Wanted- Natural Cotton

[Alasgun]

I bought some raw organic cotton off Amazon or ebay a while back, intending to use it for cannon wadding which failed miserably. When the charge ignited it lit the cotton as it hurled skyward, depositing little glowing embers in the yard.
next i located some raw alpaca wool which is MUCH too nice for cannon fodder. I returned to paper wadding for the big gun and had intend to use both the wool and the cotton as a free choice addition for my champagne doe’s when they’re nesting.

i was surprised at how much volume wise, 3 lbs. of Alpaca wool is. It would make very posh hummingbird nesting!

if you don’t find something closer, let me know via p.m. I can part with the cotton and still have plenty for my purposes with the wool.

 

[secuono]

Its illegal to grow cotton in Alabama without the proper forms. That’s why seed companies won’t ship cotton seed here. This is because of ongoing attempts to eradicate the Boll weevil in our and neighboring states. I’m not sure but I may also be illegal to ship seeds to anyone in our state who doesn’t have the permit.

Same is true for Virginia, last I checked.

I hadn't seen a cotton field until somewhat recently. It was after harvest, but it was still so neat to see something I've only read about.


Idk if you're on Facebook, OP, but there are groups for spinning and growing cotton. They may be able to ship out some.

 

[Dirtmechanic]

Today I learned about home defense cannons.

 

[Zeedman]

Not having seen hummingbird nests, I wonder if there might be other alternatives to cotton? Perhaps gather milkweed pods, cottonwood fluff, or cattails? Or would they perhaps use long hair gathered from salons?

 

[Artichoke Lover]

I’ve seen a lot of animal hair in the nests I’ve found around here. I’ve never seen cotton. Probably because it’s harvested in September.

 

[AMKuska]

I actually had no idea what hummingbirds used for nesting material. Quite a lot! Dandelion seeds, spider silk, cotton, tiny twigs, animal hair, etc. If you have a hairy dog, or know someone who does, dog fluff is apparently a hummingbird favorite. If you can't find someone who can ship you cotton, perhaps you could ask a grooming salon for a few scraps of fluff?

 

[ducks4you]

Check through OLD blankets that might have their tag still on. I just got a new 100% cotton blanket for my bed. The old one is now 20yo, bc I bought it new when we got a new bed in 2000. It, too, was 100%cotton, has a small hole in it, but I have stored it for a future quilt. (The hole will be fixed with lots of quilting thread, and will become a plus.) It is off white, I don't quilt often, but after 20 years of wear and and tear AND bleaching, it has held up. Check out GoodWill to see if they have any cotton. 100% cotton batting or wool works, too, but I am stingy about mine.

 

[Wyndsong]

I actually had no idea what hummingbirds used for nesting material. Quite a lot! Dandelion seeds, spider silk, cotton, tiny twigs, animal hair, etc. If you have a hairy dog, or know someone who does, dog fluff is apparently a hummingbird favorite. If you can't find someone who can ship you cotton, perhaps you could ask a grooming salon for a few scraps of fluff?

@HomesteaderWife I have a Bernese Mountain dog. I could ship you 5lbs of her hair a month! LOL. Or a week.

 

[Myrthryn]

A bit late here. Don't have any to spare, but I'm experimenting with a few plants this year. I was surprised when I read that a cotton plant can put down an 8 foot taproot!