can bring rice hulls to the Feb Frederick SWAP

Chantell has this obsession with using rice hulls as a soil amendment to lighten it, like perlite does, without the blinding whiteness. They're light and in skinny tan papery sort of, half inch long things. So I got some from Pinetree. I paid about $2 a pound for them in a bag and maybe shipping. It came in a bag about 8 by 7 by 12 inches and a bit compressed in there. But I can get a quantity from a beer supply place for $1 a pound. He weighs it out and homebrewers use it for a filtrate (I think). If enough are interested I'll get a 50 lb bag from him and the price wold be lower, he guessed maybe he'd go 40 for that bag, that's 80 cents a lb.
So if you want some, I can bring it to SWAP. I'm not committing to mailing right now because I have no idea how much it would cost to box and ship.
Can you post how much you think you want and I'll make a list here? If its less than 30 lb, I can have him weigh it out and it'lll be $1 a pound. If its more than 30 I'll get the big bag but I'll have to fret over how to get it weighed and be accurate...I think a couple of pounds will fit in a gallon Ziploc. I'll get the bags, no worries there, if needed, so I can weigh it out before SWAP. as Chantell pointed out, might look funny scooping stuff out of a bag in my van in a parking lot and money changing hands. ^_^

Chantell- 5 lb
Bec- 5
critterologist- 3-5 lb
happy macomb- 3-5 lb
Froggy- 5 lb
Gita -5

This message was edited Jan 25, 2009 8:23 AM

This message was edited Jan 27, 2009 10:58 PM

Sally, if you end up close to 50, I'll take what's left.

If you end up with the big bag, just fill and weigh a gallon zip loc and use that as your unit of measure... charge us by the bag, and don't forget to include the cost of the zip loc itself!

I can just picture the scene with Frederick's Finest.

"OK, whatcha got there?"

"Rice hulls, officer."

"Uh HUH. Well, if you'll just step this way, ma'am..."

I currently don't have a postal scale or kitchen scale. My bedroom -People- scale goes in half- lb increments digitally, but I don't want to cheat anybody.
Yah, I better not bring bags of dried catnip along- oooh boy.

Sally,

If you have used this in your soil in the past--would you please comment of how it worked?
Did it have any benefits over Perlite, other that the color?
Do you know if these hulls would introduce some kind of fungus, or whatever into the soil? Like--where did they come from? Do you sterilize it first?

I will let you know--I might take some if it is all that great....

And Jill's idea about filling and weighing a gallon zip-bag is the way to go. Who's gonna fuss if there is an ounce of difference between bags?
If you are on friendly turns with your grocery store--fill a bag and ask the Produce Mgr. and see if you could weigh it on one of the scales they have all throughout the veggie dept.

Thanks, Gita

Sorry I can't give you my experience- I have none.
Chantell has bought plant material that arrived with this in the soil . Maybe she'll chime in wth some info.
What I'm buying is food grade so I'm assuming its sterilized. It will decompose but slowly. Its a by product of rice growing and processing. The company on this bag says www.riceland.com. There are technical details guidelines as a growing medium.Says to use 10%to 30 % rice hulls in your media.

I will try to find the links I had from a couple of years ago - the key is to only use food grade (which THIS is) hulls...as Sally already mentioned above. This type will have been sterilized. The gentleman I've purchased plants from last 2 springs (great seller btw...VERY reasonable prices on both plants and shipping) is where I got this idea from. I kept running the soil mix though my fingers thinking hmmmm what IS this mix. It's obviously catching b/c even MG has put it into their soil mixes: http://www.scottssti.com/en/08_resources/fact_sheet/M-GroGardenSoilRoses06.pdf & http://www.scottssti.com/en/08_resources/fact_sheet/M-GroGardenSoilTrees_Shrubs06.pdf among others.
"Finally, I learned from a source in the professional soils business that rice hulls are an excellent soil additive since they provide durable aeration (around 10 years) once tilled into the soil" Another soil mix using it: http://www.garden-ville.com/4429764_36600.htm Portion of book: http://books.google.com/books?id=H87qEHkcXhMC&pg=PA278&lpg=PA278&dq=Soil+and++rice+hulls&source=bl&ots=8km5qY7iM7&sig=xls3dzruqhfaMNiKo2rp2UnX0R8&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result Sally maybe you could find out if these are "carbonized" - as I keeping getting "hits" referring to "carbonized rice hulls" http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/371634/the_numerous_beneficial_uses_of_carbonized.html
As a side note if more folks express interest - I don't NEED 10 lbs...just happy to take it IF the need is there to get the 50 lb bag.
And I will bring you a bag of zip locks - just let me know your brand of preference.

This message was edited Jan 25, 2009 12:58 PM

WoW--Chantelle---

You sure know how to find the links to a lot of stuff!!!!! Must be a bit time-consuming!

I will wait for some more comments on this as I am, usually, too eager to get things just b/c someone or other thinks it is the greatest stuff! Seems so is everyone else......

Trying to be less "needy" with all these kind of offers. I have so much gardening stuff I just "NEEDED" to buy----and there it sits for years and I have never used it......like all the packets of "Messenger" I paid good money for a few years ago on a co-op.

My house and shed and basement just fill up-----and I know--when I depart this Earth--there won't be any gardeners left to even know what the heck any of this stuff is--or what it is used for. They will have to hold a DG Flea market.....

SO! I await more information......G.

Gita, you might try offering the Messenger (at cost or whatever seems fair) over on the swap thread -- or just post it for sale in DG marketplace. I'm pretty sure that unopened packs are good for a very long time.

