Greg Hold, an agricultural engineer at the USDA-ARS station in Lubbock, Texas has found a new use for gin trash by turning it into mulch. Holt says that when used as mulch on its own, gin trash does little in the way of visual appeal or its ability to hold down soil. But when processed and mixed with another material such as Sudan grass, gin trash can be sprayed onto landscapes, roadways, or other bare areas to keep seed or soil in place.

?EUR??,,????'??Gin waste with Sudan grass covers as well as other mulches,?EUR??,,????'?? said Holt. The waste doesn?EUR??,,????'???t look as good, but with processing and Sudan grass, is competitive in appearance and performance with other materials and is also cost competitive.

According to Holt, hydro-mulch typically goes out at one pound of material to two gallons of water. With the gin trash, the ratio is one pound per one gallon.

?EUR??,,????'??Cotton holds and absorbs water,?EUR??,,????'?? said Holt. ?EUR??,,????'??That improves pumping ability. With an air sprayer, we can apply gin waste mulch at one pound of material with one ounce of water.?EUR??,,????'??

The water mixes with the solution at the end of the hose. ?EUR??,,????'??It?EUR??,,????'???s not in the solution,?EUR??,,????'?? Holt said. ?EUR??,,????'??So the ability to mix it with water and spray is not a concern. But we?EUR??,,????'???re not limited to air application. This product can be used through either machine. In fact, it?EUR??,,????'???s already being used commercially as hydro-mulch.?EUR??,,????'??

Tests have also shown that the gin waste is effective in erosion control. ?EUR??,,????'??On a 20 degree slope and rainfall at 4 and 9 inches per hour, the mulch did well,?EUR??,,????'?? said Holt.