Fleecegrow

This week we have had scoured pellets go out to trial for a garden product, an ellepot user and a native tree nursery. This last is also trialling our biochar infused pellets for some of their tree planting. This will help hold onto nutrients that might otherwise leach away as well as moisture, great for reforestation. We can't wait to see the results over the next 12 months at Restore Native Plant Nursery ! #growwellwithwool

Did you know biochar can reduce leaching of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus into waterways? However the source of biochar can affect the properties. Over the next few years, we'll be looking at working with some growers and researchers to see how our wool biochar pellets work with crops and grass. ● Does it reduce leaching into waterways? ● Are the nutrients still available to root systems? ● Does charged biochar provide slow release of fertiliser without leaching? ● Is there a difference in scoured vs unscoured wool as a base? ● Is there any herbicide contamination? ● Does the pellet form reduce particulate matter? Or is a liquid form better? ● Can we introduce it at correct depth (30-60cm) with current seed drill machinery? or liquid injectors? There's so much to learn but the science could be so valuable to our growers AND our waterways. We look forward to the journey. #growwellwithwool #sciencegeek

Super excited to have our first 20kg of scoured wool pellets ready to go out to customers. Unscoured or dag wool is easy to compress into pellets with the lanolin and dags providing a natural binder. Great for gardens everywhere. However, commercial customers need to make sure there is no chance at all of weeds, seeds or disease, so we took on the challenge they set to make a scoured wool pellet. Our latest recipe seems to be a real winner. Progress feels good! #growwellwithwool

A great night talking about the potential for agritech collaboration opportunities in Aus & NZ. Sounds like fertiliser, soil carbon and indoor growing are growing areas of interest (excuse the pun).

This week the NZIER has released a report about the effect legislation to keep waterways clean could have on food prices. They've found that the proposed regulations would increase prices of food by up to 20%. This shows the challenge of feeding a growing population while caring for our environment. In one bright note, they encouraged the government to finance development of potential solutions. We're currently partnering with Lincoln University to work on a product that could be one of those solutions. Let's see if we can protect our waterways AND enable our growers to keep up production. #growwellwithwool

Last week we had an amazing conversation with Roimata Minhinnick of Ngāti Te Ata, our local iwi. This is just one of several conversations we've had over the years as we've developed our whanaungatanga, first over Facebook and then by phone. We share an interest in horticulture, climate change and sustainability. We exchange ideas, articles of interest, news about conferences and trips and what we've learned. It's been a wonderful journey, and very different to so many western relationships, which are often transactional. We don't just get in touch when we need something. This type of relationship which is giving and not expecting suits so much better for the future we want to create. We're thankful for Roimata's support, but also for our growing friendship as we work on how what we can do could improve our local waterways. Aroha mai, aroha atu. Manaaki whenua, manaaki tangata, haere whakamua.

We spent three full days writing a grant application. Not the most exciting task. But the potential is so exciting, it's worth every dotted i and crossed t. We ❤️ wool science! #startuplife

Did you know that the method of how you produce biochar can change its properties? ● Produced at a higher temperature and mixed with sewage or manure, it reduces the methane produced. ● If produced at lower temperatures, in sewage/manure it increases the methane produced. ● If activated with steam at the end of production, its surface area and micro pores are increased making it more absorbent. ● Steam activation also reduces the electrostatic repulsion ● 'Charging' the biochar means soaking it with nutrients before use, otherwise it will soak up nutrients like nitrogen from the soil. ● 'Inoculated' biochar has been fed healthy microbes which are great for soil development. ● Activating with potassium hydroxide makes a great surface area and pore size for increased adsorption. ● Higher temperatures lead to higher carbon capture and a more stable carbon structure "What does this have to do with wool?", you might ask. Wool is 50% carbon, the kind that is normally lost as wool biodegrades. By collecting our waste and our customer's waste, we can actually store that carbon and use it in our products. It's a truely circular solution. We can't wait. #growwellwithwool #comingsoon

Why we do what we do...

Last night we were luck enough to be asked to speak at the final lecture for the AUT Industrial design class. We challenged them with this - If you want to innovate, you have to break some 'rules'. We told them about what we are doing at Fleecegrow and how we broke just about every rule about how to handle wool to make our growing media block product. "You can't make 3d shapes in wool without a binder." "There is nothing new in non-woven." "You can't make pellets from scoured wool." The truth is - these aren't rules, they are just beliefs. Well meant advice but not useful in an industry that needs innovation. It was pleasing to see the student's studio work after and see how they too were looking beyond the norm. Amazing stuff Auckland University of Technology