm glad you asked. There are many reasons!

1) There is much variability and inconsistency to be found in commercial Mushroom Compost. This is because Mushroom Compost consists of the leftover materials in which mushrooms were grown (substrates). In other words, there is no standard list of ingredients for Mushroom Compost. Instead, it can include hay, straw, poultry litter, cocoa shells, peat moss, cottonseed hulls or other organic materials. In addition, mushroom farmers use different substrates for different species of mushrooms, further increasing compost variability. Finally, these growing substrates have been partially depleted of nutrients since mushrooms have been grown in them. This can lead to high levels of salts in the compost. Research at Penn State University concludes that Mushroom Compost is good for use on turf grass; however, if used in gardens, Mushroom Compost should be thoroughly mixed into the soil to help distribute the salt.

Cotton Burr Compost does not suffer from these problems. You can expect consistency and high nutrient content in every bag of Cotton Burr Compost that we sell.

2) Composted Manure has a finer texture than Cotton Burr Compost, making it less effective as a soil conditioner. Cotton Burr has plenty of larger, bulkier particles that help loosen and aerate dense, clay soils.

3) Unlike Peat Moss, Cotton Burr Compost is is easy to wet and re-wet and has the ability to retain lots of moisture, which makes it an ideal soil amendment for dry, clayish soils that leach water. Furthermore, the nutrient content of Peat Moss pales in comparison to compost.
 

Is Cotton Burr Compost Safe to Use?

Despite all of the benefits of Cotton Burr Compost, gardeners often express concern over using it in their vegetable gardens because of the presence of herbicides and chemicals. In some areas of the U.S. Cotton Belt, herbicidal defoliates are used to kill the cotton plant and remove the plant leaves, thereby reducing the stress on mechanical picker equipment.

At FELDMANS, there is no worry of herbicide or chemical contamination because we sell Back to Earth Cotton Burr Compost, which is 100% chemical free! Manufactured in northern Texas, the early freezes of the Texas Panhandle eliminate the need to use herbicidal defoliates to kill the cotton plants. A 2 Cubic Foot bag is $8.99.*

Get your garden off to a great start this year with Cotton Burr Compost!

* Price is good through June 30, 2013.

Winter Wild Bird Feeding

The winter months are an excellent time to attract colorful birds to your residence. While some species make their yearly flights south, many – like chickadees, finches, and woodpeckers – stay in the region throughout winter. With bugs and natural sources of forage either dead, dormant or covered in snow, wild birds need all the help they can get to maintain body temperature and energy levels, including providing supplemental sources of food, water, and shelter. FELDMANS is here with the products and the know-how to help you establish a winter refuge for the wild birds!

Protein and Fat: What Wild Birds Need

As warm-blooded animals, birds need food with high protein and fat levels during the winter months in order to maintain body temperature and energy levels. Some of the best sources of protein and fat are also some of your most cost-effective options! Here are several products to consider: 

• Black Oil Sunflower Seed: For all around wild bird feeding, it is hard to surpass the benefits of black oil sunflower seed. One of the most widely preferred seeds, black oil provides birds with high levels of energy. Furthermore, its thin shell is easy to crack open by smaller birds such as chickadees, nuthatches, juncos, cardinals, titmice, mourning doves, grosbeaks, and others. FELDMANS has 50 pound bags of black oil sunflower seed on sale this month for $19.99!

For an excellent black oil sunflower seed feeder, try our No/No Wild Bird Feeders. These all-metal feeders are built to last! With a large seed capacity, these colorful feeders can host up to 15 birds at once. We have three models on sale this month starting at $7.99. 

• Nyjer Seed: Consisting of approximately 35 percent fat and 18 percent protein, Nyjer seed is highly attractive to the Finch family, including American gold, purple, and house finches. FELDMANS stocks 20 pound bags for $19.99 and 50 pound bags for $44.99. 

Tube feeders with narrow ports to prevent spilling are ideal feeders for use with Nyjer seed. We stock a range of Nyjer feeders on sale this month from $3.99 to $39.99. My favorite is the $39.99 Birch Log Feeder. With a 2 pound seed capacity, this attractive feeder protects the seed from squirrels with stainless steel shields and locking roof clips. And it is made in the USA! 

• Suet: This solid fat rendered from beef or venison contains highly concentrated fat and energy. Typical suet-eating birds include chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, bluebirds, and woodpeckers. FELDMANS offers a large selection of suet cakes and pellets starting at 99¢! Affordable suet cake feeders are available in single cake and double cake varieties.

 

The Highs and Lows of Feeder Positioning

Feeder position can make all the difference in the success of your winter bird feeding. Here are some general rules of thumb that will help you attract a larger amount of birds. First, position the feeder near natural or artificial cover so that the wind is cut down. Second, it is generally better to locate feeders in areas that mimic natural sources of food. Last, feeders placed in quieter areas will usually attract more birds because they feel safer. However, do not locate the feeder so out of the way as to make it difficult or dangerous to refill.

The height of your feeder is an important decision that will affect which species you attract and how many. Ground feeders tend to attract birds like sparrows, juncos, and mourning doves. Elevated platform and hopper feeders are especially good for attracting cardinals, wrens, chickadees, titmice, jays, and grosbeaks. Since hanging feeders blow in the wind, they are used by species that are able to hang while feeding, like chickadees, titmice, nuthatches and finches.

Natural and Artificial Bird Shelters

A combination of natural landscaping and artificial shelters can make our feathered friends so much more comfortable in the cold! Planting evergreen trees or bushes with year-round foliage can provide both natural shelter and protection from predators. Maintaining bird houses throughout the winter can help as well. While bird houses do not provide the cold protection that roosting boxes do, they can cut down on the wind. The addition of straw or wood shavings as an insulating material will increase the effectiveness of the bird house. Face the bird house opening south to maximize passive solar heating of the interior.

Don't Forget the Water

The importance of providing water cannot be understated. You wild bird refuge will be more frequented if it has a steady source of water. FELDMANS offers two styles of bird bath. First, we carry Henri Studio cast stone concrete pedestal bird baths. These USA made bird baths are hand painted with weather resistant paints and have intricate sculptural detail. A truly unique addition to any backyard setting.

Second, we carry the Birdscapes Cobblestone hanging bird bath. With a 12” surface and a hand resin finish, this hanging bird bath offers ultimate flexibility in bird bath location.

Remember FELDMANS for Your Birding Needs

Whether you are an amateur or experienced bird feeder, FELDMANS can help provide custom solutions to your particular needs. Make FELDMANS your one stop shop for all of your birding needs!