01 May 2009

Using human hair for garden mulch

You can buy circular mats of hair, measuring 6 to 14 inches, that you place around plant stems. Or you can buy the mats as a roll. The hair crowds out weeds, conserves water, and supplies nitrogen and micronutrients...

The hair mats are made in China. But not because of cheap labor. In China, hair is a commodity, used in wigs and even as an additive in food. While American barbers sweep hair into the trash, Chinese haircutters sell their trimmings to brokers. Blair Blacker says Chinese hair is also more nutrient rich because it's not as treated as Western hair...

BLACKER: There is a slight nutritional difference between blond hair and black hair, but as far as a plant is concerned, they wouldn't notice the difference.

GRECH: Which is more nutritional?

BLACKER: Blond tends to be slightly less nutritional. Slightly. I'm not going to say a word.

Personally I don't grow enough hair to mulch a single plant, but I'm going to talk to my barber...

1 comment:

  1. There was a time in history, mid-1800s i think, where human hair was actually worth more than gold!

    Hair salesmen would travel the country once a year and harvest hair. Women would grow their hair for the event and sometimes be paid more for their hair than the family would be paid for their annual harvest.

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