LOL - and THAT'S exactly what I did w/mine a year or so ago...went bye-bye on trade along with some markers I decided I didn't really care for. ^_^

I don't seem to be the most skilled at 'searching' but I'll see if I can find out about the carbonized- no clue what that would do. (seems like some topics I have the hardest time finding the right sites- until I muddle thru an article and go for one last look. Then they all pop up)

Gita- I'd take some Messenger off your hands for your cost or whatever- instead of gas money.?

Chantell- really, don't worry about the bags- the interest is still slow, I may just have Beer Guy wiegh it. I have mine already from Pinetree and I live near Beer guy so I don't need to stock up myself.

Sally - I am in with Chantell on the 10 lbs ^_^

? meaning you'll split Chantell's 10 pounds with her, or you want 10 pounds yourself?

BTW, even if we get to 50 pounds, having the Beer Guy weigh it is probably worth 20 cents a pound more! $1 per pound is fine with me.

Splitting the 10 lbs - I shudder to think HOW much room 10 lbs of hulls would take

I'll probably just have him make me a few 5 pounders and 2 pounders But not today. Still have a couple of weeks.

Not trying to push rice hulls or anything. Here is a link to an article about parboiled rice hulls, which is what Pinetree sell.
http://deltafarmpress.com/mag/farming_rice_hulls_valuable/
It seems the hulls are cheaper than perlite hence the companies using hulls in commercial mix.

This message was edited Jan 26, 2009 5:07 PM

The rice hulls are sounding better and better. Please up my request to 5lbs if possible. Since I always amend my potting mix, I'm sure I'll use it all. I agree with the others that however you decide to weigh the hulls will be fine with me. Thanks

OK! Sally! I succumb!!!!!

Put me down for 5lbs as well. It's ONLY $5! So--No big deal!

Gita

Hi, I was just reading your thread. I ordered an organic buckwheat hull pillow as support for my back while watching tv. It came Friday and as soon as I saw the hulls, I thought wow how great they would be for the garden, but not at the price I paid for the pillow--$40. It has 10-12 lbs of buckwheat hulls in it. The rice hulls sound like a fantastic bargain!

maybe I'll try stuffing myself a pillow with them!

Hey great side business there...could do the 1/2 doughnut shaped ones for travel

Sally, Maybe you're only kidding about the pillow, but I'm sure it wold work with the rice hulls. What I really wanted was a pillow like we had in a nice hotel. It was about 7" high by 21" long and just fit behind the lumbar area. Chantell, the neck pillow for traveling would be great. I'd give both a try, but I can't even thread the needle on a sewing machine.

I think I saw buckwheat pillows a few years back at Bed, Linens and More Bath Things or some such store. I though they were 'head' pillows. They seemed kinda hard for that tho!
Tell me about nice hotel stuff. We went to Williamsburg and had a comfy duvet with down comforter-- was to die for, but so far this is the second winter I've been too cheap to buy myself that. Not with The Monster and her claws LOL and other goings on

Sally, That's funny. Meiko is always jumping up on the bed right in front of my face. I don't know why she does that when there's so much room elsewhere on the bed. I don't think dogs do that. They pretty much announce themselves when they come into the room. At least they give enough warning so they don't startle the whazzits out of you.

Pam - "re threading a needle" - if I can't glue it...it's pointless...LOL I feel your pain...truly

Chantell, what a good idea. I forgot about gluing.

LOL - glue is MY friend... ^_^

A glued seam might actually work better for buckwheat or rice hulls, in terms of keeping them in the pillow, but you'd have to be careful not to make an uncomfortable ridge with the glue... hmm, maybe if you also glued some cording around the edge of the seam...

Jill, OK, Let's not get too fancy here. A straight seam with the glue is about all I'm capable of--lol.

LOL I think she was thinking of something that would provide a mini barrier between the "glue seam" and your skin...

Yep. And adding cording around the edge can also be done with a glue gun, after you're finished with the pillow... or you can get the kind of cording that's attached to a skinny piece of fabric and just glue it right into the seam as you go along (just keep track of what you're doing so the cording ends up on the outside when you turn the piece right side out!).

I got six five-pounders of hulls yesterday- I hadn't taken a note what I needed so I guessed.- Forget the overage- I'll just take three bucks for each. it'll be more than made up for in plants or seeds I have a hunch...
Will also have some empty rinsed milk jugs.

Sally--if you have more requests for the rice hulls than you have gotten--I will pass on my 5lbs. Honest! No biggie!

G.

Sally - you charge what you paid PLUS gas money and any supplies if you needed to purchase...THAT is only fair...sheesh!!! And I certainly can take less then the 5 lbs if someone else is short...I don't mind honestly

I agree... take $5 or $6 for each of those bags, or we will feel guilty!

I want to pay you what it cost you plus your gas, too. After all, you did all the work - plus it's still a great deal. And, I can also take less if others want some too.

OK, I've been out awhile...clearly there's going to be a meeting in Frederick (?)...is that posted somewhere obvious and I'm just a nitwit?

Nice to read about everyone again! Going out of town for a few days but gardening is definately on the horizon now!!!

Heya, Jayne! Glad you found us again. :-)

Look for the purple crocus thumbnails in the MidAltantic forum... party on Feb. 21!

OK you people--I was getting on here to say Aw heck, just take 'em, and let this be my SWAP, my seeds aren't that great and I certainly have gotten $$ worth of plantly goodness from all of you already!!!
No gas money involved in turning off the road I was already on! Plus we're helping a small local businessman.

The beer supply guy finished making the 5 pounders and looked at his other two giant bags of hulls and said Well, I guess we're down to only a YEAR'S supply of these now.. ..I'm think he appreciated selling a bunch at once

Tell him...we're always happy to help him deplete his supply!! Seriously...is it just my stores or has the Perlite gone up AGAIN - shessh

What would you pay for that typical ?--8 quart--? Perlite bag?